21-02-2025
Rare species to be served up to Aussie diners as certified ‘sustainable' meal
Allowing trawlers to catch rare fish and serve them up to Aussie diners has long frustrated conservations. But an announcement by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that an orange roughy population will be declared 'sustainable' under its certification scheme has sparked serious anger.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) argues the decision could set an 'incredibly dangerous precedent', particularly if the fishery goes on to collapse. AMCS sustainable seafood program manager Adrian Meder is perplexed by the decision.
'We don't have to eat "endangered" species. Either do the work to get orange roughy off the "endangered species list", or go catch another fish,' he told Yahoo News.
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MSC is a household name in Australia because its famous 'blue tick' can be seen on John West tuna cans in supermarkets. AMCS is worried the orange roughy decision will harm the image of "sustainably" caught seafood.
'The decision deliberately [goes against] the trust of Australians who are trying to enjoy seafood and look after the ocean at the same time.'
Although orange roughy is believed to be increasingly rare, fishers can apply for permits from the government to trawl for it. The MSC certification aims to deliver an extra layer of trust because it contains more checks and balances.
Orange roughy was listed as "conservation dependent" by the Commonwealth in 2006, a category that only relates to fish. This classification offers fewer protections than labels like "threatened" or "vulnerable to extinction" allowing ongoing harvesting of the species using methods designed to stop their numbers dropping.
But the "conservation dependent" classification is controversial and in 2024, researchers called for the category to be overhauled, calling it a "loophole" in the system. Many conservationists critical of the term continue to refer to the species as "endangered".
What's particularly contentious about commercially catching orange roughy is that it can live well beyond 140 years, and there are estimates some have reached 250 years. As a result, it is very slow to grow and breed, and this makes it vulnerable to overfishing.
Trawling in 1980s and 1990s saw Australian populations plummet to just 30 per cent of original stock levels. Even if all orange roughy fishing was banned, numbers are expected to keep dropping for the next two decades, because the species doesn't sexually mature until between 20 and 40 years of age. Stocks aren't expected to recover to 48 per cent of previous levels until well beyond 2070.
The proposal to certify the Australia Orange Roughy Eastern Zone, which lies east of the Tasmanian town of St Helens, will result in catch from the fishery becoming eligible for an MSC blue tick. However before that fish ends up on a menu or supermarket shelf, its supply chain must be verified.
This decision was formally opposed by AMCS. It argued targeting a known breeding ground isn't wise as it could impact surrounding populations that are already depleted.
On Friday, MSC announced an independent auditor rejected AMCS's case against certifying orange roughy following a two-day hearing. While MSC sets the standard for what's considered sustainable, it relies on decisions by third-party experts to determine whether it should apply its blue tick to individual fisheries.
The fishery was assessed against its ability to maintain sustainable stocks, minimise environmental damage, and effectively manage the area and received a score of 80 out of 100. MSC will now issue a certificate until February 2030. Its ongoing validity will be subject to annual surveillance audits to track how fishing is affecting the population.
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AMCS had questioned how a species listed by the Commonwealth as needing protection could also be approved as a targeted fish under the MSC fishing standard.
It argued more research was required to determine whether the recovery of already depleted neighbouring fisheries was dependent on a known breeding ground within the Australia Orange Roughy Eastern Zone.
'We don't know how the orange roughy in the nine surrounding areas are connected. But we do know all of the fish populations in those areas, except for two, are overfished to the level which has given them "endangered" species status,' Meder said.
'The Australia Orange Roughy Eastern Zone contains the only known major breeding area for the fish in all of those regions.'
Following the assessment, MSC thanked everyone involved in the process including AMCS, the fishery, and the auditor. "Stakeholder contributions are valuable and contribute to thorough fishery assessments," it said in a statement.
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