The beginning of SeaPerfect has its origins in the passion of its owners and their dedication and hard work to learn and perfect the cultivation of shellfish over the last 25 years. From the selection of broodstock, through the hatchery with the fertilisation of the eggs, development of larvae and then settlement; whether it be oysters, mussels, scallops or clams.
Learning the science of shellfish aquaculture started at the University of Tasmania, then the practical lessons came from working on oyster farms such as Bouldans Bay Oysters in Smithton, and Cameron of Tasmania at Dunalley and Eaglehawk Neck, both on the deepwater farm and within the hatchery, bringing some of the lessons from University to the workplace.
A return to University this time to undertake research and development work on clams, triploid and tetraploid production of oysters, and the beginning of the selective breeding program all provided a valuable insights into our industry. Partnering between the University and commercial operators was critical to the success of this research and commercialisation, with access to exceptionally clean waters and valuable input and knowledge of producers.
This lead to the start of our own grow-out farm at Montagu, adopting what was a recent development in South Australia - the adjustable longline system or BST. Spat production wasn't assured to the industry, and a return to managing hatcheries to ensure consistent spat supply was made, working with Geordy River Aquaculture in St Helens, then Shellfish Culture in Bicheno.
The Tasmanian mussel industry was suffering from unreliable and inconsistent supply of mussel spat, so the next step was designing and building a state of the art hatchery for commercial mussel production for Spring Bay Seafoods. Oyster production was undertaken there when another hatchery ran into a series of production failures that threatened the Australian Pacific oyster industry with significant shortages.
The need and opportunity for a reliable supplier of premium quality shellfish spat was realised, so planning began, and extensive overseas study of the international industry was undertaken, with the desire to identify the perfect process to produce the perfect shellfish spat with passion.
So this is the beginning of our journey at SeaPerfect...................we hope you'll join us exploring the opportunities that still exist in this exciting industry as it continues to grow.
Ian Duthie - Managing Director