Andrew Forrest's Leeuwin Coast brand puts Albany on the map with Akoya phenomenon

Proof that looks can be deceiving, what initially appears low-key is actually a high tech, high value industry where exquisite natural seafood, namely Akoya and Albany rock oysters, is being processed daily and it's piquing the palates of allcomers from discerning home cooks, to top level chefs and celebrity diners in gold star restaurants.

The Leeuwin Coast brand was created by high profile agribusiness owners and sustainability saints Andrew and Nicola Forrest under their Harvest Road banner.

It's part of their quest to efficiently and economically produce protein for the world, but in a sustainable only manner, a value central to all that they do.

And proof they are committed to sustainability, in August last year Leeuwin Coast Products became the first Australian aquaculture products to be certified carbon neutral.

For the Forrest family, it's not just another smart investment - it's a mission, a passion and part of a way of life in which agriculture and primary production has played an ongoing role since the days when he was raised on what was then a sheep station, Minderoo in the Pilbara, and she on a cattle property in New South Wales.

Dr Forrest even studied a PhD in marine science as part of his foray, both economically and academically, into the seafood space.

Farming rock oysters is an industry that's been well established in Albany for years, but since the Forrests picked up the baton in 2019, new frontiers are being created with the Akoya, a new seafood product grown first here in WA.

And while they've invested in innovative processes as part of a $20 million investment, the real secret to Leeuwin Coast's success is what's happening naturally in the pristine waters around Albany.

Firstly at their 'farm' just 300m offshore from the processing facility's front door in the sheltered confines of Oyster Harbour and also 25km around the bay in open ocean water at Albany Shellfish Hatchery.

Comparing to the Forrest's other big protein provider, the Harvey Beef meat processing facility at Harvey and soon to be commissioned Koojan Downs feeding facility at Koojan via Moora, this is their feedlot of the sea and the Akoya and Albany rock oysters are akin to the world's number one rated eating quality cattle, Wagyu.

The Japanese, also renowned for their love of Wagyu, have been farming Akoya for centuries but for its pearls rather than its meat.

It takes about five years and the right speck of sand to grow a good pearl, but just two years to produce a plump juicy Akoya perfect for high end dining and even the Japanese are conceding the Albany product is equal to the best in the world.

Heading up the breeding, feeding and delicate dispatch of Leeuwin Coast's sustainable Akoyas and Albany rock oysters are two of the most knowledgeable and experienced in the business, former Tasmanian Jonathan Bilton, who came to WA armed with a degree in botany and zoology for two weeks in 1992 and 30 years later is here permanently and Harvest Road Oceans general manager, Danish Canadian Justin Welsh, who studied a PhD in marine biology at James Cooke University in Queensland.

The Leeuwin Coast seafood journey starts at the hatchery, a purpose-built, government-owned facility opened on December 19, 2017.

It is now leased by Mr Bilton to contract supply seedstock to the WA aquaculture industry including facilities at Broome, Exmouth, Shark Bay, Carnarvon, Karratha, the Abrolhos Islands and Cockburn Sound.

He was one of the first to discover the presence of the naturally occurring Akoya in Albany's King George Sound in the early 90s while working with industry pioneers Ocean Foods (western rock oysters) and Blue Lagoon (mussels).

"I always knew King George Sound was a really special place to grow seafood," Mr Bilton said.

"It's a unique body of water because it is sheltered, yet it's oceanic in nature, so it is super clean and an ideal spot for a hatchery.

"Water quality has been the failure of many a hatchery in the past because bivalve larvae such as oysters and Akoya are very sensitive to things such as contaminants, fluctuations in salt levels, variations in water temperature and food source availability.

Our growing system is totally natural and fully sustainable.

"We breed them and start them off here, but then the oysters and Akoya are grown entirely in the natural environment in the bay," Mr Bilton said.

"The farm was established without altering or impacting the natural environment and in fact has been shown to be beneficial to it.

"When we started one of the first farms, government regulations stated we were only allowed to put our floating lines above sand, not above stands of seagrass and now you can hardly see any sand there is so much seagrass."

Much of that is due to the protection the farm provides but also the nutrients in the shellfish's excreta.

