Aussie lobster fisheries intend to keep prices low during the peak December shopping season after trade deal with China.
Kyriakos Toumazos of the Lobster Fishermen’s Association of the South Australian Northern Zone suggests a A$75-100 ($50.27-67.05) per kg range to 9News.com.
This amid industry expectations that the resumption of trade with China after a 4-year ban could raise local prices.
Toumazos however feels that fishermen could still maintain affordable domestic prices of the crawfish during Christmas 2024.
Price stabilization will be a gesture of gratitude to the local consumer base, which has been supporting the industry since 2020. This was the year when China, which commanded 90% of Australia’s lobster exports, cut off trade relations.
Australia has been keenly awaiting the renewal of shipments to the lucrative Chinese market after bilateral talks in August 2024.
After China recently stipulated terms of resumption, Australia’s Foreign office announced the breakthrough on October 10, 2024. Exports will likely begin during the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2025.
Pricing Stance for Aussie Lobster Fisheries
Diplomatic matters aside, the focus in the interim remains how Australians will continue to enjoy their lobster affordably.
Traditionally, local customers have usually expected a discount of between A$10 to 15 ($6.70 to 10.06) for lobster supplies from West Australia. This discounting targets middle-class consumers to cover the gap of China’s lost imports, which averaged at least US$40 ($26.81) a kg.
It is also true that three-quarters of the lobster in the domestic market are usually cheap imports from mostly North America. This leaves the premium Australian Western rock lobster to markets such as South Korea, Japan, and now China.
Ultimately, if fishermen associations reduce lobster prices during the 2024 Christmas, they will echo similar trends in the recent past. In the 2022 Christmas, for instance, Aussie lobster fisheries expanded their operations to countrywide supermarkets with cooked lobster at A$20 ($13.41) per 400 g. And as the statistics below show, price has been king in the crawfish sector of Australia beginning 2020.
Aussie Domestic Lobster Prices Statistics
According to Western Lobster, there are price differences between lobster from Western Australia and those from south Australia. Those from Western Australia to other parts of the country come with A$10 ($6.70) to 15 ($10.06) discounts. Those from Tasmania and South Wales , in their part, rarely vary their pricing.
Arguably, 57% of domestic market landings usually target the busy Christmas season. In Christmas 2021, 34 tonnes of the crawfish reached consumers at a wholesale price of between A$40 ($26.82) and A$45 ($30.17) a kg.
How is retail pricing in South Australia?
A 5 kg lobster in South Australia averages A$500 ($335.15) each, according to ABC News in a March 2024 story. This equates to the Australian retail median of A$100 ($67.05) per kg in consumer markets.
How is retail lobster pricing in Western Australia?
Because Western Australia’s rock lobster constitutes 20% of Australia’s total fisheries value, prices are generally cheaper than those from other parts. In 2024, for instance, some retail markets offer a 970g western rock lobster for A$87 ($58.30) per kg.