Austral Fisheries is one of Australia’s largest integrated commercial fishing companies. It was incorporated in 1981 and is jointly owned by Kailis Fisheries Holdings and Maruha Nichiro Corporation.
The business was founded by the late Theo Kailis and is half-owned by his family company, Kailis Fisheries Holdings. The Kailis family has been involved in the fishing industry in Australia over four generations. Maruha Nichiro Corporation became a 50 per cent shareholder in December 2013 when it bought its stake in Austral from then financially troubled Spanish group Pescanova for 29.5 million Euros (A$44 million). Like Pescanova, Maruha Nichiro is also a global seafood company. Its head office is in Tokyo, it is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange, and operates in 26 countries with total sales of $A9.1 billion.
Austral Fisheries has three business divisions:
- deep sea fishing specialises in catching Patagonian Toothfish and Mackerel Icefish;
- prawning operates a fleet of 10 prawn trawlers in the Northern Prawn Fishery
- Seafood Solutions specialises in innovative sourcing and marketing of quality sustainable seafood
Austral Fisheries has a strong focus on sustainable fishing practices. The Marine Stewardship Council provides independent certification of all four of its Australian fisheries: the Heard Island Icefish fishery, the Heard Island and Macquarie Island toothfish fisheries, and the Northern Prawn Fishery. The company owns over 70 per cent of the total quota of Patagonian Toothfish and Mackerel Icefish in Australian waters.
