The CCFA is actively seeking the methods to enhance the marketing of its product, ensuring that it is very transportable from Central Queensland to domestic and international markets. Preliminary overseas marketing at this time has established an international interest in this product. Europe is very keen on crayfish in their diet, and currently are suffering from the devastating effects of the crayfish plague. It would be ideal if our product were able to penetrate these markets and establish an identify.
The redclaw aquaculture industry is maturing and has become a viable commercial product in the market place. The opportunity to expand production is hampered by the difficulties in the marketing and moralities during transportation of the product. Redclaw do not respond will to being held in aquaria after they have arrived at their markets. Within the Association the executive is aware that there are a significant number of ponds available to boost production figures, however, production quantity is depressed as growers perceive real difficulties with the marketing aspects of redclaw production. Often people enter the industry in a part-time capacity and are unwilling to expand their production because of the lack of facilities to identify appropriate markets and the preferred product types.
Investigations through ad-hoc grower approaches to their own markets, have identified problems with the transportation of live crays. These include costs, packaging difficulties, and the physiological stress experienced by the animals leading to moralities. After an extensive marketing presentation into the Sydney Fish markets for Aquafood 99, the Association determined that the consumer in large cities prefer the product to be presented in a more "user friendly" pack, allowing them greater freedom of choice with the redclaw flesh. Further investigations by the organisations has identified that the only information available on the processing of redclaw was an article in the Australian Fisheries (vol 94, no 11 1990) on acceptability of redclaw and that no research has been conducted on the extension of shelf-life, packaging or product development of this crayfish.
