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When “overfishing” became the crisis of the 1970s, governments turned to market logic to save the sea. The Individual Transferable Quota promised order and sustainability, but instead it changed who could fish, who couldn’t, and who owned the ocean. The Birth of the Quota explores how a policy built on good intentions transformed an industry and the people behind it.

Ocean Kind in South Australia is proving that fishing gear recycling can make a real difference. By turning end-of-life ropes into reusable polypropylene, they’re keeping waste out of landfill and protecting our waterways from pollution. This is practical environmental action fishers can get behind.

When “overfishing” became the crisis of the 1970s, governments turned to market logic to save the sea. The Individual Transferable Quota promised order and sustainability, but instead it changed who could fish, who couldn’t, and who owned the ocean. The Birth of the Quota explores how a policy built on good intentions transformed an industry and the people behind it.

Commercial fishing is being pushed out of local estuaries in the name of “protecting the fishery,” while charter boats, fishing media and tackle retail are celebrated. The public is told this is conservation. It is not. It is a handover. This story asks a simple question: who gets the estuary, the people who feed the community or the people who film the catch.

When “overfishing” became the crisis of the 1970s, governments turned to market logic to save the sea. The Individual Transferable Quota promised order and sustainability, but instead it changed who could fish, who couldn’t, and who owned the ocean. The Birth of the Quota explores how a policy built on good intentions transformed an industry and the people behind it.

An Indian minister claims unpeeled Indian prawns are now approved for Australia. Negotiations may be driving it, but BICON has not changed. The danger is not to consumers’ health; it is to local supply, jobs and the wild-caught fleet after years of white spot losses. I want the Trade Minister to state Australia’s position.

When “overfishing” became the crisis of the 1970s, governments turned to market logic to save the sea. The Individual Transferable Quota promised order and sustainability, but instead it changed who could fish, who couldn’t, and who owned the ocean. The Birth of the Quota explores how a policy built on good intentions transformed an industry and the people behind it.

Western Australia’s Western Rock Octopus Fishery is thriving, showing rare growth in Australia’s commercial fishing sector. But as it’s hailed as a sustainable success, questions remain about why we still pay foreign certifiers to validate what our own scientists already know.

NSW commercial fishing licensing: price signals over paper. How NSW commercial fishing licensing has shifted to rigid caps and shares, choking estuary flexibility, while rec rules stay simple. Mulloway caps examined.

Government climate policies claim to protect the planet, but in reality they are pushing Australia’s working fishers out of existence. “Net zero fishers” is becoming the true outcome of net zero emissions.

The Death of Generational Occupations

Queensland seafood is back “open for business,” but at what cost? Years of misguided investment warnings cut local supply, pushed up prices, and handed control to imports. Discover how fishers and consumers were hurt, and why stability is the only way forward.

A future of Australian seafood

Sea Mullet is one of NSW’s most sustainable fisheries, yet the TAF Committee wants to impose quotas that would hand control to corporations. This article explains why quotas threaten seafood consumers, local co-ops, and independent fishers, and why we must keep our fish in the hands of owner-operators.

The Knowledge Problem.

The government’s push for 30% highly protected marine parks by 2030 may sound good on paper, but for consumers it means higher prices, less local seafood, and more reliance on imports.

Government Grants for Dummies

Sydney’s growing population is putting pressure on dams and rivers. As the next dry cycle looms, what will it mean for estuaries, seafood, and the future of fisheries? Empty taps also mean empty nets. This article explores how Sydney drought and fisheries are connected, and why planning must include our rivers and fishers. While government talks net zero, fishers ask: what about water? With rapid growth and cycles of drought, how long can Sydney’s rivers and fisheries hold

When Luck is on Your Side

Offshore wind farms NSW have been cancelled or paused, a decision welcomed by commercial fishers. Projects off Newcastle and the Illawarra threatened fishing grounds, seafood supply, and left no clear plan for clean-up once turbines became inoperable. For fishers and seafood lovers, this is good news: the waters remain open, local supply chains are protected, and the ocean won’t become a dumping ground for abandoned industrial infrastructure.