On this page:

• What is sustainable seafood?
• What is greenwashing?
• How we assessed seafood sustainability claims
• How to buy sustainable seafood 
• Seafood sustainability terms explained 
• Independent certification programs
• Third-party tools to help identify sustainable seafood

Australians are interested in where their seafood comes from and how sustainable it is. Recent research has shown that consumers associate ‘local’ seafood labels with freshness and sustainability, and we may even pay a little bit more for it if it’s locally caught or grown. The use of environmental and sustainability claims on food is also becoming more common. 

But in its 2023 report on greenwashing by Australian businesses, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) raised concerns that “a significant proportion of the claims made by businesses may be false, misleading, or have no reasonable basis”. 

So how can you tell if the seafood you are buying is actually sustainable? 

There are a number of standards for sustainable seafood, and each has its own rationale. We’ve taken a deep dive into the certifications, claims and labels on the packaging of 35 different seafood products you can buy at the supermarket, to see how easy they are to interpret. 

Plus, we’ve put together a guide to deciphering the labels yourself, to help you make better informed decisions at the checkout.

How seafood reaches the consumer

In Australia, our seafood supply is sourced from wild fisheries, where species are fished from natural habitats, and from aquaculture farms, where seafood is raised in pens, tanks and ponds. 

From there, the seafood travels through a supply chain to get to the consumer. 

Some fisheries may have multiple fishing locations, farms and processing plants. They may also export their seafood to other countries where it is then distributed to multiple retailers.

The supply chains can be long and complicated, involving multiple regions, businesses, and distribution networks. 

This means that tracing the origin of a seafood product, and its sustainability or environmental impact, can be extremely challenging.

What is sustainable seafood?

Sustainable seafood comes from fisheries or farms that ensure the long-term supply and health of that species and the wellbeing of the surrounding waterways. 

Sustainable seafood practices:

• improve traceability of supply chains 
• protect human rights
• avoid overfishing and limit bycatch (unwanted species that are accidentally caught and ultimately discarded) 
• manage pollution and disease
• consider climate impacts
• preserve habitats.   

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is when a business makes environmental or sustainability ‘green’ claims about their company, product or practices that are false, misleading, or overestimate the positive environmental impacts the product may have. 

The ACCC is cracking down on greenwashing. In December 2023 it published , after finding that 57% of businesses it reviewed made potentially misleading environmental claims.

The ACCC found some businesses were:

• using vague or unclear environmental claims
• not providing sufficient evidence for their claims
• setting environmental goals without clear plans for how these will be achieved and
• using third-party certifications and symbols in a confusing way.

When assessing the environmental and sustainability claims on seafood packaging, we kept these ACCC findings in mind.

How we assessed seafood sustainability claims

We bought 35 seafood products found in major Australian supermarkets. These included 11 different types of seafood such as canned tuna, frozen processed fish, mussels, sardines and salmon. 

We analysed the claims and logos we found on each pack to see how easy these were for us to interpret, and whether it would be easy for a consumer to do the same at the point of purchase. 

The claims we examined included fishing and farming methods, sustainability claims, industry and third-party certification logos, and other claims such as ‘FAD-free’ and ‘dolphin-safe’. 

What we found

We found environmental, sustainability and catch sourcing logos and claims on all of the packaging we looked at. 

Many of these were easily identifiable and from legitimate third-party certifiers, such as MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council).

But with other claims it wasn’t always clear what they meant. Nearly half of the seafood packaging we looked at had a claim or logo that was not quickly and easily understood. 

We often had to dig further, such as by checking the brand’s website, to see if the claims stacked up. We also had difficulties determining if pack claims on some products were legitimate, or greenwashing.

If we found deciphering seafood labelling a challenge, this poses a real problem for consumers. 

How are shoppers supposed to quickly and easily find the most sustainably sourced seafood product when it can be so hard to decode the labels? 

Our key findings:

• Many claims were hard to verify and difficult to understand.
• The challenges we encountered assessing the claims highlights the need for more consistent, clearer labelling requirements on seafood packaging. 
• Eight products mentioned Australia in their country of origin statement, meaning this seafood likely travelled fewer food miles to get to your plate.
• 11 of the products were classified by GoodFish as “say no”. This means the species of seafood in these products is not a sustainable choice.
• Of the products we looked at, 10 had an MSC certification and one had an ASC certification, representing industry best practices for sustainability and responsible sourcing. 
• 10 tuna products had a ‘dolphin-friendly’ claim or logo. Only two, Coles and Aldi Portview tuna, did not, but they did have a ‘responsibly sourced’ claim on pack.
• 18 products had a ‘responsibly sourced’ claim, but not all of these were supported by a third-party certification on pack.
• Six products that stated they were farmed had a ‘responsibly sourced’ claim but only one, Woolworths Smoked Mussels in Oil, was backed by an ASC certification on pack.
• 10 out of 11 products that claimed they were certified sustainable were backed by MSC certification, while one, Humpty Doo Smoked Whole Barramundi, was industry-certified.

