East Gippsland Shire Council has commissioned a Seafood Market Opportunity Assessment to identify new avenues for growth, value-adding, and increased market penetration within the region’s seafood industry.
The assessment will be led by Tether Agency’s Rosie Love, who will work closely with local commercial fishers, processors and industry stakeholders over the next two months to provide independent, evidence-based market intelligence.
The agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors are vital contributors to the East Gippsland economy, generating more than $670 million in annual output and supporting approximately 1690 jobs. Within this broader sector, the Lakes Entrance-backed seafood industry is recognised as a strategically critical driver, supported by a rich commercial fishing heritage, highly regarded products and deep local expertise.
East Gippsland Shire Council mayor, Cr Jodie Ashworth, said the project is focused on supporting the local industry to identify opportunities and make informed commercial decisions for their future.
“East Gippsland has a proud seafood industry with a reputation for producing premium products,” Cr Ashworth said.
“This assessment will provide industry with valuable market intelligence to better understand growth opportunities, emerging markets, and potential pathways for value-adding within the region.”
The assessment will investigate current and emerging market opportunities, potential pathways for value-added processing, barriers to growth, and ways to increase local value capture across the supply chain.
Engagement will take place directly with local commercial fishers, seafood processors, distributors, and retailers to better understand current operating environments and industry pressure points.
Tether Agency consultant Rosie Love said meaningful local participation would be critical to the project’s success.
“The seafood industry holds significant knowledge and experience, and stakeholder input will be essential,” Ms Love said.
Key areas of investigation will include domestic and export opportunities, local value capture, production capacity, and barriers to market entry. Industry stakeholders will be contacted directly or can reach out to Rosie Love during the assessment period to participate in interviews.