Honouring our fish & marine champions

15th March 2021 | Eativity editors

Australia’s most sustainable seafood has been named and acclaimed at the 2021 Sustainable Seafood Awards. Austral Fisheries Glacier 51 Toothfish has taken out the title of Best Sustainable Seafood Product for the second year running. The newly Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified Fremantle Octopus range also scored the top prize due its diverse trio selection of Western Australian raw, cooked and marinated octopus. KB Seafood Company received the Best Responsible Seafood Product award for its Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified yellowtail kingfish.

The Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia recognise pioneering organisations and individuals making a significant contribution to ensure we have plentiful seafood for future generations. The awards are run by the MSC in partnership with the ASC, and are held during Sustainable Seafood Week, an annual campaign which champions action to protect fish and marine life.

Glacier 51 fishers contend with gale-force winds, snow and 10 metre swells to catch their bounty.

Glacier 51 Toothfish celebrates this achievement alongside its recent accolade as the world’s first carbon-neutral seafood. Located in an isolated fishery in the sub-Antarctic region, more than 4000km from mainland Australia, the fish is sustainably caught in underwater volcanic crevices 2000 metres below sea level.

Coles Supermarkets gained a hat-trick of wins, receiving awards across MSC Highly Commended Sustainable Seafood Product for its WA rock lobster, MSC Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket and ASC Highly Commended Seafood Importer.

Fremantle Octopus is sustainably wild-caught near colonnades of coral and undersea groves.

Seafood store Harley & Johns in Wollongong, NSW, won the Community Champion award for its dedication to serving sustainable seafood within its local community.

Leading Australian food distributor Bidfood took out ASC’s Best Seafood Importer award due to its commitment to responsible sourcing of both domestic and imported seafood.

The MSC and ASC Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr Keith Sainsbury, a Tasmanian-based marine ecologist and mathematical modeller. Dr Sainsbury was recognised for his significant contributions to advancing sustainable fisheries management through more than 20 years working for the CSIRO, and more recently, with the world-leading Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.