How to buy sustainable seafood 

1. Look for certification

If you are concerned about the sustainability of your food choices, we recommend looking for claims that are independently certified and adhere to strict standards such as MSC, BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) and ASC, which claim to represent industry best practices for wild-caught and farmed seafood. 

You could also look for logos that represent industry standards and certifications, such as the Australian Barramundi Farmers Association sustainability certification scheme, for example. But you may need to do a bit of extra digging to find out what these schemes stand for. 

2. Look for QR codes

Some packaging may have a QR code that provides a link where you can find out more information about the product. For example, the Safcol No Net Tuna tin had a QR code under their dolphin-safe logo that led us to their web page about their fishing methods. 

QR codes can be a helpful tool to convey additional supporting evidence of pack claims, especially where label space comes at a premium. But it is also important for shoppers to evaluate this information for its credibility, so ask yourself is it just marketing, or is it genuine evidence of sustainable practices?

3. Be sceptical of trademarks and fishy claims on packs

We saw many vague claims on packs where it wasn’t clear what they meant. Some examples were ‘responsibly sourced’, ‘responsibly farmed’ or ‘responsibly caught’. 

Sometimes these claims were associated with a more sustainable fishing technique (such as FAD-free or no nets) or backed by a third-party sustainability certification like MSC. 

But in other cases it was simply stated on the pack or listed as a trademark without any other information that supported this claim. 

This doesn’t mean that the product wasn’t responsibly sourced, it just means we couldn’t tell, and without supporting evidence this could be greenwashing. 

We suggest looking for genuine supporting information on packs such as third-party certifications, or supporting evidence elsewhere, instead of relying on a ‘responsibly sourced’ or other vague claim when choosing sustainable seafood.

4. Use third-party tools

There are a number of credible tools available from other organisations that you can use to help identify the environmental impact and sustainability of the seafood you buy. We’ve listed a few further below in this article. 

Seafood sustainability terms explained 

To help you make informed decisions when you shop, we’ve listed below some of the terms and claims we found on seafood packaging (as well as a few others), with an explanation of what they mean.

Further down we list the three independent certification programs to look for on packaging if you want certainty around the sustainability of your supermarket seafood products.

Farmed (aquaculture)

More than 100 species of seafood can be farmed, and a 2019 report by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) mentions that 69% of consumers believe that farmed fishing is sustainable. 

But how sustainable or environmentally friendly a ‘farmed’ product is will depend on the farming methods and the species being farmed.

Look for third-party certifications such as ASC and BAP (see ‘Certification programs’ below for more on these), which will appear on products only if the fishery they come from is implementing and working towards more sustainable practices and lowering their negative impact on the environment. 

Nine of the 35 products we looked at stated they were farmed.

Wild-caught

Wild-caught seafood is fished from its natural habitat such as an ocean, lake or river. It is not farmed. Being wild-caught doesn’t make it more or less sustainable than farmed fish. The sustainability of a type of seafood is dependent on factors such as the species being caught, the area from which it is caught, and the fishing method. 

Of the 35 products we looked at, 21 had a wild-caught claim. 

Dolphin-safe, dolphin-friendly 

The dolphin-safe logo or claim indicates that the fishery complies with policies and laws that aim to reduce the number of dolphins killed in tuna nets. The dolphin-safe label is most often used on canned tuna, but some other tuna products may also carry it.

The dolphin-safe label was developed in 1990 by Earth Island’s International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) and was later codified into US federal law.

There are concerns that some brands of tuna use the dolphin-safe logo or claim deceptively, and that it is greenwashing. 

To be certain that a can of tuna is dolphin-safe, shoppers can check the , which lists more than 800 dolphin-safe tuna companies worldwide. 

Ten products that we looked at had the dolphin-friendly or dolphin-safe claim. 

FAO catch area numbers

You may see a reference to an FAO catch area number listed on some of the seafood you buy. This is a system of identifying 27 major fishing regions established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. These areas are largely arbitrary, but the FAO number means the catch can be traced back to a fishery region. 

