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The Australian Marine Conservation Society today expressed great disappointment at comments made by Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister, David Llewellyn about Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide.
Craig Bohm, National Fisheries Campaigner with the Australian Marine Conservation Society said “We are most disappointed that the Minister Llewellyn has not embraced our Guide even though it empowers his constituency to make more informed and sustainable seafood choices”.
Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – Expanded Edition was launched in 2006 by prominent Australian chef, Kylie Kwong, and endorsed by writer, fisher and conservationist, Tim Winton. Over 10,000 copies of the Guide have already made their way into seafood consumer’s hands across Australia.
“Our Seafood Guide is a big hit with Tasmanians. Like all Australians, Tasmanians love their seafood and our oceans. They want to ensure that our oceans, and fish stocks, remain healthy and productive into the future. They tell us that they want more balanced information to help them make ethical seafood choices and Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide does just that,” Bohm said.
Minister Llewellyn has claimed that we are misleading Tasmanians about scallops. The Marine Conservation Society’s response is clear.
“The Bureau of Rural Sciences has declared the Commercial (or Tasmanian) Scallop ‘as overfished’ in south-eastern Australia. The Australian Government rightly closed the Bass Strait Scallop Fishery, which they manage, in response to overfishing. So far the Tasmanian Government has not closed the state-managed fishery even though they are the same scallops,” Bohm said.
Regarding the Minister’s adamant defense of permitting introduced Atlantic salmon to be grown in industrial seacages in Tasmania’s coastal waters, the Marine Conservation Society had the following response:
“It is disappointing that the public doesn’t get to hear the full picture about industrial seacages. In fact they add pressure to our oceans because the caged fish are fed fish meal made from wild caught fish. These feed fish often form the fundamental basis of marine food chains for species such as penguins, albatross and seals, as well as feeding many coastal fisheries. Atlantic salmon seacages add pressure to our oceans, contrary to what the pubic is led to believe,” Bohm concluded.
Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – Expanded Edition is available from http://www.marineconservation.org.au/ or by calling 1800 066 299
Media contact:
Craig Bohm, National Fisheries Campaigner - 07 3393 5811
For copies of Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide contact 07 3393 5811.
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