Gus Crawford is a recent addition to Grey Lynn Farmers Market, selling oysters and seafood.
Where did you grow up?
In rural Southland. I was lucky to spend my holidays on Stewart Island and enjoy delicious regional specialties – lamb, crayfish, scallops, blue cod, oysters and mutton bird.
Did you continue an agriculture path after school?
Yes - I went to Lincoln University where I crammed a one-year agriculture diploma into two years. My first job was as a livestock agent in Huntly, and my OE was in South Africa where I managed a cattle feedlot. When I came back home, I had roles as Ops manager, and later as GM, setting up a cattle feedlot and processing plants, supplying beef, salami and beef jerky to Japan and producing beef patties for McDonalds. Those markets demanded extremely high standards of quality, hygiene and presentation.
When did you switch from agriculture to aquaculture?
I took on a GM role for an oyster company in Warkworth with farms in the Bay of Islands, the Kaipara harbour, and the Mahurangi harbour. Then, ten years ago I took an opportunity to buy into some abandoned oyster farms in the Kaipara harbour.
What is it like working in the ocean?
Fascinating - every day in the harbour is different. Seals, rays, an abundance of juvenile shrimp, mullet, and Kahawai, can all be spotted. It is reassuring seeing millions of inanga (glass eels) returning home from the Pacific islands - a good indication of the health of the harbour.
Best work story?
One day, the team spotted a pod of stranded orca and wanted to know whether to get on with the harvest or help the whales. It was an easy choice - those whales were lucky that the barge had a pump to spray them with saltwater until the tide came in, and they refloated. When the pumps started spraying, the adult whales made a distinctive call that calmed the babies and stopped their distressing cries.
So, you look after the harbour?
Yes - our oysters need a healthy harbour to thrive, and we have a responsibility to ensure that the environment is maintained for future generations. We regularly use the barge to collect rubbish from the top of the harbour – it was horrifying to see the amount of plastic that turned up after cyclone Gabrielle. The one thing we do daily is feed the eels - they get quite aggressive if we don’t give them an oyster or two
Tell me about the oysters
Oysters are amazing creatures. Each oyster can filter in excess of100 litres of water a day – it needs to be great water if we want great oysters. That’s why we close the farm for five days after heavy rainfall events. And I’m always amazed that oysters happily sit out of the water in the heat of the day during summer low tides.
What has Grey Lynn Farmers Market been like for you?
We already have loyal customers who come back each week. And I’ve been delighted by the range of conversations I have had with people at the market. It isn’t just about selling fresh oysters. People are sharing stories about their lives and things happening in the neighbourhood. It’s uplifting being part of such a positive, friendly environment.
What are you selling?
Oysters of course. Oysters in their shells for the full experience, and pottles for a convenient option. I also sell kaimoana from our Warkworth shop – fish pies, smoked fish, smoked mussels, mutton birds and frozen fish fillets. Hopefully, we’ll also have some fresh fish from Leigh fisheries soon.
What do you do when you aren’t working?
Spending time with my kids and my granddaughters is lovely. I also like to tinker and make arty things when I have some spare time. You might notice that I sometimes bring quirky walking sticks that I have made. And I like to draw old buildings in pen and ink – maybe I should have ignored my high school careers advisor who cautioned against being an architect but then again, I may not have had the opportunity to work out on the Kaipara.
www.greylynnfarmersmarket.co.nz
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