You can enter the FAO number on the to find out more about the geographical area your seafood came from.

FAD-free

FAD-free fishing means fish are caught without use of fish aggregating devices (FADs). FADs are structures that float in the ocean to make shadows that attract fish. Some can be as simple as a floating log, while others are anchored to the seabed.

The FADs can have their own nets and lines, or fishers may cast their nets and lines near them.  If the FAD uses netting, then small fish, sharks and turtles can get tangled up in them.  

Nine of the 35 products we looked at had a FAD-free claim.

Purse seine  

Purse seine is a fishing method using large walls of netting that surround schools of fish. The net is then closed like a drawstring purse to capture fish. There are concerns that these nets capture significant bycatch including vulnerable species, sharks and juvenile fish, especially when they’re used with FADs. Purse seines can be used to catch tuna, squid, pollock, salmon and anchovies.

No nets; handline; pole and line 

These three terms refer to methods where fish aren’t caught with nets, but are instead caught with a fishing pole and line, either mechanical or hand-operated. These methods aim to reduce bycatch (or unwanted species) from the catch, and harmful impacts on other species tend to be minimal. 

Three of the 35 products we looked at had this claim.

‘Responsibly caught, sourced, farmed, fished or grown’

When a product displays one of these phrases, the company is making a claim that their seafood is responsibly sourced. ‘Responsible’ is different to ‘sustainable’ and refers to the adherence to social, environmental and food safety practices both in operations and in relationships with suppliers, customers and the community. 

If this claim is used alongside a third-party certification such as the MSC or ASC logos then it is substantiated. If there is no supporting evidence, this may be a greenwashed claim. 

There were 18 products that had the responsibly caught, sourced, farmed, fished or grown claim. 

‘Sustainably caught, sourced, farmed, fished or grown’

When a product displays one of these phrases, the company is making a claim that their seafood is sustainably sourced. Sustainable means seeking to minimise harm to the environment and the depletion of natural resources, while supporting long-term ecological balance.  

There were 11 products that had the sustainably caught, sourced, farmed, fished or grown claim, and all claims were supported by a third-party certification system. 

Sustainable vs responsible claims

The use of sustainable versus responsible claims on packaging can cause confusion. These claims are often used interchangeably by fishing standards with some using the word sustainable, and others responsible. 

We found that ‘sustainable’ claims were often more clearly supported by standards. 

Irrespective of whether the word sustainable or responsible is used, the claim must be robust, defensible and based in science, supported by credible assurance systems, and clearly communicated to shoppers. Look for a logo from a trusted organisation to verify these claims.

Carbon-neutral

A carbon-neutral claim means the company’s carbon emissions are equal to the amount of greenhouse gases it removes from the environment through the use of carbon offsets. 

A company can offset greenhouse gas emissions by planting trees or by investing in clean energy projects or organisations through a carbon offset program.  

As with any other claim, supporting evidence is needed for carbon-neutral claims, otherwise they could be greenwashing.

The Kurumba Banana Prawns were the only product in our sample that had a carbon-neutral claim. They have been certified through the government’s .

Independent certification programs

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The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is a non-government organisation (NGO) that sets strict standards for seafood farming that represent industry best practice in line with the UN FAO guidelines. 

The ASC logo means that the farm has been certified to meet these standards for the species they farm, and that every stage of production is traceable. The standards cover the impact of the farm on the environment, its workers, the local community, and the seafood being farmed. 

There was only one product with the ASC-certified logo on the products we looked at: Tropic Co Australian Raw Whole Tiger Prawns.

This means that the Tropic Co farm(s): 

• has restrictions on what they can feed their prawns, they must minimise wild fish as an ingredient
• cannot be located in critical habitats
• bans forced labour and has safe and equitable work environments
• must minimise impacts on the neighbouring ecosystem and have a barrier between the coastline and the farm
• has set limits of water quality measures and can’t discharge sludge
• must minimise disease outbreaks. Medication can only be used under strict conditions and antibiotic use is not allowed
• can’t use the ASC certification logo on products where antibiotics have been used.

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Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) claims to be the only aquaculture certification program in the world that certifies every step of the production chain.

They say they use traceability as the foundation for their standards, which focus on four pillars of responsibility: 

1. Environmental responsibility 
2. Animal health and welfare 
3. Food safety
4. Social accountability

While we didn’t see this certification on the packaging of any of the farmed products we looked at, BAP does have partnerships with Coles, Woolworths and Metcash (IGA’s parent company) among others, so keep an eye out for their logo while you shop.

