Well-known Whyalla identity Steve Storic visited us this week to give us an update on his new venture following the Snapper Fishing Ban introduced in November 2019 for three years. Steve formerly operated a charter fishing business but was forced to close when the ban was introduced. Steve, being the resilient and enterprising person he is, changed his focus from fishing charters to Boat Tours and is now catering for families rather than sports fishers.He is working in partnership with Cuttys Tours to introduce new and innovative tourism experiences involving catering for people with disabilities. The Whyalla Boat Tours business is a much more affordable business to run as it does not carry the overheads of his former charter business.
Giving the vote of thanks is Rotarian Michele Sellars
Steve started by thanking us for inviting him to be a speaker at our meeting. He went on to give us an interesting and understanding bit of his history.
He was involved in fishing charters for 25 years, he had studied and knew everything there was to know about Snapper fishing, better than anyone else in Whyalla. Unfortunately from November 2019 until Jan 2023, Snapper Fishing was banned in South Australia. Steve told us how he had to diversify his business hoping he would get back to Snapper Fishing in 2023, again he gets another setback, the government decided to extend the ban until June 2026.
He has now moved into Boat Tours in the Spencer Gulf and is looking to expand it in the coming years. He is studying the marine life around the Spencer Gulf with ideas of tours covering the seals and dolphins pther marine life. He is also thinking of kayaks and paddleboats in the marina.
This is just a snapshot of what he had to tell us. He was indeed an enlightening speaker who has had many ups and downs but he truly has Whyalla tourism at heart.