Overfishing is a Global Problem, but Australia is Making it Worse

Overfishing is one of the most pressing environmental challenges on the planet. More than a third of all fish stocks are already overfished worldwide and up to 90 percent are fully exploited or beyond sustainable limits. Coral reefs are under siege, iconic species like sharks and tuna are vanishing, and millions of people are at risk of losing their primary source of protein.

Australia likes to present itself as a leader in ocean protection. The uncomfortable truth is that we are making the global problem worse, not better.

The Australian Record

Here at home, despite more than a century of commercial fishing, not a single marine species has gone extinct due to fishing pressure. Australia’s fisheries are among the most tightly regulated in the world. Quotas, size limits, closed seasons, and gear restrictions are all enforced. This record shows that commercial fishing and conservation can exist side by side when management is grounded in evidence and sustainability.

In fact, compared to the global average, Australia’s fisheries are under-utilised. Globally, only about 12 percent of stocks are classified as underfished. In Australia, the proportion is far higher. Many fisheries operate well below their sustainable limits, with some Commonwealth-managed fisheries taking only 30 to 40 percent of their allowable catch in a given year. This means Australian fisheries are not just sustainable, they are often operating at a fraction of their ecological potential.

But rather than celebrate this, our governments are dismantling it.

Politics Over Science

Whole areas of coastline have been locked away from commercial fishing, not because of ecological collapse, but because of political deals and manipulated science. Recreational Only Fishing Havens (ROFH) and Net Free Zones were never about sustainability. They were about buying votes and sidelining working fishers.

The science has too often been twisted to suit the narrative. Instead of highlighting the fact that no species have been fished to extinction in Australian waters, models are selectively framed to justify closures. The result is that sustainable local fisheries are shut down, families are driven out of business, and the public is left with little choice but to buy imported seafood.

Importing the Real Problem

And here is the irony. The countries we import seafood from are the very places where overfishing is a genuine crisis. In South East Asia, West Africa, and the Mediterranean, regulation is weak, illegal fishing is rampant, and species are collapsing. By closing down Australian fisheries and replacing them with imports, we are not saving the oceans. We are outsourcing the damage to places already on the edge.

The Way Forward

If we want to fight overfishing, the solution is not to close sustainable Australian fisheries. It is to keep them strong, transparent, and well managed. Every prawn, fish, and crab caught by Australian hands under Australian rules is a product we can be proud of. Every imported box of seafood from poorly managed waters contributes to the global decline.

The reality is clear. Overfishing is a global problem, but in Australia it is being used as a political weapon against our own fishers. Instead of exporting the problem, we should back our local industry. The oceans need more sustainable fisheries like Australia’s, not fewer.