MSC-certified seafood 

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo represents a third-party, independent certification system based on the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) best practices for sustainable and responsibly sourced seafood. This certification only applies to wild-caught seafood. 

Alongside the logo is a code, which is usually MSC-C- followed by 5 numbers. You can and it will allow you to trace the product back to the fishery where it came from. You can then see species information, where the seafood came from, how it was caught and the details of the certification. 

Fisheries that choose to be certified by MSC are audited to meet MSC standards. They must adhere to three main principles:

1. Sustainable target fish stocks: Fishing is done in a way that doesn’t lead to overfishing or depletion of  stock and if it does the fishery must act in a way that leads to recovery.
2. Environmental impact of fishing: The fishery’s operations maintain the ecosystem it’s situated in. 
3. Effective management: The fishery is managed in order to respect local, national and international standards and laws. It must also incorporate schemes that commit to a sustainable and responsible use of the resource.

Third-party tools to help identify sustainable seafood

GoodFish

is a sustainability initiative by the Australian Marine Conservation Society. They provide an independent rating for seafood species found in Australian and New Zealand supermarkets and retail outlets. 

Their sustainable seafood guide, which can be found online and as an app, rates species from good to worse: Better Choice, Eat Less, Say No and Under Review. 

They also have a that provides diners with a list of venues that have committed to removing unsustainable seafood from their menus. 

Seafood Watch

is similar to GoodFish and has a sustainable seafood advisory list that classifies species from good to bad: Best Choice, Certified, Good Alternative and Avoid. 

Although their focus is the US seafood market their ratings can be used for US seafood products available in Australia, such as salmon. 

Additionally, they have species-specific guides that provide ratings for seafood depending on farming techniques and fishery locations globally. 

Seafood Watch also provides useful information on across the world. 

FoodSwitch

is an app from The George Institute for Global Health that lets you scan the barcodes of foods to see how they rate on a number of different factors, including a Planetary Health Rating. 

Similar to the Health Star Rating system on food, the Planetary Health Rating displays from half a star up to 5 stars. The higher the star rating, the lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that food.

Shop Ethical

Shop Ethical is an Australian organisation that rates the environmental and social impact of companies. 

Its online tool and app can help you make more informed ethical purchases, with information on the  behind well-known brands. 

You’ll see Shop Ethical ratings alongside some of our product reviews and test results.

Improving seafood sustainability

Despite the existence of various programs and certification systems aimed at enhancing traceability and sustainability in global fisheries, the statistics paint a concerning picture. As of 2019, over a third (35.4%) of global fish stocks were deemed overfished, up from 34.5% in 2017.

According to the UN, sustainable fisheries accounted for about 0.1% of global GDP in 2019, but this share has not changed significantly since 2011. 

Yet sustainable fisheries still have a pivotal role to play in our future food security and mitigating environmental impacts from fishing and farming seafood.

Consumers can assist in steering demand towards more sustainable options. But our evaluation of seafood labelling shows that it can be hard for people to make informed choices, identify legitimately responsibly and sustainably sourced seafood, and avoid greenwashing.  

We spoke to MSC’s ANZ program director Anne Gabriel about these labelling issues and greenwashing concerns. She told us that easily identifiable certification is key to claims on products that are “credible, independent, legitimate, clear, and substantiated”.

“Without clarity on a product’s origin and supply chain, any claim about its sustainable production becomes questionable,” says Gabriel.

“It is imperative that consumers are protected and empowered to make the right choices while fisheries and businesses invested in doing the right thing are not undermined.

“Instead, and more importantly, fisheries and companies committed to sustainable standards should be celebrated and incentivised.”

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On this page:

• The bad stuff: toxins in fish

In short: fish is really good for you. But can you have too much of a good thing?

The bad news is that your favourite fish and chips could potentially include a serve of toxins such as mercury or PCBs. The risk to your health depends on which type of fish you choose, where and how it was caught or farmed, and how often you eat it.

The good stuff: omega-3s in fish

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are long chain omega-3 fatty acids found in high quantities in oily fish, such as Atlantic and Australian salmon, blue-eye trevalla, blue mackerel, gemfish, canned sardines, canned salmon and some varieties of canned tuna.

The government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) suggests a dietary target for long chain omega-3 fatty acids of:

• 610mg per day for men
• 430mg per day for women

Heart health 

There’s strong evidence that eating oily fish regularly can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The National Heart Foundation recommends we aim to include 2–3 serves of fish (including oily fish) per week as part of a heart-healthy diet – it estimates this would provide around 250–500mg of long chain omega-3s per day.

