Overfishing of the slow-growing and late-maturing orange roughy in Australian waters in the 1980s and 1990s led to a catastrophic drop in their numbers. It still remains on the Australian government’s endangered species list, and yet repeated attempts have been made to have fishing of the species certified as “sustainable” in waters east of Tasmania. Thankfully, an independent adjudicator has agreed with our objections for a second time and turned down the latest bid to enable it to carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue tick of sustainability. Dr Krista Singleton-Cambage, WWF-Australia’s Head of Climate & Food Security, said: “An MSC blue tick on orange roughy caught in Tasmania’s eastern waters would seriously mislead consumers, who trust that label as an indication of the sustainability of that species. While orange roughy will continue to be fished in Australia, WWF discourages consumers, and our partners, from buying or sourcing orange roughy from Australia until the science can support otherwise.”
Overfishing led to a catastrophic drop in orange roughy numbers.
© Australian Fisheries Management Authority
