Metropolitan customers scrambling for seafood dinner seats
Following a very successful gala seafood dinner conducted last year, where tickets quickly sold out to patrons, WAFIC Chief Executive Officer Darryl Hockey recently attended another similar seafood event at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel.
With the support of the Director of Food for the Prendiville Group, Russell Blaikie, the Head Chef of the hotel restaurant, Peter Hajdu, developed an amazing menu of quality locally produced seafood including Mandurah crabs, Albany oysters, Fremantle rock lobster, Mindarie octopus, Albany Akoya oysters, Augusta abalone, Shark Bay prawns, west coast fish. With around 100 attendees, the atmosphere was buzzing and it was clear from the start that the patrons were very excited about the fortunate opportunity they were able to share.
The messages conveyed to attendees throughout the evening were all about the amazing quality and unique diversity we have in the WA food bowl, as well as the efforts made by the local commercial fishers to ensure their fishing activities are sustainable and quality fresh local supplies can be maintained to local consumers.
Darryl spent the evening circulating among the guests to talk seafood and seek feedback on their views about the industry, as well as their expectations of government. Without doubt, the consumers are well-informed and insistent that their ongoing supplies should be sustainable so that their grandchildren can share the same opportunities.
“Almost every weekend you can find me hanging about fresh seafood outlets, fish & chip shops, restaurants and seafood caravans and I’m continually heartened by the genuine support for our industry and appreciation of our unique local species. It’s abundantly clear that the community still remains very concerned about the future of the west coast demersal fishery and feels that stronger protective measures should have been taken.”
“The WAFIC position that there needs to be an outcome which provides a balance for both commercial and recreational fishing is critical and the efforts of certain lobbyists to favour recreational fishing to the exclusion of the commercial sector is clearly not supported by the community at large. Wherever I go, the understanding that we’re fishing with everybody’s best interests at mind is very apparent,” said Darryl.
CAPTION: Pictured (LtoR) at the event are: Russell Blaikie, Director of Food for Prendiville Group; Peter Hajdu, Head Chef, and Daryl Hockey, WAFIC Chief Executive Officer