Better brains

Omega-3s are good for the brain development of infants, even before they’re born. Babies breastfed by mothers who regularly eat oily fish or take fish-oil supplements appear to develop better visual function, which is an indicator of improved brain development. There’s also a growing body of evidence that suggests omega-3s may decrease the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia as we get older.

Wider benefits

Other potential health benefits from eating fish have been suggested but the evidence isn’t as strong. These include lowering the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and, less convincingly, depression and asthma.

The bad stuff: toxins in fish

Fish, especially oily fish, can contain low levels of highly toxic pollutants, and farmed fish can be contaminated by antibiotics and other chemicals used to control diseases. The toxins of greatest concern are mercury and PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls).

Mercury

This highly toxic metal can affect brain development in children, even at very low levels. It’s found in small quantities in seawater but it accumulates as methylmercury – the most toxic form of mercury – in the flesh of mature fish at the top of the food chain, such as swordfish, marlin, shark (flake) and some species of tuna. As a rule, small fish are a safer bet if you’re worried about mercury.

As mercury can affect the nervous system, particularly the developing nervous system in unborn babies, you should limit these species in your diet, especially if you’re pregnant. The  from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) advises pregnant women, women intending to become pregnant and children under six to limit shark, marlin or swordfish intake to no more than one serve a fortnight – and the rest of us should have no more than one serve a week. These species are also best avoided because they’re not likely to be harvested sustainably.

PCBs and dioxins 

These chemicals come from industrial pollution and are a known cause of cancer and may be associated with other health risks (and they’re in many foods, not just fish). PCBs may be found in high levels in certain fish, including eel and black bream, in some urban waterways, but dioxin levels in fish in Australia appear to be low compared to international levels. 

Chemicals used in aquaculture

Fish farmers use antibiotics and other chemicals to prevent disease and parasite infestations. In 2005, FSANZ randomly tested for chemical residues in both domestic and imported farmed fish. The tests found the fungicide malachite green in three of the 19 domestically farmed fish (16%) and seven of the 41 imported fish (17%). A 2006 test by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) found the antibiotic nitrofuran in some imported prawns. Legally these substances can’t be present in food at any level of concentration, yet FSANZ claimed that their findings raised no real public health and safety concerns.

Food imported into Australia is inspected by AQIS at a rate of 5% of consignments. Fish contaminated with prohibited chemicals is rejected, however, 95% of consignments are not routinely tested, nor are most domestically produced fish.

Fresh, frozen or canned?

Can you get the same health benefits (and health risks) from frozen or canned fish, or is fresh always best?

Frozen

While fresh fish is generally better for flavour and texture, frozen fish can be just as nutritious and is a convenient standby that’s quick and easy to prepare.

Crumbed or flavoured frozen fish can be high in sodium and fat; plain, uncoated frozen fillets are the best choice. Processed products like fish fingers don’t always contain as much fish as you’d hope, so check the label.

Tip: If you’re buying ‘fresh’ at the supermarket or fishmonger, you’ll see that some fish has been “thawed for your convenience”. This means it’s been frozen before, so you’ll need to eat it as soon as possible and you shouldn’t freeze it again once you get it home.

Canned

Canned (and frozen) herring, sardines, mackerel and Atlantic salmon still deliver beneficial doses of omega-3.

Tip: Fish products claiming to be a “good source of omega-3s” must contain 60mg or more total EPA and DHA per serving according to the Food Standards Code. But even when products comply with these requirements the actual omega-3 content can vary widely, so it’s best to check the nutrition information panel rather than rely simply on the claims if you’re buying fish for its omega-3 content.

Sustainable seafood

Our seas, marine wildlife and habitats are significantly impacted by overfishing and poor aquaculture practices. There are two main ways of looking at sustainability: is the fish stock sustainable and does the fishing method cause environmental damage?

Fish stocks

Worldwide, the demand for wild fish is now greater than the ocean can supply. Southern bluefin tuna was once cheap and plentiful enough to go into canned tuna; it’s now an expensive rarity.

Australian fisheries are generally well managed, by international standards, but our waters are still overfished. Of 93 fish stocks surveyed in the 2016 Fishery Status Report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 14 (15%) were classified as overfished or subject to overfishing. 

