The south coast's own oyster farmer turned tech-company CEO is recently back from a business trip to the east coast of America with plans to shake up international aquaculture practices.
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Broulee-local Ewan McAsh's desk in an oyster shed on the Clyde river has a laptop, a large computer monitor and a bright white LED for lighting his face during online meetings. He spends more time attending inter-time zone meetings than on the water among the oysters he has farmed since he was 24.
For an oyster farmer, that in itself is unusual. Most oyster farmers work on the water all the time, unable to string together a few days off - too busy monitoring the oyster lines.
But Mr McAsh is not your usual oyster farmer. His holiday-destroying work life balance ended five years ago with the creation of the Smart Oysters app.
Read the Smart Oysters origin story.
The CEO of Smart Oysters has just returned from a capital-raising business trip to America, meeting oyster, mussel, and seaweed farmers along the east coast.
Currently more than 60 farmers use the software on oyster farms all around the globe.
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With a rebrand, Mr McAsh hopes that number will more than triple.
Smart Oysters is rebranding as Oceanfarmr, broadening the target market to include the seaweed and mussel sectors all around the world.
Oceanfarmr has partnered with Greenwave - a strategic partner helping to promote global sustainable ocean farming practices - and hopes to raise $15 million to boost the popularity of the app around the world.
"There is 100,000 oyster, seaweed and mussel farms that we believe will want to sign up to the Oceanfarmr app," Mr McAsh said.
He is passionate about growing the oyster industry - and all aquaculture farming practices - because of the benefits of the industry to the south coast, and because of how sustainable the industry is.
"It is a fantastic industry employing local people and attracting people to our area," he said.
Mr McAsh said oysters were one of the most sustainable meat sources in the world.
"It is an amazingly sustainable and - even more than that - regenerative industry," he said.
"I'm excited about grow helping farmers all over the world grow more sustainable seafood."
Mr McAsh said the goal of 2022 was to grow software sales in America. He is even open to moving his family internationally if required.
James Tugwell
james.tugwell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
0447 189 738
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