Fishing supports the livelihoods of at least 34 million people and feeds billions, but it is also one of the biggest drivers of marine biodiversity decline. This introduces a fundamental tension: how do we keep seafood on our plates while protecting the ecosystems that produce it?
Associate Professor Carissa Klein is an ARC Future Fellow at The University of Queensland and Director of the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. Klein is a conservation scientist and leads The Ocean Conservation Team, a group of students and post-doctoral researchers focused on developing science to support marine and coastal conservation. Sustainable seafood is one of Associate Professor Klein’s key research areas.
Her work follows seafood from ocean to plate: how is it caught, where it comes from and how it travels through global trade networks.
Australia has an imported seafood problem
In Australia, 60-70% of the seafood we consume is imported (and that’s 12–15kg per person). Most of these imports come from a small number of countries, many with weaker environmental protections, higher risks of illegal fishing, and greater vulnerability to labour exploitation.
A/Prof Klein says this effectively exports Australia’s environmental and socioeconomic impacts of its seafood consumption to other countries, placing pressure on ecosystems and communities far beyond ours.
“This happens in other regions such as Europe, and countries such as the US and the UK.”
“Imported seafood may come from countries with weaker environmental protections, poor labour standards, illegal fishing practices, weaker fisheries management, and limited social and political protections.”
But tracing exactly where that seafood comes from, and under what conditions it was caught, is far harder than it sounds. By the time seafood reaches a plate, its origins are almost impossible to trace.
Fish and chips, with a catch
Mislabelling and complex seafood supply chains mean most Australians are making seafood purchase decisions without knowing the type of seafood or whether it is sustainably sourced. Klein encourages consumers to be proactive.
“If you don’t know where your seafood is from or what species you are eating, don’t buy it,” Klein suggests. “Refer to sustainable seafood guides, like MSC or the Good Fish Guide. For instance, if you’re told it’s ‘ocean trout’ ask questions. What species is it? Is it wild caught or farmed? Make careful and informed choices.”
Preventing fishy imports entering Australia
Despite the growing reliance on imported seafood globally, only three countries have implemented legislation to regulate whether the seafood arriving at their borders was legally caught. Australia is not one of them, though efforts to develop such a policy have been crawling along for years.
Consumer countries such as Australia have the opportunity to use their market power to raise the bar. The goal is not just better paperwork, but a coordinated global front against illegal fishing. Better traceability and stronger verification of legal origin could reduce the likelihood of illegal seafood entering Australian markets.
Seafood labelling guidelines a limiting factor
Whether at fish and chip shops, or restaurants, most Australians find it challenging to determine what seafood is sustainable.
“‘Fish’ can refer to almost anything,” says Klein.
“When we order wine, we know the grape. We care so much about where our beef or eggs come from. With fish, consumers often cannot tell which species they are eating, where it originated, how it was caught, or whether it is sustainable.”
New laws coming into effect this year will require seafood to be labelled as imported, Australian or mixed; a step forward, but one that falls short of what consumers need to make informed choices.
“Australia needs laws that require more stringent labels on seafood sold – whether at a fish and chip shop, a restaurant, or a supermarket. Together with consistent sustainable seafood certification, labelling laws could help make the consumption of more sustainable seafood the easy, default choice.”
Can commercial fishing and conservation coexist? A look at Southern Bluefin Tuna
The story of Southern Bluefin Tuna is a rare piece of good news. Historically overfished, it was listed as conservation dependent under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 in the early 2000s.
The Southern Bluefin Tuna is a major export species, but robust fisheries management and international collaboration have helped support its recovery and was delisted in 2024, demonstrating that commercial fishing and conservation can coexist,
Plenty more fish in the sea?
“Deep contradictions exist in the Australian context,” Klein explains.
Klein’s research team has identified multiple marine species that are both listed under the EPBC Act and subject to commercial fishing, four of which are legally exported from Australia: the orange roughy, blue warehou, school shark and, until recently, southern bluefin tuna.
We are working to protect some marine species in our waters while we continue to export them.”
“Why are we still catching and selling species we are trying to protect?”
It points to a persistent gap between conservation intent and industry practice, one that Australia’s key environmental legislation, the EPBC Act, has so far been unable to close.
“Further reform is needed to Australia’s environmental laws, as threatened fish species continue to be legally caught and exported.”
Policy tension
The EPBC Act is designed to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems yet operates alongside commercial fisheries and export industries. It has been under long-term review for years.
From imported seafood to domestic fisheries, from mislabelling to illegal fishing, the challenge is the same: aligning what we catch, trade and consume with what we are trying to protect.
Until then, Australia’s seafood industry will continue to reflect fundamental contradictions. Ultimately, the sustainability of what ends up on our plate depends on what we choose to buy and consume.
Ella Legg, with insights from A/Prof Carissa Klein.