Bay City Abalone - a 'boutique' operation

摘要

If there is such a thing as a boutique abalone farm, Bay City Sea Farming is it. Nestling comfortably into the Pearl Bay Coast on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, the farm has a production target of 50 tonnes based on a tightly controlled operation and low level inputs. Tony Smith is the Manager and part owner at Bay City Sea Farming (BCSF). He grew up on the coast in a seafaring family and it was only natural that he pursue an in-born love of the sea. He did a marine science course at Warrnambool before it became a campus of Deakin University and worked with Dr. Peter Hannah at Deakin Geelong before furthering his apprenticeship at Ridley's Lara aquaculture facility. He moved to Ocean Wave Seafoods when that company bought out Ridley's aquaculturefacilities and when the opportunity came to help establish BCSF he took it. The farm turned its pumps on in November 1998 and by December had its first spawning. With Fortune favouring the brave, a million spat were settled that season, half of which has been brought through to maturity. BCSF has been selling from this batch over the last 12 months.