As the festive season approaches and demand for seafood starts to rise, it's timely to highlight the need to improve sustainability labelling on seafood products and within hospitality venues, to help consumers make more informed buying decisions.
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There's an increased focus on sustainability by consumers, yet it's currently too hard for people to know if the seafood they order at a restaurant or buy at the local fish and chip shop is sustainably sourced.
Reports show around a third of all seafood traded globally is not what it says it is - creating the worldwide problem of "seafood fraud".
While an Australian government initiative to improve the country-of-origin labelling on seafood served in Australian establishments is under way, the government would be wise to also include sustainability in their thinking.
It's not enough just to know which country your seafood has come from - we also need to know if it has been sustainably caught or if it's adding to environmental issues around overfishing.
For those consumers who value sustainability, you can go to the supermarket and check if your seafood has the Marine Stewardship Council label, which independently validates the sustainability credentials of your purchase. However, in most restaurants and takeaway fish and chip shops, you can't make the same verifications, unless the establishment informs you upfront, or of their own volition.
As public demand for such information continues to increase, it makes sense to initiate a process where the sustainability credentials of the food we eat is clearly labelled, not only on the products themselves but within hospitality venues also. As well as allowing consumers to make more informed decisions, improved labelling for seafood products across the board has other benefits:
- Prevents 'seafood fraud': The MSC says that 'around a third of all seafood traded globally is not what it says it is', which contributes to overfishing and raises potential health risks to the consumer.
- Cuts down on overfishing: By labelling sustainable produce, the food & hospitality industry will put more pressure on the fishing industry globally to improve its practices.
- Supports existing sustainable fisheries: Those doing the right thing by the planet won't be undercut by other fisheries using less environmentally sound methods and selling at cheaper prices.
- Supports Australian industry: The Australian fishing industry's focus on sustainability as a whole means that those looking to make informed choices are more likely to buy local, boosting the Australian economy.
Due to its life cycle, the WA rock octopus in particular is able to be sustainably caught via the technologically advanced "trigger trap". However, much of the octopus eaten by Australians in restaurants, cafes or takeaway is caught by less environmentally sound methods.
MORE OPINION:
In particular, the practice of indiscriminate trawl fishing, where boats drag large nets along the seabed and catch everything as opposed to specific seafood populations, has caused damage to sustainability, closed down fisheries and impacted productivity.
I believe that most Australians, given the option, would much prefer to eat sustainable, locally sourced seafood.
As the obesity crisis has worsened, we've seen more and more nutritional information being included on menus, and we're seeing improved food labelling around allergens. It stands to reason that as we confront the great environmental challenges of the 21st century, sustainability information should be a major priority.
- Glenn Wheeler is the managing director of Fremantle Octopus Group.
