Remembering skipper Michael Kenny
For skipper Michael Kenny, fishing was never just a job. It was a lifelong passion—one that began in his youth and carried him across Australia’s coasts and fisheries for nearly five decades.
Michael’s journey started as an amateur fisherman, recalls his wife Rosi Kenny.
“He started out amateur fishing every spare minute he had,” she says. “Drop netting for crayfish or southern rock lobsters, or net fishing in Lake George for mullet.”
By 1978, Michael had turned that passion into a profession, starting his commercial fishing career out of Beachport in South Australia. He began as a deckhand, learning the trade before eventually buying his first boat, Tattler II.
Michael followed opportunities wherever they took him. During the off-season, he worked as a deckhand on trawlers and shark boats out of Beachport and Portland in Victoria, targeting species including orange roughy.
Over the years, he built experience across multiple fisheries and regions. At different times, he fished out of Darwin on the FV Daniel, worked in Tasmania’s rock lobster fishery, and took part in various civil boat operations.
Eventually, Michael joined the Lamason family’s operations in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery. According to Rowan Lamason, Michael first worked for Bob Lamason around 1992 aboard the FV Return.
“He later drove FV Rummage and FV Balance until the early 2000s,” Rowan recalls. “He also took Rummage down to Mooloolaba to fish out of there.”
Michael continued to explore opportunities, spending three years trap fishing in the Coral Sea and working on various vessels around Australia.
For those who knew him, Michael’s defining trait was his relentless curiosity about fishing.
“He never stopped looking at what opportunities there were in fishing."
“He could tell you about ten different fisheries and what was going on—who’s catching what and how they’re doing it.”
That drive made him both a natural skipper and a mentor to those around him.
“He was a go-getter; nothing would stop him. He wouldn’t stop until the job was done,” Rowan says. “He had a good sense of humour and could talk to anyone.”
After years away from tuna fishing, Michael achieved his dream of returning to the fishing industry. In July 2023, he became co-owner of the FV Angelica with Bob Lamason under Rivoli Fisheries, taking the helm as skipper out of Cairns.
For Michael, part of his passion for fishing was about setting an example.
“He always had that drive that ultimately was to be a role model for his family, which he was extremely proud of,” Rowan says.
One story Rowan remembers from his childhood captures Michael’s determination perfectly. On one trip, Michael steamed the FV Return all the way to Marion Reef—a two-day journey—only to catch almost nothing.
Except for two bigeye tuna.
“When he got home, the fish were worth over $20,000,” Rowan says. “Those were the trips that stuck with me growing up.”
Bigeye tuna remained Michael’s favourite fish to catch, while mahi mahi was always his top choice to eat.
In August 2025, Michael stepped back from skippering the Angelica after becoming unwell. But his legacy remains, after he passed away in March 2026.
Above all, Michael Kenny will be remembered as someone who never stopped chasing opportunity on the water—and who loved every minute of the life he built at sea.
