- Nice: Australian farmed prawns and Spencer Gulf prawns are an easy, affordable and sustainable choice this summer
- Naughty: Tasmanian farmed salmon has many environmental impacts and is driving the Maugean skate to extinction
The minds behind GoodFish, Australia’s go-to sustainable seafood guide, have made a list, and checked it twice, so you can choose sustainable seafood this holiday season.
GoodFish Program Manager Stephanie McGee said: “As Christmas approaches, Australians flock to their local fishmongers and supermarkets to secure seafood for their holiday gatherings, but not all seafood is here to party, as some popular choices are causing harm to our oceans.
“Prawns are a staple for many Aussie holiday feasts, but can come with unwanted extras. Prawn fisheries in Queensland and New South Wales can also catch threatened and supposedly protected species as bycatch, and lack independent monitoring tracking their impact, which is of significant concern.
“GoodFish also recommends avoiding imported vannamei prawns, which make up nearly two-thirds of prawns eaten in Australia. Most of these prawns are from Vietnam, where prawn farming has caused environmental damage and disease.
“GoodFish recommends looking for sustainable options such as Australian farmed prawns, or wild caught king prawns from South Australia’s Spencer Gulf. They are predicted to be cheaper than usual this summer, due to above average rains increasing populations.
“Also on our Naughty list is Tasmanian farmed salmon. Salmon farms there continue to cause significant environmental harm, with farming waste causing algal blooms, while effort to deter seals, such as underwater explosive charges and lead-filled bean bag projectiles, can have lethal impacts. Critically, farms in Macquarie Harbour have drastically depleted oxygen levels, pushing the endangered Maugean skate to the brink of extinction.
“Instead, GoodFish recommends looking for Australian farmed barramundi, an Aussie icon that’s widely available and easy to cook. Barramundi farms are found all over the country, usually in land-based tanks and ponds that are well managed to have little impact on the local environment.”
Below you’ll find our Naughty and Nice list, featuring our picks for your Christmas table, as well as what to avoid when shopping. If you can’t see your favourite, visit goodfish.org.au to find Australia’s go-to guide to sustainable seafood.
Naughty list
Prawns caught in Queensland or NSW
The methods used to fish prawns can catch other species as bycatch, causing significant impacts. There are serious concerns with catch of threatened and protected species in Queensland and New South Wales prawn fisheries, made worse by the current lack of independent monitoring.
Tasmanian farmed salmon
Atlantic salmon farms in Tasmania have significant environmental impacts, especially in Macquarie Harbour, where salmon farming is driving the Maugean skate, a species of ray, to extinction. Pollution is a major concern with farming waste causing algal blooms. In an effort to deter seals, some companies also use underwater explosive charges and lead-filled bean bag projectiles that can have lethal impacts.
Wild-caught barramundi
There are serious environmental concerns with a majority of wild-caught barramundi as the gillnets used to catch them are indiscriminate, catching and killing many threatened species such as dugongs and sea turtles.
Scallops
Some scallop populations are overfished and there are serious uncertainties in population assessments of others. In some commercial scallop fisheries, they are caught by dredging the seafloor, damaging sponge gardens where scallops can live as it tears through and rips up habitat.
Nice list
Prawns farmed all over Australia
A staple of Aussie holiday menus, prawns will be on the top of many shopping lists. Farmed prawns – commonly tiger or banana prawns – rely very little on wild-capture fisheries, with some prawns actually raised on fish-free feeds. Australian farmed prawns are delicious and plentiful this Christmas.
Australian farmed barramundi
Barramundi is a classic Aussie fish and, thanks to farmers all over the country, it’s easy to find too. The barramundi are grown on land in tanks or ponds, so these farms have no risk of spreading disease, and produce little wastewater. There are so many different ways to showcase Aussie barra as it’s versatile and super easy to cook.
Australian mussels and oysters
The picture of celebration, oysters are always a fantastic addition to your menu, but don’t look past the humble mussel as well. Not only delicious, they’re super low impact. As filter feeders, they sit in our waterways or at sea and filter their food naturally from the water, without human intervention. We recommend heading out and trying to find your local grower.
Australian salmon
Australian salmon, not to be confused with farmed atlantic salmon, is a native species and a great option to plate up this holiday season. Caught with low impact net methods, Australian salmon is a safe choice, though populations in Western Australia and South Australia are healthier.
Rock lobster
Rock lobster is certainly worth singing about. Caught by hand or baited traps, rock lobster harvest is very low impact. Tropical, western, and eastern rock lobster all have stable populations, although some southern rock lobster populations are of concern.