Whether your favourite dish is a bouillabaisse or a fish pie, a bucket of prawns or a dozen oysters, Assistant Agriculture and Water Resources Minister, Senator Anne Ruston, is urging all Australians to choose wisely today on Sustainable Seafood Day.
"Australian seafood has great credentials when it comes to its sustainability—as well as its taste, quality and health benefits, we are renowned for being international leaders in fisheries management," Minister Ruston said.
"When you buy Australian seafood from your fishmonger, grocer or supermarket you can have confidence that your purchase is from a sustainable source.
"I am proud that for two years now, monitoring of our fisheries' health has found that no solely Commonwealth managed fishery is being overfished.
"This is fantastic news for our community who can be assured that any fresh Aussie seafood they purchase will be available in years to come because of the careful fisheries management framework in place.
"An increasing global appetite for quality seafood presents a tremendous opportunity for our wild catch and aquaculture sectors to sell their sustainable haul to the world.
"Australia is well placed to capitalise on burgeoning demand, especially at the high-value, premium end of the market.
"Increased trade in our seafood products translates to good news for our fishing communities and the regional economies that those communities sustain," Minister Ruston said.
Sustainable Seafood Day is an initiative of the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organisation that uses its ecolabel and fishery certification program to contribute to the health of the world's oceans by recognizing sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood, and working with partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.
"This Sustainable Seafood Day I will be sitting down to a meal of local King George whiting—and I sincerely hope others join me in showcasing our seafood in their own meals," Minister Ruston said.
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