Rare Foods Australia’s Augusta founder Brad Adams wins ‘Sustainable Fishing Hero’ award

Augusta-based marine industry pioneer Brad Adams has scored a national award for sustainable fishing.

This week the Marine Stewardship Council named Mr Adams its 2023 Sustainable Fishing Hero at its seventh annual awards.

The title recognised the Rare Foods Australia founder’s role in pushing the envelope in sustainable fisheries, most notably through exports of greenlip abalone which is farmed off Flinders Bay.

A third-generation fisherman and veteran diver, Mr Adams said he was “humbled and honoured” to win the award.

He said it was always his goal to maintain the viability of the abalone fishery while protecting the ocean environment.

“I’m passionate about the ocean and marine life, and was concerned about the sustainability of wild stocks which I could see declining,” he said.

“At the same time, as a commercial diver, I was concerned about quotas declining and wanted to replicate the natural environment for the greenlip abalone which are indigenous to the Augusta area.

“We have created an amazing, complex ecosystem that adds to the diversity of the marine park,” Mr Adams said.

“I love going diving and observing the wide variety of marine life that either visit the reef or call the reef home.”

While RFA has innovated through partnerships with wineries and the opening of its Ocean Pantry venture at the Augusta Boat Harbour, it was the sustainable approach to its “ranch” farming of abalone which garnered the award.

In the face of diminishing quotas affecting the industry, RFA developed abalone habitats through seven years of experimentation, with State Government and research sector backing.

Described as a “world first,” that approach cemented RFA as a major employer in Augusta and gave the exporter a competitive advantage in providing year-round supply to meet booming market demand.

Marine Stewardship Council Oceania and Singapore program director Anne Gabriel said Mr Adams’ win was a fillip for the wider industry.

“By doing this, Brad has given domestic and international markets and consumers access to sourcing and choosing sustainable seafood,” she said.

As previously reported by the Times, RFA partnered with Glenarty Road winery in 2021 to mature wines underwater, which produced distinctive-looking bottles as well as advanced the wines’ natural maturation process.

Mr Adams said his company would increase the scale of wines matured underwater to meet market demand.