Uued tuuled aastas uues

Head uut aastat mu kallis lugeja!

Eelmisel aastal jõudsid nii mõnedgi kutsuda mind juba maarotiks, aga rahustuseks kõigile – meremehe hing ei ole mind maha jätnud. Eelmine aasta õpetas mulle samuti, et maa peal  pole leida teenistust ja suur suvi on Austraaliasse jõudmas ning pole parimat paika suvel kui kuskil merede süles. Seega järgides inspiratsiooni – on aeg pöörata pilgud mere poole kulla meremees. Tuulesuund on Port Lincoln!

Port Lincoln – seafood capital of Australia

Port Lincoln is located 652 km by road west of Adelaide and is Australias largest fishing port, producing a diverse range of seafood worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the State and local economies. The first fishing was sealing (hülgepüük), closely followed by whaling. In the 1860s Port Lincoln established its first cannery (konservitehas) for Australian salmon.Fishery in Port Lincoln is diverse:

Southern Bluefin Tuna fishing – esimene väike konservitehas alustas tegevust 1938. Aastal. Püügitehnika areng võimaldas püüda aasta-aastalt aina rohkem ning viis 80-ndate lõpuks tuunivarude ülepüügini. 90-ndatel alustati tuunikalade kasvatamisega Jaapani sushi jaoks sumpades ning sellest kujunes multi million dollar industry.

Southern Rock Lobster – the current lobster quota catch is some 530 tonnes and has approximately 64 license holders fishing during the season, November to May. The industry is worth some $25 million to the South Australian economy. Approximately 95% of all lobster are exported to China.

Prawns (krevetid) – the Spencer Gulf prawn fishery is the third most valuable prawn fishery in Australia and has been in operation on a commercial basis since in 1968. Currently there are 39 licensed operators who fish for prawns over six fishing periods in a year, mainly between November to June. The approximate quantity of prawns harvested is around 2000 tonnes and is worth some $33 million to the State economy. Prawns are mainly sold domestically prior to Christmas.

Abalone (merikõrv) – By the 1980's divers were making a small fortune diving for greenlip and some blacklip abalone. Today strict quotas and heavy licence fees have made this a fishery worth many millions to the local community. The attractive Asian market has guaranteed licenced owners a good income. Demand for abalone outstrips supply and several land based abalone farms have been established. There is a separate market for the smaller farmed abalone and the industry is rapidly growing.

Oysters (austrid) – Many areas around Port Lincoln are famous for their oysters, including Coffin Bay, Smoky Bay and Cowell. The oyster industry on the Eyre Peninsula is worth some $22 million and is Eyre Peninsulas second largest aquaculture industry. Oysters are exported to Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong and Coffin Bay oysters can be found at premium prices in fine restaurants on east coast.

Mussels (karbid) – the first aquaculture farms to grow Blue Mussels in the waters around Port Lincoln were established 10 years ago. There are currently 20 growing sites operated by some 4 farmers producing 2000 tonnes of mussels per annum for the export and national markets. The mussel industry is currently worth some $8 million.

Scalefish (soomkalad) – there have been many changes for the whiting (hõbeheik) and snapper (riffahven) fisheries, with conservation of remaining stocks taking a priority. Net fishing (võrgupüük ) has almost disappeared with most fish now hooked. Other species such as garfish (tuulehaug) and tommies are netted and make up some of the most available table species. Pilchards (sardiinid) is a relatively new fishery with the greatest demand coming from tuna farms for use as tuna feed. The shark fishery is one of the oldest but today much more of the fish is used. Shark liver oil is extracted and the fins (uimed) are dried for the Asian market.