Fair Catch

Australia’s seafood labelling is outdated and unfit for purpose. Australians can’t even be sure what fish they’re eating, where it came from or how it was caught. Aussie fish lovers expect quality and sustainability in their seafood, and right now there’s no way to tell.

Our seafood labelling laws for seafood at point-of-sale are very basic and inconsistent. Retailers can use generic names like ‘fish’ or ‘prawns’ along with the country it was imported from (but not necessarily where it was caught). Major supermarkets and some brands voluntarily provide more information on their labels, but this is inconsistent. Restaurants, cafes and other food vendors require even less.

No label, no choice. Without key details like where it came from and what it is, Australians are unable to truly choose their seafood. Better labels mean that Aussies can choose sustainable, ethically sourced, delicious seafood - and know they’re getting what they pay for.

It’s much easier to hide the sources of dubious products when traceability and labelling requirements are weak.

Seafood is our last truly wild food product, and one of the most highly internationally-traded food items. Due to increasing globalisation, seafood supply chains are getting even more complex, which is why traceability is more important than ever.

In Australia, there are no comprehensive and consistent traceability requirements in place to enable the verification of seafood product and supply chain information, from point of catch to point of purchase.

Traceability is especially important in seafood supply due to the prevalence of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) seafood products.

IUU fishing is a significant global problem jeopardising ecosystems, food security, and livelihoods around the world. An estimated 20% of globally traded seafood comes from IUU sources.

Illegal – when any national, regional, or international regulations are broken. This refers to unlicensed 'pirate' fishing vessels operating outside the laws of any country. It also includes legitimate vessels breaking the rules, like using banned fishing methods, fishing at times or in areas where they shouldn’t (like marine protected areas), taking more than the allowed catch, or taking banned species.

Unreported – when fishing activities and catches are not reported where it is required by law, or they are misreported or under-reported. Unfortunately, there are often weak or even no laws around reporting. For example, there can be a lack of requirements to report unwanted and discarded catch, or to record details of all species landed. Poor reporting makes it very hard to manage fisheries sustainably, but is not always illegal!

Unregulated – when fishing vessels operate in areas and/or target species with no or few relevant regulations. This can be fishing vessels operating in an area and targeting species managed by a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO), but either not flagged (stateless), or flagged under a nation that is not a member of the RFMO. (Note: there is a lack of clarity on what constitutes ‘unregulated’ in national waters unless there are clear RFMO obligations adopted by that country. There is even less clarity for areas of the high seas where there is no RFMO.)

Image from US Coast Guard USCGC Munro

IUU fishing can be highly exploitative and undermines international efforts to prevent overfishing, habitat destruction, and bycatch of non-target fish species and other marine animals. It compromises the sustainability of legal fishing operations, as well as the economic and social development of communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods.

Ethical concerns with IUU fishing extend past sustainability. These practices are frequently associated with poor labour standards and with transnational crime, such as drug trafficking and slavery at sea. IUU fishing, labour abuses and slavery have the same root causes – a lack of monitoring and enforcement, overfishing, and the demand for cheap seafood.

As fish populations have declined in coastal waters, fishers have to travel farther to find fish. This increases the costs of fuel and labour, so unscrupulous vessel owners and captains cut costs by breaking rules and mistreating their crews and the environment.

Crew conditions on these fishing vessels can be brutal including 20 hour workdays; lack of basic sanitation and safety measures, resulting in injury and illness; cramped sleeping conditions; and limited and poor quality food and drinking water. Crews also report sexual harassment, verbal and physical abuse, debt bondage, torture, human trafficking and slavery, and murder.

Serious labour abuses are a particular problem on fishing vessels travelling far from home and operating on the high seas, beyond national waters. Remoteness, isolation and long periods at sea make it easier to hide poor conditions on board fishing vessels. These vessels often transfer their catches to ‘motherships’ or carrier vessels – known as ‘transshipment’ – so that they don’t have to return to port for months or even years. This makes it easier to hide illegal catches within legal ones, while making it very difficult for authorities to monitor their activities or for abused crew to escape.

Image © Biel Calderon / Greenpeace

International action to combat IUU fishing includes:

1. Strengthening national and international regulations, and increasing funding and cooperation to ensure these are applied and enforced

2. The use of satellite and electronic monitoring systems to track fishing vessels

3. Onboard independent observers and cameras

4. Preventing IUU vessels from accessing ports to offload fish, refuel, restock, and make repairs (known as the Port State Measures Agreement)

5. Improving traceability and transparency throughout the seafood supply chain

6. Stronger import controls that close the market to illegal seafood.