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Yamba’s Troy Billin wins Seafood Excellence award

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Troy Billin has been catching premium quality seafood and selling it to some of the country’s top restaurants for more than 25 years and last week the second-generation commercial fisherman was awarded for his exceptional quality products when he was announced as the 2024 Sydney Fish Market Seafood Excellence award winner in the Primary Producer category.

Mr Billin, who established Yamba Fisheries over 18 months ago to sell local product to the Sydney Fish Market, said when his name was announced last Tuesday evening as the winner at an event in Sydney he was “blown away” as the prestigious honour was unexpected.

“I wasn’t confident at all, I thought I had no chance in the world of winning…so when my name was announced as winner of the Primary Producer category I was blown away,” he said.

Through is commitment and dedication to supplying high quality seafood, Mr Billin was nominated by a variety of industry figures for the award.

“Nominees had done a lot for the seafood industry, they are recognised for their high-quality product, excellence in high quality seafood and promoting the positives of the seafood industry,” Mr Billin said.

“I had letters of support from Oceanwatch, John Susman who is a providore in Sydney and from a buyer in Melbourne.

“At the awards night there were a lot of great people that I know from across the seafood industry who were there, so to win the award was a great honour.”

Mr Billin said as child he always wanted to become a professional fisherman and that’s what drives his passion today in his dream job.

After the 22,000-hectare Cape Byron Marine Park was announced in 2002, limiting fishing areas, Mr Billin moved to Yamba where his business has thrived and now up to 70 per-cent of his catch is Mud Crabs.

“Predominantly Mud Crabs is one of the main seafood species I catch, and I also catch Sea Mullet, Sand Whiting, Flathead, Mulloway, Spanish and Spotted Mackerel and other ocean fish species with hand lines,” he said.

After decades in the industry, Mr Billin said he still enjoys going to work every day and has different favourite seafood species to catch and eat.

“My favourite species to catch are probably Mud Crabs or Spanish Mackerel and my favourite to eat is Pearl Perch…but in saying that, I still love eating good fresh Sea Mullet,” he said.

“When we catch or Sea Mullet in the lake or near Yamba, if they are looked after properly, they are pretty hard to beat, they’re unreal.”

Mr Billin said he was fortunate to have support for his growing business from a group of local commercial fishermen, who catch and supply seafood via the Sydney Fish Market to some of the nation’s top chefs, including Neil Perry.

“The business is going great guns, it’s been growing and growing, and I am just about to build a new premises here in Yamba to support, sustain and grow the business,” he said.

For winning the biennial award, Mr Billin said he received a plaque and a certificate, an honour he said will help continue to grow Yamba Fisheries as a business.

“I can use the title of Sydney Fish Market Seafood Excellence Awards winner for 2024 in the Primary Producer section in advertisements and to promote Yamba Fisheries, which will provide another boost to my business,” he said.

Clarence Valley Independent 1 May 2024

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 1 May 2024.

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