Queensland Fisheries Closures Are Putting Australia's Seafood Food Security at Risk

Queensland fisheries closures are reducing domestic seafood supply and increasing reliance on imports

The latest decision to phase out gillnet fishing across the Great Barrier Reef by 2027 is being presented as another environmental milestone.

But for seafood consumers, it represents something far more serious.

It is the continuation of a thirty-year policy trend of Queensland fisheries closures that has steadily removed productive Australian fisheries while leaving the nation increasingly reliant on imported seafood.

That reliance comes with consequences.

The latest Queensland fisheries closures

The Australian and Queensland governments have committed to phasing out all commercial gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area by mid 2027.

The reform includes:

• Buy backs of existing gillnet licences

• Transitional licences that expire by 30 June 2027

• Progressive establishment of additional net free zones

Gillnet fishing currently supplies species such as barramundi, king threadfin and grey mackerel to Australian markets.

When these Queensland fisheries closures take effect in 2027, much of this wild caught seafood supply will disappear from the commercial sector.

A history of Queensland fisheries closures

The latest policy decision is not an isolated event. It follows decades of fisheries policy that has progressively removed commercial fishing capacity.

Major examples include:

Late 1990sRestrictions on gillnetting were introduced across sections of the Queensland coast to protect dugongs and other species.

2015Three large net free fishing zones were created around Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton, eliminating commercial net fishing in those areas.

2021Large sections of the east coast scallop fishery were closed to harvesting to allow stocks to rebuild.

2024New gillnet free zones were implemented in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

2027The entire Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area will effectively become gillnet free.

Each decision has been presented as a targeted environmental measure. But together they represent a steady increase in Queensland fisheries closures over the past three decades.

What Queensland fisheries closures mean for seafood consumers

Australians already import most of the seafood they eat.

As Queensland fisheries closures remove domestic production, the result is predictable.

Consumers face:

• Less Australian seafood

• Higher prices

• Greater reliance on imports

Many imported seafood products come from countries with far weaker fisheries management, labour standards and environmental oversight.

In effect, Australia is replacing some of the best managed fisheries in the world with seafood produced under far lower standards overseas.

Food security is the forgotten issue

Food security is rarely discussed in fisheries policy.

Yet seafood is a vital part of Australia’s food supply.

Wild caught fisheries provide healthy, high-quality protein harvested from Australia’s coastal waters.

Despite this, governments have steadily expanded Queensland fisheries closures while domestic seafood production continues to decline.

Australia already imports roughly 70 percent of the seafood consumed nationally.

Every additional closure pushes that dependency higher.

The risk of relying on other nations for seafood

Heavy reliance on imported seafood exposes Australia to several risks:

• Supply chain disruptions

• Geopolitical tensions

• Reduced traceability

• Lower food safety standards

• Environmental impacts beyond Australia's jurisdiction

In simple terms, Australia is exporting seafood production while importing the risks.

The accountability question

Over the past three decades, successive governments have overseen the steady expansion of Queensland fisheries closures.

Australia is a maritime nation surrounded by productive ocean.

Yet the country is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign seafood.

That outcome was not inevitable.

It was the result of policy choices.

And those choices deserve scrutiny.

A conversation Australia needs to have

Protecting marine ecosystems is important.

But food production matters too.

If policymakers continue expanding Queensland fisheries closures without replacing lost production capacity, the long-term outcome becomes clear.

Less Australian seafood.

More imports.

And a nation surrounded by ocean that increasingly relies on other countries to supply its seafood.