Fishing methods

All fishing has an environmental impact, but some methods can be particularly destructive of fish stocks and other wildlife. Non-selective fishing gear may catch and kill immature fish and unwanted species thrown away as “bycatch”. Dolphins, turtles and seabirds — often vulnerable or endangered species – can become entangled in nets and killed. Lost or abandoned fishing gear continues to catch fish (and other marine life) until it falls apart – a process that can take years.

These commercial fishing methods are of particular concern:

Trawling

Nets are towed behind a boat and dragged along the ocean floor. Trawling can damage the seabed, destroying marine life and habitats on which the fish depend for food. Trawling accounts for about 50% of the fish wasted as bycatch.

Drifting long lines

This method is used to catch tuna, marlin, swordfish and sharks. A main line, which can be a staggering 10-80km long, floats on or near the ocean surface. Along this main line there are numerous branch lines with baited hooks. Dolphins, whales and turtles, as well as endangered seabirds, such as albatross, are at risk of being caught in long lines. Unfortunately “dolphin safe” or “dolphin friendly” claims on fish products aren’t always substantiated. There’s no universal and independent verification of such claims. Undoubtedly many companies try to do the right thing, but there’s no guarantee.

Fish farming

Aquaculture is a big industry in Australia. Snapper, barramundi, southern bluefin tuna, mulloway, Atlantic salmon and trout are grown in sea cages, and prawns are grown in saltwater ponds built in wetlands along Australia’s tropical coast. This might seem like the answer to the problem of dwindling fish stocks, but fish farming raises environmental issues of its own.

• Farmed fish are more crowded than in the wild and therefore more susceptible to disease. Antibiotics and other chemicals are used to control disease outbreaks, and diseases can spread to native fish stocks.
• Farmed fish can escape from sea cages. Atlantic salmon are voracious predators and can wreak havoc on native fish stocks.
• Waste from sea cages can pollute coastal waterways.
• Sea cage fish are fed a diet that uses wild fish, such as sardines and mackerel, to produce fishmeal. It takes 2-4kg of wild fish to produce 1kg of farmed Atlantic salmon. It would seem more responsible to eat the sardines and mackerel instead – and they’re better sources of omega-3s.

Raising fish such as prawns, salmon and barramundi in fully enclosed tanks or ponds seems to be preferable, as the output of waste materials can be controlled. These operations can cause environmental degradation through clearing of mangrove forests and destruction of wetlands, but with appropriate care and expertise, fish farms can be ecologically designed and sustainably operated.

Choosing sustainable seafood

Choosing sustainable seafood can make a big difference, but unfortunately it’s not always simple.

Claims such as “ocean caught”, “wild caught” and “caught at sea” distinguish the product from farmed fish, but they don’t necessarily guarantee that the fish comes from sustainable sources. Making sustainable choices is also hindered by confusing country-of-origin labels such as “processed in China from imported ingredients”, “made in Australia from imported and local ingredients” and “processed in Vietnam from sea-farmed Barramundi from the Pacific Ocean region”.

Here are our top tips for making sustainable seafood choices:

• Look for the (MSC) certification logo on cans and packaging. The fish in MSC-certified products comes from fisheries that meet international standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability.
• Use the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s (book, website or app) to make smarter choices while shopping.
• Avoid eating endangered, vulnerable and heavily-fished species, including flake, tuna, swordfish and dory.
• Opt for species with healthier population numbers, such as Australian salmon, whiting, mullet and flathead.
• Ask your fishmonger or the person behind the supermarket deli counter which fish, if any, is in season, and where and how the fish was caught or farmed. Just letting the seller know that customers are interested in sustainability might have an impact on the fish they choose to stock in future.

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Sustainability-conscious consumers have to be careful which tuna products they buy, because some species are at risk and others are overfished, explains Dr Quentin Hanich, leader of the Fisheries Governance Research Program at Wollongong University.

“On a global level, there is a failure of cooperation between countries who can’t agree on necessary compromises that will protect fisheries,” he says. “And in the absence of that consensus, labelling and consumer pressure sends a strong market signal that people want sustainable fishing.”

When attempting to choose an eco-friendly tuna, you’re bound to be bewildered by opaque packaging claims. But with a little know-how, you’ll be able to recognise sustainable tuna on the supermarket shelf.

Boost to sustainably sourced tuna in Australian supermarkets

One recent development looks like good news for the world’s tuna stocks. In early February 2016, major canned tuna company John West Australia announced a partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council, WWF and Pacifical (a tuna supplier committed to sustainable methods) to make what it calls “the single biggest brand commitment to help end unsustainable fishing methods within the canned tuna industry in Australia”. 

