It’s no secret that Australians love their seafood. From banana prawns in Queensland to rock lobster from Western Australia, Australian seafood is high quality and an important part of the social and cultural fabric of the country.  

However, Australia faces a seafood paradox – we export much of our high-value locally produced seafood while relying heavily on international imports to supply the domestic market. As an example, 60-70% of the value of locally caught wild seafood is exported overseas, while 65% of the seafood consumed in Australia is imported. 

This paradox has been explored in new research in Environmental Research Food Systems. In this research, authors from James Cook University, Smarter Fisheries Consulting, Flinders University, Biopixel Oceans Foundation and Tobin Fish Consulting explore this import-export paradox, and what it means for the Australian Seafood sector.  

Australia has some of the most sustainably managed fisheries in the world and a thriving and fast-growing aquaculture industry. But when you compare Australia to other countries, we rank 52^nd in production volume and contribute 0.14% to global seafood production.  This relatively low production is insufficient to meet domestic seafood demand. 

Due to this gap between consumption and production, a large proportion of Australian seafood is provided by international imports. In particular, we import high volumes of skipjack tuna, Peruvian anchovies, king prawns and other finfish.  

Importing seafood to address domestic demand is common in high-income nations worldwide, but it creates an environmental/social dilemma – what happens when, as a country, you have highly rated sustainable fisheries, but you import vast quantities of seafood without such safeguards in place?  

In the paper, the authors refer to this as the “seafood footprint displacement”, meaning Australia’s seafood consumption depends partly on products sourced from jurisdictions with less effective fisheries management, potentially resulting in the exact environmental degradation and negative social outcomes overseas that our management frameworks are trying to avoid. Put simply, are we outsourcing some of the social and environmental impacts of our seafood consumption, while overlooking opportunities to sustainably strengthen production at home? 

You could argue that Australia’s reputation as one of the world’s leaders in fisheries and aquaculture management carries with it the responsibility to ensure that all seafood entering the country adheres to similar principles and standards. 

This also raises the question of how Australia can make better use of its own seafood resources. Supporting opportunities for sustainable growth in well-managed fisheries and aquaculture could put more high-quality Australian seafood on Australian plates, while supporting viable local industries, coastal communities and more resilient seafood supply chains. But increasing domestic production alone will not necessarily reduce imports – affordability, consumer preferences and demand for different seafood products also shape what Australians buy. 

One recent step towards greater transparency is the expansion of Country of Origin Labelling for seafood. Since 1 July 2026, seafood served in Australian hospitality venues must be identified as Australian, Imported or Mixed under the new AIM labelling system. While origin alone does not tell us whether a product is sustainable, the changes give consumers greater visibility over where their seafood comes from and an opportunity to make more informed choices. 

 What does this mean for a climate-resilient Australian seafood sector? 

Viewed through a climate adaptation lens, maintaining local seafood production can also strengthen food-system resilience. As climate change increases the risks of extreme events and disruptions to transport and supply chains, retaining the capacity to produce and access seafood locally may become increasingly important for regional and coastal communities. 

For Sea Change Australia, this reinforces the need to think about climate adaptation across the whole seafood system, from healthy stocks and viable local production to communities, markets and supply chains. 

Ultimately, building a more resilient Australian seafood system means considering domestic production, the standards applied to imported seafood, and the potential displacement of environmental and social impacts together, rather than as separate issues.