Great Southern Seafoods: Fresh Seafood in Albany WA
We are a family-owned seafood business at 37 Hercules Crescent in Albany, with a retail store out the front and our processing factory behind it. If you are after fresh seafood in Albany, this is where the local catch comes ashore, gets filleted and goes straight into the cabinet. We also supply the trade, and you will find us at the Albany Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
Three generations, and a move across the Bight
Our family has been in the fishing industry for more than 35 years, across three generations. The business started in Ceduna, South Australia, and we moved the whole operation west, working from our Albany facility since 2004. That move changed how the supply chain runs down here. Local commercial fishermen used to work around a fortnightly truck pickup from WA to SA; now they can go out when the weather suits and land their catch locally.
Our fleet travels around Western Australia to unload commercial fishing vessels, and the catch comes back to the Albany factory. From there it is processed, packed, and either snap-frozen or sent straight through to the shop, local businesses and the farmers markets. About 90 per cent of what we sell is local; only around 10 per cent is imported frozen produce. Most of it is caught between the South Australian border and Albany, and as far north as Exmouth.
What is in the cabinet
Our supply changes daily with the seasons and with what the boats bring in, so the selection is never quite the same twice. We fillet daily, on average, and sell whole fish, fillets and shellfish.
Our product range
- Fresh fish: pink snapper, gold band snapper, queen snapper, red emperor, nannygai, whiting, flathead, groper, salmon, sardines, boar fish, leather jacket, sword fish and gummy or bronzie shark.
- Crustaceans: Albany blue swimmer crabs and Esperance crayfish when they are in season, plus Exmouth prawns cooked or raw, shell on or peeled.
- Molluscs: local calamari and tenderised local octopus, Western Australian scallops, South Australian and New Zealand mussels, and local Albany oysters from December to April alongside South Australian oysters.
- Marinated lines: marinated octopus, local prawns, scallops, sardines and chilli sardines, prepared here.
- Condiments: the Emelia’s range including tartare, aioli, crustacean dressing and pickled garlic, and extra virgin olive oil from the Holy Monastery of St John in Perth.
- Pet treats: dehydrated whole sardines, fish skins, shark cartilage and kangaroo jerky, made in Western Australia from Australian ingredients.
Wholesale supply for kitchens and shops
We supply fish and chip shops, restaurants, hotels, caterers and cafes across Albany, the rest of Western Australia and interstate. No two kitchens order the same way, so we will cut and pack to suit yours, and we handle bulk orders for businesses of any size. If you want to talk it through, ask for Adam or George on (08) 9842 2551.
Getting it home, and what we do with the rest
The trip home matters with seafood. Our retail staff will ice your fish for you, which is worth doing over summer or if you have a drive ahead, and we can put an order in a foam box with ice for a longer run. Keep fresh seafood in an airtight container at 5°C or below and use it within two or three days. If it is going in the freezer, get the air out of the bag and freeze at minus 15°C or below, then thaw it overnight in the fridge.
Not much goes to waste here. Shark cartilage and skin become dog treats, and fish offal goes to a local wine producer to use as fertiliser. Fresh fish goes into fully compostable bags in the shop, the facility runs on collected rainwater and solar where we can, and we back a commercial fishing industry that works to Department of Fisheries limits. Closer to home, we support the Albany Community Foundation and sponsor the Royals Football Club, St Joseph’s junior soccer teams and Lovett Muay Thai Gym.
Opening hours and where to find us
The Hercules Crescent shop is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm. On Saturdays we are also at the Albany Farmers Market from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Ring (08) 9842 2551 if you want to know what has come in, or to ask about something you cannot see on the shelf.