Baby Akoya and oysters, known as spat, are bred at the hatchery, settled into their 'living quarters', individual pieces of shell in the case of oysters and communal ropes in the case of Akoya and grown to acceptable juvenile size before being transported by truck and then boat to the Oyster Harbour farm at six weeks for Akoya and three to four months of age for oysters, which will be their home for the next two years for Akoyas and three years for rock oysters.

Walking in to the hospital grade hatchery, after you've kitted up in special clothing and passed all the biosecurity measures, is like entering a sci-fi movie science lab.

There are big white holding tanks full of gurgling blue liquid, other rooms are lined with beakers, test tubes, microscopes and sterilising equipment and one, the food room, contains hundreds of clear plastic tubes hanging as a sea of stalactites from the roof and filled with what looks like home brew beer.

The vivid blue liquid in the larvae holding tanks is actually seawater sucked from the ocean at five metres depth, warmed to 24C and filtered down to one micron purity and it's where the larvae, initially about 0.1mm in length, will spend their first three weeks.

During this time they are fed the 'home brew', nutritious home-grown algae of which there are hundreds of varieties, however Mr Bilton said they have settled on four which they have been able to grow successfully in their lab bags.

Every 48 hours during the three weeks, the tanks are completely drained and the larvae, about 50 million per tank, are counted, measured and graded, with inferior ones, mostly the low weight gainers, discarded through specially designed sieves.

After three weeks they move to settling tanks where they are trained to settle in groups on recyclable ropes in the case of the Akoya or 'single seeded' individually on tiny pieces of crushed shell in the case of oysters.

It's a highly controlled process.

"We need to know exactly how many Akoya are on each rope and how many oysters we are providing to the farm so they can manage their production and supply levels accordingly," Mr Bilton said.

In the quest for quality and production efficiency, some selective breeding and trait manipulation is being adopted, however Mr Bilton said it was a long way behind the genetic advancement happening in the sheep and cattle industries.

With oyster and Akoya reproduction being a synchronised affair involving broadcast spawning and where one female can produce up to 20 million eggs, all over about a 48 hour period, it was more difficult to control the breeding process.

Once the Akoya and rock oysters leave the hatchery, they are under the watchful eye of Dr Welsh and the farm team.

"They both tell our story of being a premium sustainable shellfish producer," he said.

"They are native to the area, grown entirely in the natural environment and our farm lines are put in place with no impact on the environment as they simply float on the water's surface."

Albany Rock oysters are seasonal with their prime period from Christmas to Easter while Akoya "is the always on shellfish" being a year-round producer.

"And people that don't like the feel or texture of an oyster, tend to be very comfortable with the Akoya's firmer texture which is more like an abalone," Dr Welsh said.

"The versatility of the Akoya is astonishing and chefs are loving them for the experimental element they provide.

"When visitors from Japan viewed our Albany Akoya they were blown away by their quality, freshness and the alluring beauty of their shells which look so attractive on a dinner plate."

Dr Welsh said with the product soon to be launched globally, starting with the European culinary scene, it would help to further highlight Albany as a unique seafood region.

"Our Akoya are grown in a crystal clear water body and the power of the southern ocean slamming in to them, with at times seven foot waves, helps to strengthen their muscle which develops sweetness and plumpness," Dr Welsh said.

"And the flavour is also unique to this region with a little added saltiness from the ocean influences."

To preserve freshness, Akoyas are snap frozen once harvested, providing an added benefit of shelf-life and accessibility for restaurateurs.

"Given where our 'farm' is located our product is as fresh as it can possibly be and travels virtually no food miles," Dr Welsh said.

"Our new million dollar state-of-the-art boat is equipped with the latest technology allowing product to be graded and snap frozen on board in addition to a new grading line at the processing works.

"In the same time it took eight people to process 500 dozen oysters is now being done by two people processing 5000 dozen oysters.

"And this new line enables a photograph to be taken of every individual oyster as it passes through the system."

Leeuwin Coast currently has 40ha of Akoya and 150ha of Albany Rock Oysters established and is looking to expand both.

The farm currently employs 30 staff but that number is expected to scale up to closer to 100 when planned expansions are completed.

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