WA fishers say federal plans to protect more ocean will increase seafood prices

Australia Broadcast Center

12-06-2025

Shoppers have been warned Australian seafood prices will rise and the nation will import more fish as a consequence of federal government plans to prevent commercial fishing in millions of hectares of ocean.
Environment Minister Murray Watt told this week's UN Ocean Conference Australia would expand "highly protected" areas to 30 per cent of its territorial waters within five years.
It represents a six per cent increase in ocean estate where extractive industries such as fishing or mining are locked out.
The announcement follows the release last month of Sir David Attenborough's documentary Ocean, which shines a spotlight on global fishing practices.
While green groups welcomed the news from the government, WA Fishing Industry Council CEO Melissa Haslam said it would hurt consumers.
"Seafood prices will rise," she said.
"In some cases you might see some fisheries close, they reach a brink where they cannot be economically viable anymore.
"Alternatively where they continue, the cost of getting that fish to market just increases astronomically."
Ms Haslam said Australian seafood was already struggling to compete on price point.
"When the average Australian is in Coles or Woolworths, they'll look at the WA snapper at some extraordinary price per kilo," she said.
Ms Haslam said Australians wanted to eat fish from local waters and not imported fish that may not be of the same quality.
Ms Haslam said she was blindsided by Mr Watt's announcement, and frustrated at the broad statements being made about ocean management.
"I understand the international pressure must be huge, and people look to first-world countries like Australia to lead the way, but someone needs to stand up and say, 'We are leading the way,'" she said.
Ms Haslam said Attenborough's film should have shown the difference in fishery and ocean management practices between countries.
"They never contacted us, they haven't contacted other [West Australian] commercial fishers that I'm aware of, so you're looking at a very skewed view of the world," she said.
Ms Haslam said fishers did not broadly oppose marine parks, but they were not the "silver bullet" some portrayed them as.
"They don't stop pollution, they don't stop oil spills — marine parks don't stop illegal fishers from other countries," she said.
The Ocean documentary highlights the destructive impact of bottom-trawling on marine ecosystems, but the fishing industry argues it overlooks the strict regulations and sustainable practices of Australia's trawl fisheries.
Trawling represents about two per cent of fishing activity in Australia, but it generates about 40 per cent of the nation's seafood.
"When they show footage of trawling over the ocean floor that's causing terrible damage, I will guarantee you that footage was not taken in Australia or any other world-leading country that has highly regulated fishing practices," Ms Haslam said.
Seafood Industry Australia CEO Veronica Papacosta shared Ms Haslam's frustrations.
"You know, it was almost if it bleeds, it leads headlines," she said.
"It just sounds better if it's all a big mess but in Australia we have worked so hard to make sure we have constant improvements.
"In Australia we trawl on sandy bottoms — that talk on the documentary of ripping up the environment, we would lose our boats if we trawled across habitats [like that]."
Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation contributed more than $3 million towards the production of Ocean — about half its overall cost.
Minderoo Pictures executive director Malinda Wink said the film was made independently by Silverback Films, but Minderoo did have oversight of its scientific accuracy, as it did with all films it supported.
"The narration scripts were entirely of Sir David and the team," she said.
Ms Wink did not know if there were any shots of Australian commercial fishing used in the film.
"I presume that management practices are different everywhere in the world, but the overarching narrative that Sir David has to share is that we need urgent action in order to restore oceans to a healthy state," she said.
Speaking on ABC Radio National Breakfast, Mr Watt said protecting 30 per cent of Australia's territorial waters from all extractive industries was a good move for the environment and for fishers.
"The scientific research tells us that as long as we preserve 30 per cent of our ocean space … it allows our ocean to replenish itself, fish stocks to re-grow, marine life to re-grow, coral to re-grow," he said.
"In a sense, it's helping guarantee the long-term security of our commercial fishing industry as well, by making sure that there are fish remaining for generations to come.
"Because when you protect those areas, fish then spill over beyond the protected areas."