A first since 2020, Aussie rock lobsters have finally dressed meals during the Chinese Lunar New Year…and buoyed domestic prices.
China removed the last barriers to lobster imports from Australia in December 2024 after a ban in 2020.
With lobster making a key part of the Lunar New Year cuisine, lobstermen expect good business at home and abroad.
Holiday demand has spilled over to domestic markets, where prices have risen 15% year-on-year, per fisherman Noel Gogerly.
Gogerly, from New South Wales, told ABC that the fishing community seems to experience a “steady price all the way…”
He gave the example of lobsters from New Zealand, which are costing A$200 ($124.38) a kg in the domestic market. In retrospect, Australia’s similar Eastern rock lobster fetched A$69.90 ($43.47) a kg at the Sydney Fish Market in October 2024. This was during trade negotiations with China to lift the ban.
The ongoing Chinese Lunar New Year has helped the hitherto struggling sector experience two back-to-back peak seasons.
Firstly, market conditions were quite good around Christmas and now the holidays in China have spiked demand again.
Beginning Christmas 2024, China had already ordered 565 tonnes of rock lobster from Australia up to week 2 of January 2025. This according to a January 10, 2025 statement by Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese.
“Little China“
Within Australia itself, a big Asian community in the Chinatown section of Sydney is doing wonders for local lobster trade.
According to the CMO of the Sydney Fish Market Adam Mourad, the market could double the sale volumes a year on.
This is happening despite prices being a little above board, which means that demand has coincided with determined consumers.
Indeed, Australians proved capable lobster eaters during the 2020-24 export moratorium and helped the sector stay afloat.
Although the current price fest may eventually wear off as Gogerly believes, it is worth raving about for it indicates healthy trade. To learn more about the price history of the Australia rock lobster, locally, skim the next statistics.
Domestic Aussie Rock Lobsters Price Statistics
Local lobster prices in Australia are definitely tied to sales volumes abroad, particularly in China. As a matter of fact, Australia used to earn A$750 million ($466.4 million) from lobster exports to China between 2015 and 2020. 2015 marked the year of a zero-tariff lobster trade agreement while 2020 was the year of an import ban by China. From this date on, supplies increased in Australia and prices began to fall domestically, as the data below shows:
December 2019: pre-ban rock lobsters sold for A$100 ($62.19) per kg locally, according to the South China Morning Post.
December 2020: after the ban by China, local prices could hardly realize a third of the normal holiday timing price. They had by now dwindled to A$30 ($18.66) a kg.
December 2021-23: by this time, exporter-turned-local suppliers had partnered with local supermarkets in Australia to offer consumers huge discounts. Some supermarkets slashed their shellfish unit prices by A$50 ($31.09) while per kg sales touched A$37 ($23.01), a real bargain.
December 2024: following the reinstatement of trade with China, lobstermen in Australia heaved a sigh of relief. Almost immediately, domestic prices soared to A$25 ($15.55) per lobster or A$100 ($62.19) per kg, according to ABC. This means that the prices were back to pre-2020 peaks.