Australians are expected to dig into an estimated 12,150 tonnes of prawns this festive season, according to NIQ.
The latest figures from YouGov, however, reveal that only one in four surveyed Australians believe that Aussie wild-caught prawns will be readily available at Christmas 20 years from now.
The main reasons include overfishing (57%), climate change (54%) and pollution (50%) with fears that the iconic tradition of prawns at Christmas will become too expensive (42%) and that we’ll rely on imported farmed options (30%).
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Program Director of Oceania and Singapore Anne Gabriel says education about the improvements being made by fisheries is key to reassuring the public,
“Over two-thirds of Aussie wild-caught prawns are certified to the MSC’s global standard for sustainable fishing,” she says. “These fisheries are demonstrating continuous improvements in stock health, ecosystem impacts, and responsible management meaning they’re well-placed for climate impacts.
“For instance, research by the Northern Prawn Fishery, Charles Darwin University and CSIRO has shown a 17% reduction in sea snake interactions since the adoption of the Tom’s Fisheye, a bycatch reduction device that’s integrated into trawl nets to reduce the capture of unwanted fish.”
Speaking ahead of the Christmas rush, Coles Senior Category Manager Alistair Hamit says the retailer goes to great lengths to offer its customers Australian MSC certified sustainable banana and king prawns.
“Just look for the MSC blue fish tick label on the ticket to be sure your prawns come from an MSC certified sustainable fishery doing what they can to ensure we have prawns on the Christmas table for generations to come,” he says.
“This festive season, we expect to sell 250,000 kg of MSC certified prawns, with hands down great value.”
Woolworths Director of Meat, Poultry & Seafood Tim Dudding says Christmas is a time when seafood, particularly prawns, takes centre stage on Australian tables.
“We’re proud to offer a range of MSC-certified options for our customers to choose from and we are incredibly proud to have been recognised as the National Community Champion this year at MSC’s Sustainable Seafood Awards,” he says.
“Customers can keep an eye out for the MSC blue fish tick label when shopping at Woolworths this Christmas. A great product for Christmas is the Karumba Raw Banana Prawns 1kg, which can be found in the freezer section.”
