Family legacy in the world of seafood
- CM Green
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Vanessa Rockliff: Navigating Legacy, Leadership, and Life in the Seafood Industry
Vanessa Rockliff’s story is not just about seafood—it’s about resilience, reinvention, and rising through the currents of a family legacy that spans generations.
From Tasmania’s rugged fishing grounds to Queensland’s local restaurant scene, Vanessa has worked across journalism, community leadership, and seafood sustainability—all while navigating deeply personal challenges. Her journey reflects the complexities of working in a male-dominated industry, the emotional weight of family situations, and the quiet power of women who carry entire enterprises, and families, on their backs.
Starting Young: Holidays on the Processing Line
Vanessa’s introduction to the seafood world began when she was born.
She was just a toddler when she travelled with her parents on their fishing vessel, the Petuna, to Flinders Island. “Apparently I didn’t get sea sick, but I spent half the night talking away to other fishermen on the radio!”
Growing up in her grandparents’ business Petuna (a business name forged from combining their names Peter and Una Rockliff), many of her Easters and Christmases were spent serving customers in the seafood shop or tagging along with staff from the processing factory or wholesale distribution.
And when the family ventured into the Atlantic Salmon and Ocean Trout aquaculture industry on Tassie’s West Coast, most school holidays were spent at Macquarie Harbour, Vanessa and her three brothers would spend their days checking the fish pens with their Dad or exploring the wilderness of the West Coast estuaries.
“We used to go out in a little tinny by ourselves and we'd swim with the seahorses. We'd dive down to the bottom of Mosquito Creek where there used to be a bustling jetty in days gone by, and we'd find all sorts of things, like old tram wheels!”
“We once decided to be entrepreneurs and catch eels to sell to Nan and Pop! Well that venture didn’t last long, after the eels escaped into the drains of the processing factory and cost Nan and Pop a fortune to fix! Sad to say our money-making scheme came to an abrupt halt after that! Understandably!” she said with a laugh.
After completing Year 12, she was given her first real taste of full-time seafood life, working in Petuna’s admin for more than a year.
It was an informal education in the grit and unpredictability of seafood—learning from the ground up in a business where family was both foundation and future.
Her early exposure to business, and family working together, helped shape a pragmatic, hands-on work ethic, which later became crucial when she pivoted into journalism with a cadetship at the North-West flagship newspaper, The Advocate.
But her passion for seafood and the family business never truly left her — It stayed as both anchor and backdrop throughout her career.
From Small Towns to Big Newsrooms
Vanessa’s professional path took a dramatic turn when she moved to Emerald in Queensland for her first husband’s job in mining. As a fully qualified journalist in a regional area of Queensland, she quickly found a role in the local media, which eventually led to her promotion as the newspaper’s editor. Her time in Emerald was marked by both professional growth and personal upheaval. Small-town life brought its own pressures.
“It was a country town then. So, everyone still knew everyone. But as editor, it offered the chance to teach and guide fresh uni graduates in the art of newspaper reporting. Small papers are the best place to learn because the coverage is so diverse, from the local church fair, to politics, to accidents and major events and disasters.”
Still, she excelled in her work. One of the defining moments in her career as a newspaper editor happened with the onslaught of a one-in-a-hundred-year flood inundating many areas of Emerald and cutting the town in two.
“The owners of the only newsagency in town lived on the other side of Nogoa River, so we managed to load newspapers on the train to get the papers to the other side of town (the train tracks were just above the flood line, so while no passengers were allowed on board, the papers were!)”
Despite logistical nightmares, the newspaper managed to print and distribute special coverage — a feat that earned Vanessa and her team an APN award for excellence in journalism.
Petuna becomes a Tasmanian seafood legacy
While Vanessa spent time away from her family and the ocean to further her career, her grandparents’ business continued to expand and thrive.
From humble beginnings when her Nan Una would sell the fish off the back of Vanessa’s Pop’s boat, they grew the business to include deep sea trawlers, a processing plant in East Devonport, retail outlets and the Petuna Seafarms aquaculture venture in Macquarie Harbour.
