Seafood in Australia comes from local and international commercial fisheries, aquaculture and recreational anglers. It is an economically important sector, and along with agriculture and forestry contributed $24,744 million to Australia's GDP in year 2007–2008, out of a total GDP of $1,084,146 million. Commercial fisheries in Commonwealth waters are managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, while commercial and recreational fishing in state waters is managed by various state-level agencies.
The sustainable seafood movement is growing in Australia as consumers become more aware of conservation issues and the importance of maintaining fish stocks. Organisations such as the Marine Stewardship Council and Australian Marine Conservation Society's GoodFish: Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide have released guides helping consumers make sustainable seafood choices.
Overview
Production by state
The largest share, 22%, of the whole gross value generated by seafood production in the Commonwealth area – not only in Australia – is attributable to Tasmania, while South and Western Australia follow with 21% and 20% each. Australia has special rights over the exploitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastline, exceeding that of its land mass. Within the EEZ seazone, free use of marine resources is allowed (Geoscience Australia. 2005. Maritime Boundary Definitions). Australia's fishing zone is the third largest in the world, covering 11 million square kilometres, yet Australia is only the 52nd largest producer in terms of volume.
In South Australia, fish farming of marine finfish is the most valuable part of the seafood sector. Fish farming of salmon dominates the Tasmanian seafood industry, while fish farming occurs at pilot scale in Western Australia.
Composition
Fisheries production consists mainly of seafood goods which are marketed for human consumption, but also of non-edible fisheries products, such as pearls and fish meal. Australian seafood product, like most other countries', includes both wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture production. The national product encompasses also the portion addressed to export, but it does not include the amount of fishery imported by Australia from abroad.
Exports
In the year 2007–2008, Australia exported fisheries products for a value of $1.3 billion, approximately 80% of which was derived from edible fishery export, such as shellfish and fish; the remainder was non-edible products, predominantly pearls. Despite the still-considerable share of the domestic product resulting from export, the purchases of Australian seafood from foreign countries has fallen by 10%, if compared to the rates of the previous year. Such a fall is estimated to be due to a general fall in the whole volume of edible fisheries production. So, since most exports concern fish and shellfish, a decrease in the production of these goods (coming from both wild catch and aquaculture) affects the amount which can be exported.
Imports
Fisheries products imported by Australia within the year 2007–2008 accounted for a value of $1.4 billion. Like countries towards whom Australia aims its own exports, Australian imports derive mainly (approximately 80%) from edible fishery products; the remainder is due again to pearls and fishmeal, i.e. non-edible goods. During previous year, imports in the fishery sector declined by 5%, mainly because of a fall in the demand of imported crustaceans, molluscs ( – 14%) and non-edibles (- 6%); notwithstanding, the share of expense assigned to imports has recently come to exceed the amount of income coming from exportations: $1.4 billion > $1.3 billion. In fact, in 2007–2008 Australia became a net importer of fisheries products, both in terms of volume and in terms of value, although the composition of its exports differs from the imports’, as Australian fisheries exports are dominated by high-value species, while its imports consist of lower-value products such as frozen or canned fish.
Seafood trade flow
Most important species produced in Australian oceans
Amongst all species sold on the Australian fish market 2007–2008, Australian sardines took the biggest share in terms of volume with 33,600 tonnes landed and traded. Salmonoids, including salmon and trout, were the second most dominant portion of the market, at 25,500 tonnes, followed by prawns at 22,400 tonnes, tuna at 14,700 tonnes and rock lobster at 13,800 tonnes.