The Third National Rock lobster Congress was hosted by the Western Rock lobster Council (WRLC), with funding received from registrations and sponsors.  The Principal sponsor for the event was the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).  Gold sponsors of the event were RaboBank and the Western Rock lobster Development Association (WRLDA).  Silver Sponsors were the Geraldton Fisherman’s Co-Operative Ltd (GFC), Telstra Country Wide and Taylor Marine.   

The Congress was a single day event held on Tuesday the 16th September 2003, at the Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia and run in conjunction with the FRDC Rock lobster Enhancement and Aquaculture subprogram and FRDC Post Harvest Subprogram workshops.  The Lobster Congress was followed by the three days of the Seafood Directions Conference 2003, the biennial Australian seafood industry’s premier forum for discussions and presentations relating to the seafood business in WA.

The Congress is primarily aimed at the catching and processing sector of the Australian lobster industries, with more than 200 delegates attending the Congress including representatives from all the lobster producing states of Australia as well as a delegation from New Zealand.

The theme of the Congress was “Where we have been, where we are, and where are we going”, essentially a look at the progress of the lobster industry to date and the expectations for the future.  The program mix was specifically designed to raise industry awareness of key issues that require managing both now and into the future for both the catching and processing sectors of the industry.

Keywords:  Rock lobster Congress, Fremantle, market opportunities