Abalone and Fox - A match made in heaven
Craig Fox is a man on a mission – to ensure the long-term sustainability of the wild-catch abalone fishery in Victoria for his fellow fishers, and for his daughters Bree and Zara. ‘I am passionate about a long term sustainable wild-catch abalone industry and a secure future for both my daughters. Responsible fishing is critical to ensuring that we have an industry for many years to come’.
Launching from Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Portland, Craig has been fishing for over 30 years. Craig commenced as a rock lobster fisher originally, enjoying life on top of the water before his hard work resulted in a new opportunity to live life under the water. ‘I started out as a cray fisher and an opportunity to work an abalone license arose from that. I had always loved diving and the marine environment so once I started abalone fishing, there was no turning back’ Craig said. ‘I love the challenge of working underwater with the tough elements we experience on the western coast of Victoria’.
The abalone industry in Victoria commenced in the early 1960s with many of the early entrants being only part time divers, whilst holding down more ‘traditional’ Monday to Friday jobs. These days, there are 71 wild-catch abalone licences issued across three zones - 23 in the Eastern Zone, 34 in the Central Zone and 14 in the Western Zone.
Victorian Abalone divers use runabout boats, easily towed behind most cars, which in Craig’s case is a 23ft Sharkcat. ‘I love the deck space and ride of the Sharkcat! When I go to work, I have a deckhand that drives the boat, keeping it in close proximity while I work underwater at the end of a 100m dive hose, which is attached to a petrol-powered air compressor, enabling me to stay under water for long periods of time’ he said.
‘I collect abalone using a blunt abalone tool known as an iron, which has a 130mm size gauge incorporated. Every 10 minutes or so, my deckhand drops me down an empty catch bag on a rope, which has a length of chain attached at the end of it. If he times it well, the bag lands next to me, and he gets a pat on the back when I surface. At other times, I listen out for the chain rattling on the bottom of the ocean floor. Once I find the bag, I replace the empty bag with my full bag of abalone before inflating the small rolled up parachute that is attached to each bag, which then sends the bag of abalone back to the surface’.
‘My deckhand then retrieves the bag, sorts the abalone, and stacks them in an abalone bin. The deckhand will put wet hessian over the abalone to keep them cool and wash them down with the deck hose every few minutes to keep them alive and cool’.
Abalone divers typically stay underwater between 5-7 hours, depending on the location that they are fishing. There are quite a few dangers associated with abalone diving that your average white-collar worker doesn’t encounter. Inclement weather is always a concern; however, sharks are always front of mind for abalone divers. Craig dives with a shark shield, whereas some other divers use a self-propelled cage. Craig states ‘I, along with many of my fellow divers, have had plenty of encounters with Great White Sharks over the years. I’m not going to lie, it can be scary, however the key is to stay calm, rely on your shark protective equipment and trust yourself. It’s worked for me so far’.
Recently, Craig’s 17-year-old daughter Bree has started commercially fishing as part of the family business. ‘I’m excited for Bree, who has been diving for periwinkles for years, and only just started diving for abalone. I was lucky enough to have some fantastic mentors provide me with guidance and advice over the years, and I’m really enjoying being able to pass on my knowledge of local conditions to my daughter’.
‘I am very proud that Bree has chosen to become a commercial fisher and I’m excited that my younger daughter Zara has expressed interest in trying commercial fishing in the near future. It shows that a woman is more than capable of working in our industry and can do the same job that men have traditionally done. It is part of the reason that I am such a big supporter of Women in Seafood Australasia (WISA). WISA is a fantastic organisation promoting important messaging about diversity in the workplace. I think it’s critically important to create opportunities for everyone, especially in male dominated industries like fishing. I am also wanting my daughters to be able to have the same opportunities as any of their male friends/colleagues’.
Zara Fox
Both Bree and Zara have been terrific support to Craig, who has recently started selling some of his catch locally thanks to a small sales permit issued by the Victorian Fisheries Authority. In addition, Craig is also working closely with one of the local processing facilities in western Victoria to have his abalone packaged as his own brand - Fox’s wild abalone.
Craig enjoys eating abalone and encourages anyone who has not yet tried abalone to do so. Craig recommends either shallow frying the abalone in garlic butter goes or tucking into an abalone burger containing shucked tenderised, crumbed and fried abalone and in bun with salad.
Whilst the initial attraction to commercial fishing was life on top of the water, switching to abalone diving was a match made in heaven for Craig, with no two days ever being alike. These days Craig is very passionate about sustainable fishing methods and has become a leader in the abalone industry. ‘I feel very privileged to be the Chair of the Western Abalone Divers Association (WADA) and the Abalone Council of Victoria. The Victorian abalone industry are world leaders in data collection with our shell measuring programs, being able to be involved in co-management arrangements with the Victorian Fisheries Authority provides us, as industry members, with a real sense that the work we are doing with science, research and management is benefiting the fishery. Long may it continue’.