For many years, Petuna was the only fish farm in Macquarie Harbour and they had very little issues, thanks to the strong tidal flow, and the brackish water that met with the wild (and salty) Southern Ocean.
World-renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda became a family friend while working together to achieve the premium-quality Ocean Trout that become his signature dish for more than 20 years (Confit of Petuna Ocean Trout) – a dish that has been touted as the most photographed dish in the world.
Her grandparents have been in the seafood industry now for more than 75 years, were inducted into the Tasmanian Seafood Industry’s Hall of Fame and received OBEs for their service to the seafood industry.
They sold their aquaculture division in 2019, and although in their 90s, they are still heavily involved in the operations of their retail outlet and wholesale distribution business in East Devonport, now managed by Peter and Una’s daughter and her family.
There are now four generations of the family actively working in the family businesses in Tasmania and now Queensland.
Crabs, Chefs, and COVID: A Business Reinvented
Vanessa had spent seven years in Emerald, and after some personal upheaval, and her constant longing to hear the ocean and eat fresh seafood again, she found her way back to her parents and brothers on the Sunshine Coast in Qld, where they had relocated to invest in the Spanner Crab industry, a fishery that exported the majority of crabs live overseas.
Two of her brothers are fishermen (both born with a natural affinity for finding the fish) and her third brother is a gun in the sales and marketing side of the business.
“I would try to explain to people that fishing and family business is in your blood, it’s a part of you, it fills you with passion and a love for the sea that’s insatiable. Every fishing family I know, is exactly the same and many of the kids we grew up with, whose parents were fishers in Tassie, are now the next generation in their family businesses as well.”
Her parents, Neville and Helen Rockliff, could see the potential of Spanner Crab and likened the meat to the famous Tasmanian Crayfish (or lobster, depending where you live!).
Neville started his fishing career as a scallop and cray fisherman, before moving into trawling, so he knew how to spot premium quality seafood.
So, again with the help of chef Tetsuya, Neville and Helen developed a process of hand-picking the crab meat out of the shell and packaged under Ceas Spanner Crab, later renamed Rockliff Seafoods.
“It took years of marketing to get the word out there, but once chefs started tasting it, they couldn’t get enough!”
Spanner Crab meat became highly sought-after, particularly in restaurants throughout Melbourne and Sydney, becoming known for its delicate, sweet texture. This fishery was the first in Queensland to be named sustainable and has some of the best management strategies in the world.
Its uniqueness is exacerbated by the fact that these crabs can only be caught from Bundaberg to Northern NSW (along with an unmanaged fishery in the Andaman Sea near Myanmar). Rockliff Seafoods Spanner Crab Meat is caught predominantly from the pristine, pure waters off the world-heritage-list K’gari (formerly Fraser Island).
When COVID-19 hit and restaurant demand collapsed, and with pallets of seafood in cold storage, the family quickly diversified by opening a small retail outlet to sell direct to locals.
“Now when I say ‘small retail outlet’, it was literally a couple of bins full of ice, packaged fish and prawns, and a gazebo; out the front of our business in the carpark!” she laughed.
However, the community support was overwhelming. It was a moment that reaffirmed not just the quality of their seafood, but the depth of their local ties.
“The community got behind us completely. As we all know, it was such a time of turmoil and uncertainty, but to see the locals come out in force to keep local businesses like ours open and support local fishing families, was absolutely phenomenal and I’ll never forget the generosity and community spirit we saw in those dark days.”
The retail shop remained, and Vanessa’s role diversified as well, from operations, to more involvement in seafood sustainability and advocating for best fishery practices as an active member of the Queensland Spanner Crab Working Group.
“We’re always cognisant of the need for better environmental data, especially in the face of climate change and shifting ocean patterns. The learning never stops.”
A Woman in a Male-Dominated World
Vanessa was recently selected for the WISA (Women in Seafood Australasia) Turn the Tide Entrepreneurial and Leadership Program, a 12-month program to support women in the seafood industry undertaking leadership roles.