It appears to be more than a marketing move. “As a result of a collaborative effort by WWF, Pacifical, MSC and John West, Australians will now see over 100 million cans of clearly labelled Pacifical-MSC-certified sustainably sourced tuna in supermarkets,” WWF Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman says. “The magnitude of this – affecting a huge 43% of Australia’s canned tuna – makes this a world first.”

Step 1: Look for sustainable species of tuna

The John West collaboration with environmental interests is a big step in the right direction, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to be confused by canned tuna labelling. “There are a variety of fish names on packaging,” says Nathaniel Pelle from Greenpeace. “If you see ‘thunnus’ or ‘genus thunnus’, it simply means tuna. Look for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), which is considered the most sustainable tuna.”

Skipjack accounted for 68% of the 2.6 million tonnes of Western Pacific tuna caught in 2013, and its fish stocks are considered “healthy” by the Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP), an organisation that provides fish stock data to fishers in the Western Pacific Ocean.

You’ll also come across yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tuna, which is controversial because of disagreement about its level of sustainability. The OFP and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), an industry body comprised of some of the world’s biggest commercial fishing companies, says yellowfin stocks are healthy.

However, Greenpeace considers yellowfin stock levels “near threatened” and says that, without renewed and coordinated efforts, yellowfin will soon fall into the threatened category.

“Yellowfin is fished at its limit in certain parts of the Central Pacific and there is probably overfishing in the Western Pacific,” says Hanich. “It’s not a black-and-white situation and depends on which fisheries the tuna comes from. So skipjack is a safer choice if the label does not mention the catch region.”

Another species used for canning is longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol). Pelle says he wouldn’t recommend tonggol as a sustainable choice because there are not yet enough complete stock assessments, “so we don’t know how healthy the fish stocks are”.

Step 2: Look for a sustainable fishing method

Pole-and-line caught tuna

The best approach to sustainability, says Hanich, is the pole-and-line fishing method, in which fish are caught with a single pole, line and hook. Compared to the more prevalent purse seine method (see below), pole-and-line is considered the best way to reduce overfishing and bycatch.

This method also requires more fishermen than the big industrial operations, creating more local jobs in the Western Pacific (where almost all Australian tuna comes from).

FAD-free purse seine tuna

A purse seine is a large floating wall of netting that encircles a school of fish and is ‘pursed’ on the bottom, preventing fish from escaping by swimming downward. The catch is harvested by hauling the net aboard or bringing it alongside the vessel.

Purse seine fishing vessels are responsible for nearly 62% of the global tuna catch. Greenpeace’s position on purse seine is that it’s acceptable, as long as it’s not combined with fish aggregation devices (FADs).

FADs are floating objects that attract tuna, but can also draw the attention of other marine life. Referred to as ‘bycatch’, these species are often swept up in the nets along with the ‘target’ species.

With FADs in use, skipjack tuna often shoal together with young bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), which is classified as over-fished in the Western Pacific, or yellowfin tuna, as well as sharks, rays and turtles. ISSF statistics show that FADs double the bycatch rate in the Pacific; in the Atlantic, FADS increase bycatch rates eight-fold.

Verifying whether a fish catch is FAD-free is tricky. “If a canned tuna label says purse seine but does not say ‘FAD-free’, a better sustainable choice is pole-and-line caught tuna,” says Pelle.

According to Pelle, the massive commercial purse seine operations in the Western Pacific are dominated by Japan, Korea, the United States and Taiwan. He says these huge ships harvest local resources but often exclude local fishers, and they can haul up 3000 tonnes of tuna in a single fishing trip – almost double the annual catch of some Pacific Island countries.

“Only 5 to 10% of value of the whole tuna catch goes back to Pacific countries,” Pelle says.

Decoding tuna labels

Dolphin friendly?

“The label ‘dolphin friendly’ is completely irrelevant in the Western Pacific,” says Hanich. “It’s the equivalent of saying it’s koala friendly, because the chances of catching a dolphin are about the same as catching a koala in the nets.”

In the Western Central Pacific, where tuna for the Australian market is predominantly sourced, dolphins tend not to be caught in tuna nets because they don’t associate with schooling tuna. But it’s a big problem in parts of the Eastern Pacific and Central America, where fishers deliberately follow dolphins, which lead them to tuna stocks.

Pelle agrees, saying the dolphin-safe logo is “part of a self-certifying system that isn’t credible.”

