Coorong Wild Seafood “puts on the brakes” as fish sales take a dive
After 32 years in business, Coorong Wild Seafood owners Tracey and Glen Hill should be looking towards retirement and passing the reins to the next generation. Instead, they’re in tears.
Their award-winning family business has been brought to its knees — not by drought, floods, or even the algal bloom itself, but by public perception.
The downturn has been brutal, particularly In the past fortnight. Supplying businesses like Adelaide’s Stamford Grand has slowed to a trickle. Where Glen and his son-in-law Ben would normally supply 30kg a week, diners have simply stopped ordering.
It’s not for lack of fish. The family specialises in Coorong yellow eye mullet — plentiful, healthy, and caught further afield now to avoid bloom-affected waters. That means more time, more fuel, more cost. But the real damage is being done at the checkout.
“We’ve been catching and filleting fish for 32 years and we’ve never seen anything like it,” Tracey said. “We’ve been through floods, the millennial drought, a seal invasion, and Covid — but now we’ve had to put the brakes on.”
Staff hours have been slashed, and their own family members have been told they’ll need to find work elsewhere. Government support, Tracey says, is disappointing. “We had a vibrant business. We play a vital role in the industry. To be told our workers can just access Centrelink is offensive. This is a human problem.”
From national awards to agritourism experiences and factory tours, Coorong Wild Seafood has done everything by the book. Now they’re urging people to get behind South Australian seafood before a proud local industry is lost.
“Buy local,” Tracey says simply. “Support your fishermen. The fish are safe — I eat them. I feed them to my grandkids. It’s the public’s misled perception that will kill us.”
Looking ahead, the family does hope to access the Coast is Calling Voucher scheme, using it to help educate the public about algal bloom and share first-hand facts — showing once and for all that their catch is safe, fresh, and worth fighting for.
As for the remainder of the $28 million in government support, enquires have been made, and if they are successful in obtaining financial assistance, the $25k on offer will pay wages for a further three fortnights.
