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,” she said.
“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 the GoodFish 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, Ms McGee said.
“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,” she said.