Drift-net free

The term is misleading, as drift netting was banned by the United Nations in 1991. Although there is illegal drift netting occurring around the world, tuna fisheries supplying Australia are unlikely to be affected.

Who is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)?

Created in 1997 by WWF and food giant Unilever, the non-profit certifies sustainable fisheries. However, some scientists and environmental groups are critical of MSC, arguing that it certifies unsustainable fisheries or fisheries where there isn’t sufficient information to say whether it’s sustainable or not, such as in the case of Aker BioMarine’s .

Despite this criticism, MSC offers the most rigorous brand certification on canned tuna, says Hanich. “It has a certified supply chain from fishing boat to processing plant to wholesalers and retailers.”

Greenpeace canned tuna guide

Each year since 2010, Greenpeace has released a list of the most sustainable brands, which takes into account species, fishing methods, labelling, transparency of supply chain auditing, and the level of support for sustainable tuna practice through political, industry and consumer channels.

“Every major brand in Australia has now agreed to phase in FAD-free, responsibly caught tuna by 2016,” says Pelle. “Safcol have been the leaders in this change and were the first mainstream company in 2012 to embrace 100% pole-and-line caught tuna, and this helped change the whole industry.”

Australian consumers now have the best sustainable tuna in the world, he says.

How do supermarket tuna products stack up?*

Fish4Ever

Described as “the benchmark of sustainable fishing practice”, it has 100% pole-and-line-caught tuna.

Safcol

100% pole-and-line and FAD-free skipjack.

Coles

100% FAD-free, purse seine-fished skipjack.

Aldi

All new stock on order is FAD-free and pole-and-line, although Aldi is still using yellowfin tuna in its Ocean Rise range. Portview is a better option.

John West

Currently using 100% skipjack tuna, but its FAD-free and pole-and-line stock may not be on the shelves until late 2015.

Sirena

100% pole-and-line, but uses yellowfin and tonggol tuna, and has poor labelling that doesn’t specify the species.

Woolworths

Home Brand is now FAD-free. The Select brand is skipjack and all pole-and-line, but the Woolworths brand continues to use yellowfin and loses marks for poor traceability of its supply chain.

IGA

Has two pole-and-line tuna products in its private label range and is heading towards a FAD-free range during 2015, but their sourcing claims are not backed up by effective third-party audits.

Sole Mare

Its new range is 100% cent pole-and-line, but exclusively uses yellowfin tuna and has not yet obtained audited supply chain guarantees of sustainable sourcing.

Greenseas

100% skipjack tuna from the Western Central Pacific Ocean, but the company has failed to provide evidence that it’s sticking to its commitments to go FAD-free.

*Source: Greenpeace

Aldi’s ‘trace your tuna’ program

Despite its current use of yellowfin tuna, Aldi has taken a potentially helpful step toward letting you know whether the canned tuna in its stores is sustainably sourced. Through its ‘trace your tuna’ , the company says it has “traced our entire canned tuna range from where it was caught, through our supply chain and into our stores”.

Aldi’s tuna cans have the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) catchment area number printed on the lids, which means you can find out where the tuna was caught using FAO data that matches the number with fisheries around the world. Making a connection between the location of the fishery and whether the tuna was sustainably sourced would be a reach for most consumers, however.

Omega-3 and kilojoules

You’ll see omega-3 claims on canned tuna, but products can be labelled “a good source of omega-3” when containing at least 60mg of DHA and EPA per serving. However, this is just a tad over 10% of the Heart Foundation’s recommended 500mg of omega-3 daily. Canned tuna is generally not the best source of the essential fatty acid omega-3 compared to other oily fish, such as fresh salmon, mackerel or canned sardines.

The omega-3 content of canned tuna varies widely, so you’ll need to carefully check the nutrition panel rather than relying on ‘good source’ labelling. For example, we found omega-3 content ranging from 80mg per 100g for John West Tuna Tempters Mango Chilli, to 970mg per 100g for the Safcol Tuna Pieces with Lemon and Cracked Pepper. In comparison, canned pink salmon has around 1410mg per 100g.

Buying tuna in oil will add kilojoules. John West Tuna Slices in Springwater has 484kJ per 100g; the John West Tuna Slices in Olive Oil Blend has 690kJ. Flavoured packaged tunas marketed as lunch snacks can also have extra sodium and sugar added to bump up taste. The Sirena Bruschetta Tuna Dill & Pickle has 526mg of sodium; Sirena Tuna in Springwater & Lemon has 162mg per 100g.

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