17 June 2004
MEDIA RELEASE
GENUINE NEW SEASON TASSIE SCALLOPS ARE BACK
Genuine New Season Tassie Scallops will once again be back on the menus as from late this afternoon.
The Chief Executive of the Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council (TFIC) Bob Lister said "The Tasmanian commercial scallop season opened this morning and will continue until 21 December 2004 which is a three week extension to the 2003 season.
This extra period will extend the catching and landing arrangements and will provide more time to satisfy the ever increasing market demand for fresh local Tassie scallops.
Recent exploratory surveys have indicated that the scallops are of excellent quality, rich in flavour with a creamy flesh and orange roe – and they should taste just great".
There are three separate periods for the 2004 commercial scallop season with fishing permitted only on the east coast of Tasmania. Period one of four weeks will be from St Helens Point to Cape Degerando at the southern end of the Freycinet Peninsula. In period two of approximately eight weeks the open area will be adjacent to Eddystone Point and a separate small area in Marion Bay and period three will run from 15 September 2004 to 21 December 2004 in the same areas.
Bob Lister said "We anticipate that up to thirty commercial fishing vessels will participate in this years scallop season with a total allowable catch of 4200 tonnes of shell weight fish worth approximately $6 - 7m at the wholesale level.
We are very fortunate in Tasmania that our scallops can be landed quickly at a number of ports and locally processed almost immediately with the product available at retail outlets in the shortest possible time thereby ensuring that freshness and quality are maintained".
A word of warning though – as there is a current oversupply of cheap frozen and packed scallops imported from China we recommend that discerning consumers should always ask the retailer or restaurant if they are Genuine New Season Tassie Scallops and only accept the special and unique Tasmanian seafood delicacy.
After catching, landing and splitting, Genuine New Season Tassie Scallops rich in healthy and beneficial omega – 3 oils are once again available in quantity for your enjoyment!
Bob Lister can be contacted on 0408 146 960