Is Australian seafood sustainable?
The following is from the Fishfiles website, which is an an initiative of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) to provide accurate and informative information on Australia’s sustainable seafood.
Every few years the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) produces Status of Australian Fish Stocks (SAFS) reports and publishes these at fish.gov.au. The reports are based on a consistent national reporting framework developed by fisheries scientists across Australia. These reports bring together all the available information on Australia’s key wild catch fish stocks and give a rating (and colour) to each species.
| Status of Australian Fish Stock (SAFS) classification framework | ||
| Color | Stock Status | Simplified Definition |
| SUSTAINABLE
|
Fish stock size (biomass) is above a minimum level (limit reference point) for the stock, and fishing pressure is adequately controlled (there is no overfishing) | |
| DEPLETING | Fish stock size is above a minimum level (limit reference point) for the stock, but fishing pressure is too high | |
| RECOVERING | Fish stock size is too low but fishing pressure is adequately controlled and stock is recovering | |
| DEPLETED | Fish stock size is too low and fishing pressure too high, or fishing pressure has been reduced but recovery not yet detected | |
| UNDEFINED | Not enough information available to make a reliable assessment | |
| NEGLIGIBLE | Catches are so low as to be considered negligible | |
For a full description of the SAFS classification system see How are the Status of Australian Fish Stock Reports done on the SAFS website.
For the 2018 SAFS (Status of Australian Fish Stocks) Reports almost 80% of the 406 stocks (120 species) were able to be assessed. Of the stocks assessed around 80% were rated sustainable (green).
The SAFS website provides access to not only the top line results, but also all the information that supports the rating. You can also download the SAFS app, just search SAFS Sustainable Fish Stocks in the Google Play Store or the App Store.
Very important to note that the sustainability status of a species can vary from stock to stock and state by state. Therefore, if you are concerned ask where the fish was caught, then check the status on the App or website.
For more information go to https://www.fishfiles.com.au/Experts/HealthProfessionals/Seafood-sustainability