Macgregors Seafood Notes

Mr. Fresh here, from Auckland NZ. Right now it's Saturday morning - mid afternoon Friday for all of you. I've had a whirlwind week to say the least. Lets see if I can re-cap it a bit for you...

Day 1.
After a bit of a rest and a walk around Melbourne we catch a flight to Tasmania in the early evening. We're greeted by Tim (director of sales for Petuna Ocean Trout). But we need to keep moving to the south of the Island because first thing Monday morning we're harvesting Ocean Trout out of Strahn. After 3 hours of very twisty roads we arrive by midnight, check in and sleep. Note: I haven't seen a Kangaroo BUT we almost wacked a Tasmanian Devil on the road.

Day2.
Early start, we're on the barge by 7am and moving out towards the site. It's 10km out. Weather is overcast but pleasant - for now. We tie up to one of the pens (we are in the middle of no where) and beging the harvest. Everything is hand done which is why the quality is so impressive. The fish are scooped out of the pen by nets, onto the ship, quickly stunned and bled and into bins of ice. Only 86 fish per bin - they could fit about 200 if they wanted. Again, just more little differences that separate this product from the rest. Within the span of a minute a gale came up something fierce. Heavy winds and rain force us to pull off the pens - we're met/rescued by a jet boat, while the fisherman battle on to finish the harvest. Suddenly I have a new found respect for these guys.

Day 3.
Up early and back to the top of the Isalnd in Devonport where the plant is. We get there as the fish get in from Strahn and begin the to go through the processing. Still, everything is treated great care and speed and packed for shipping within hours. That night it will be loaded onto a boat for Melbourne, and off to LAX the next day. Later that day we travel to central Tasmania to the hatchery. A very rustic farm on a mountain feed river. Water is never recycled here, just gravity fed from the hills and constantly flowing through. It's run by a very passionate farmer and his family. It's really a feeling of care and appreciation throughout the process to say the least. After the hatchery we're off the the airport for Auckland via Melbourne.

Day4.
We arrive in Auckland at 1am and check into the hotel. In the morning we have a bit of free time, so Sam (Lee Fish) takes around to the Auckland fish market and a few processors of Roughy in town (That day they we're doing 10 ton of Cardinal for Japan!). In the evening we meet up with Jason from Sea Products (farmer of green Mussels and Oysters) for dinner.

Day5.
Up early (4am) for a drive to Coromandel to harvest mussels and oysters. We're out on the barge for 7am and pulling up huge green mussels. We're also casting some lines off the barge with mussel meat and I (!!) caught several large snappers and an 8lb Trevally - which they say is very large). We check out the oyster beds as well, although they're not good enough for export this time of year, but still tasty I'd say. Note: This is all going on is the most scenic, idyllic place ona beautiful day. I'm considering becomming a mussel grower in Coromandel.

Day6.
We've driven from Coromandel to Leigh yetserday and met up with the crew from Leigh Fisheries for dinner. I eat a NZ coldwater lobster tail(12oz) sashimi. We're up to the plant by 5am as they've got a load of Bluenose, snapper and a bit of Dory comming in. Leigh fisheries is a revelation. A work environment akin to macgregors. They focus heavily on people and passsion. Some great long term employees who really care about what they do. The plant is hands down night and day different than what we saw in Auckland. They're packing with great care all their fish for export. By 10am it's all packed and back on a truck for Auckland to fly out that night for LAX. Very impressive. So impressive, we decide to have a snorkel in the Goat Island Marine Reserve to too see if the snapper could be any fresher still in the water!
We drive back to Auckland that night and I part ways with Sam (Lee Fish) and Robert (Pierless Fish in NYC) - my two travelling companions. I shower up and head off to the opning night of the Super 14 Rugby (don't ask me what it means but people seem to care a LOT about it). I watch Auckland play Wellington. I now think Rugby players to be the toughest dudes around - sorry, hockey is a bit of a cake walk compared to this!

That's it so far. I'm on holiday now - planning to Sail on an America's Cup boat on Saturday. For $100 you can go out as crew and race another boat. Sunday I fly to the south Island for a tour. Still can't get used to driving on the left though - hop that changes before I rent my motorhome!

All I can tell you is that the partners we have down here ARE doing something special. There really is no better fish comming out of AUS/NZ and you'd be hard pressed to find better anywhere in the world, including our own back door. Quite a revelation.

Mr. Fresh