QHA-Review_April_Digital

INSIGHTS
FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
FOLLOWING ON FROM SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD WEEK IN MARCH AND
COMING IN TO THE EASTER HOLIDAY SEAFOOD SEASON, AS WELL AS
MORE PEOPLE WANTING TO EAT LOCALLY, ETHICALLY AND SUSTAINABLY,
SEAFOOD IS A HOT TOPIC.
QHA REVIEW | 30
Seafood is incredibly popular in Australia with each
Aussie consuming about 14 kilograms per year.
According to industry experts, this is 1.5 kilograms
more than we were eating just a few years ago.
Bidfood was the first Australian supplier to take a
sustainability-based approach when procuring seafood
products and they also work in partnership with Global
Aquaculture Alliance, Marine Stewardship Council and
the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, both locally and
abroad.
Bidfood is across the hot issues that are swirling
around seafood today. Some of these include
overfishing, illegal fishing, modern slavery and lessthan-acceptable
aquaculture. Buying from a respected
supplier that upholds the strictest standards ensures
you will never have to touch seafood that has been
tainted by these issues. However, it is important that
everyone is are aware of these concerns and are
working together to ensure we are all using the best,
most sustainable and ethical seafood that is available.
Here, the Bidfood team take us through what venues
need to know and look out for.
Local fish
Australia and New Zealand have some of the most
stringent fishing regulations and quota controls in the
world. Australian fishers work under both federal and
state controls. The quality, handling and transport
of the catch itself is overseen by state food safety
authorities such as Safe Food Queensland. Australian
fishers must report their catch to local fishing
authorities and, if working in Commonwealth waters,
to federal officers.
Fishers work under strict quotas which are monitored
and changed seasonally according to the figures being
reported. Catching certain species of fish, shellfish and
crustaceans, such as rock lobster, is banned at certain
times of the year when the official season is closed.
Our burgeoning aquaculture industry is also run under
strict controls - from various bodies such as local
councils to government authorities, with the majority of
aquaculture businesses certified by third-party bodies
such as the Aquaculture Stewardship
Council. These all combine to create
a national fishing industry that not only
produces some of the best fish in the world but
also some of the most sustainable.
Marine Stewardship Council
One quick way to ensure that your fish and seafood
is sustainable is to look for the blue fish logo from
the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This is a
global not-for-profit organisation with an aim to end
overfishing around the world. The MSC brings together
scientists, the people working on and around the seas,
industry experts and other organisations.
Using masses of data on actual wild fish stocks, the
MSC is able to determine which species in which
waters are sustainable to fish. The MSC recognises
and rewards sustainable fishing practices making sure
that the underwater environment is not harmed during
fishing. So, when you see the MSC logo on a product
you know that the seafood stocks are fished in a way
that does not threaten the population’s long-term
health and minimises the damaging effects of fishing
on the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem.
Aquaculture Stewardship Council
Today, more than half the seafood eaten around the
world is farmed. Seafood farming, or aquaculture,
is a large, growing industry with a significant global
impact and must be handled with great responsibility
and care. But just like all food production, farming fish
and seafood does of course have environmental and
social impacts. This might be from water use, pollution
or over-reliance of chemicals and medication. This is
where the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
becomes important.
This is another not-for-profit organisation operating
around the world and certifying fish and seafood farms
that meet their strict standards, which cover a wide
range of environmental and social impacts. The health
of the surrounding water bodies, seabeds and other
waterways are monitored for pollution.