Avoid Eating Endangered Fish

By becoming aware of which wild fish are being harvested to the brink of extinction, we can start to alter our fish eating and buying habits and cease plundering an invisible ecosystem that is in a state of serious decline and stress.

Also, becoming aware of the impact of caged fisheries on our estuaries, bays, oceans, pond systems and wetlands will help us make informed choices next time we are at the fish mongers.

How to do it now

If you are going to eat seafood, consider the information below.

Fish species least endangered

Best Choice for Eating Also Market As
Australian Salmon  
Blue Swimmer Crab Crab, Sand Crab, Bluey, Blue Mantra Crab
Bream  
Calamari, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Squid  
Flathead  
King George Whiting Black Whiting, South Australian Whiting, Spotted Whiting
Leatherjacket Ocean Jacket, Seine Boat Jacket, Silver Flounder, Chinaman, Yellow Jacket, Triggerfish, Butterfish
Mullet Blue-tail, Fan-tail, Flicker, Umping, Nano, Sand, Yellow-eye
Mulloway Butterfish, King Jewfish, Kingfish, River Kingfish
Trevally  
Western Rock Lobster Western Australian Crayfish, Western Cray
Whiting Sand, Eastern School, Western School, Stout (Winter), Trumpeter, Western Trumpter, Yellowfin
Yellow-tail Kingfish Kingfish, Tasmanian Yellowtail, Kingie, Yellowtail
Abalone  
Blue Mussel Mussel
Crayfish Marron, Redclaw, Yabby
Oysters  


Fish species that are overfished and endangered

Avoid Also Marketed As
Blue Warehou Trevally, Sea Bream, Snotty Trevalla
Commercial Scallop (Bass Strait) Southern Scallop
Deepwater Shark Flake, Boneless Fish
Eastern Gemfish Hake, King Couta, Silver Kingfish
Orange Roughy Deep Sea Perch, Sea Perch
Oeros (black, smooth, spiky, warty) Dory, Deep Sea Dory, Spotted Dory
Redfish Nannygai, Red Snapper
School Shark Flake, Tope, Boneless Fish
Silver Travally White Travally
Southern Bluefin Tuna Tuna


Vunerable and heavily fished species

Avoid Also Marketed As
Bigeye Tuna Tuna, Bigeye
Broadbill Swordfish Swordfish
Sharks & Rays Flake, Boneless Fish, Stingray Flaps
Yellow-fin Tuna (wider Pacific Ocean) Tuna

Be informed and involved - Contact and join the Australian Marine Conservation Society and get a copy of Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide (with a foreword by Tim Winton).

OceanWatch Australia works in partnership with the Australian seafood industry, government, natural resource managers, business and the community to promote sustainable and quality seafood.

Save our Marine Life is a growing community of people and organisations working to protect the unique marine life in the south west waters of Australia.

Why this action is important

Establishing a sustainable balance in our harvesting of wild fisheries in the near future is essential to ward off the possibility of species collapse, and the ramifications this may have on our ocean, estuary and river ecosystems. To treat the ocean as a 'magic pudding' while defiling the rivers and estuaries where fish breed and spawn is irresponsible and short sighted.

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Page Last Updated: 25 October 2012

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