It reflects her commitment to supporting other women in the industry. An industry which has long been dominated by men, while women are often dismissed or pushed aside despite carrying equal - if not greater - burdens.
“My Nan and my Mum have been great influences in my life due to the strong, active roles they have taken on within the seafood industry over the years, all while raising children and managing a household!”
Vanessa was also head-hunted to nominate for the executive committee of the Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce, and is passionate about injecting fresh energy and ideas into the business community.
Her involvement with the Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club (of which Rockliff Seafoods is the major sponsor), along with ongoing collaborations with other seafood entrepreneurs speak to her belief in collective growth.
Local Seafood, Global Concerns
The Rockliff family business continues to expand into wholesaling, supplying restaurants across the Sunshine Coast with premium local seafood, including Spanner Crab, Mooloolaba Ocean King Prawns, fresh reef fish, oysters, sashimi and more.
Events like The Curated Plate Festival, showcasing locally made food and beverages, has created opportunities for Vanessa to expand her horizons by organising the Mooloolaba Seafood Market Day, in conjunction with another local seafood business, Mooloolaba Fisheries.
She has now been asked to be part of The Curated Plate Festival Advisory Committee, which provides the opportunity to promote more visibility to small producers and the chefs who champion them.
But competition from imported seafood remains a constant pressure for Australian fishing families.
Vanessa is a staunch advocate for Australian wild-caught produce, pointing out the stark differences in regulation and quality.
While imported products from countries like Thailand and Vietnam may be cheaper, they often come from unsanitary and unsustainable practices. Australia has the most sustainable management practices in the world, which are fully supported by fishermen. But it’s just impossible for these fishers to earn a living, while constantly competing with cheap, imported, but inferior quality, seafood.
Australia, she argues, is a global leader in marine conservation—but faces an uphill battle as global pollution and trade imbalances threaten both environmental and economic health.
Vanessa’s Journey:
Early Exposure: Vanessa’s upbringing in Petuna gave her firsthand experience in seafood operations from a young age.
Resilience in Journalism: Her time as a regional journalist and editor, especially covering natural disasters, earned her recognition and tested her resolve.
Family Legacy and Reinvention: Petuna evolved from humble beginnings to becoming a respected player in the seafood industry, and the third largest aquaculture farm in Tasmania, through innovation and adaptability.
Personal Courage: Vanessa has navigated many personal challenges, while maintaining leadership.
Industry Advocacy: She is a vocal advocate for local seafood, sustainability, and female leadership in male-dominated sectors.
As Vanessa continues her strong family legacy with her own vital input and direction, what’s the most important thing to her? To the business?
“Businesses collaborating and connecting with their community.”
“One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that operating a business is hard enough these days, let alone doing it completely alone. Being able to connect and collaborate is better for everyone and gives us a chance to give back and be a part of our local community.”
“Obviously, my family and my children are the most important things in my life. The fact that I can work in our family business means I have the flexibility to be there for my children, while retaining my passion for the seafood industry and the community.
“But don’t get me wrong, working in a family business can almost send you crazy! It’s 24/7! Every phone call or dinner ends up turning to work!
“And the fights! We’ve had some big ones over the years when tensions run high. But at the end of the day, we’re family, we love each other, we walk into work the next day and everything’s back to normal.
“But it also gives a sense of belonging and a passion that I couldn’t find anywhere else. As a third generation Rockliff, fishing and the seafood industry will always be in my blood.
“And being in a family business, we care deeply about other fishing families and the local community. I love being able to help connect and grow with our community, while shouting from the rooftops about the amazing seafood being unloaded in ports all over Australia.
“I’m not sure if we realise how blessed we really are, to live in a country which has the best sustainable fishery management practices in the world, along with being a world leader in ocean conservation.
“And our wild-caught seafood comes from some of the purest seas on the planet. That’s why Australian seafood is so sought-after by the rest of the world! And we have it all - right here!”
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