South Australian lobster fishers are entering a new season hoping the return of the lucrative Chinese market could be on the horizon. China's 2020 ban on Australian lobsters devastated the local industry, sending prices crashing. The Federal Government is now making fresh pleas to Beijing to restart the trade.
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TVTranscript
00:00 Andrew Laurie used to send up to 95% of the lobster he processes to China, but three years
00:07 ago that trade came to a screeching halt.
00:09 The last three to four years have been very trying.
00:14 The last three years especially so, with no China.
00:18 Like other people in the industry along South Australia's limestone coast, he's hoping lobster
00:22 exports might be the next Australian trade with China to resume.
00:26 But with the local season getting underway, he's not holding his breath for that happening
00:29 any time too soon.
00:31 They can try as hard as they like, but China will do what they want at their own pace.
00:37 I'm confident that in further discussions I'm going to have and at meetings that the
00:43 Prime Minister might have in the coming weeks with his Chinese counterpart, that we can
00:49 resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
00:53 But when, or if, that will lead to a resumption of lobster exports still isn't clear.
00:57 In the meantime, lobster fishers along the coast are heading back out to sea, hoping
01:01 conditions this year could allow for a bumper catch.
01:04 All the signs are pointing towards that the stocks are in good order.
01:09 It's been like that for the last few years and it looks like it's going to be very promising.
01:13 But getting maximum bang for the buck from that catch hinges on the trade with China
01:17 resuming.
01:18 And operators along the coast are now starting another season, unsure of when that market
01:22 might return.
01:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]