The Marine Parks Trawl Debate: What “30% Highly Protected by 2030” Really Means for Aussie Prawns, Prices and Access

Australians love their seafood. From prawns at Christmas to flathead fillets for a midweek meal, it is part of our culture and our diet. That is why the government’s renewed push to lock away 30 per cent of our waters as “highly protected” no-take zones by 2030 should matter to everyone, not just those who work on the water. Behind the neat target is a simple reality: less access for local fishers means higher prices for families and more imported product on supermarket shelves.

Marine Parks in Australia: Already Here, Already Zoned

Australia already has one of the largest networks of marine parks in the world. Most Australians do not realise how much of our coastline is already covered by zones that limit fishing. Seasonal closures, gear restrictions and bycatch rules are already in place to safeguard stocks and habitats. For the consumer, this means local seafood is carefully managed before it ever reaches the plate. Adding more no-take zones risks tipping the balance from sustainable supply to shrinking supply.

What Australian Trawl Really Looks Like

Trawl is often painted as destructive, but in reality it is one of the most tightly regulated methods in the country. Operators are bound by quotas, exclusion zones, turtle excluder devices and bycatch reduction gear. These measures are built into the cost of every kilo landed. The result is a fishery that produces sustainable prawns and fish while protecting habitats. For consumers, this means the prawns on the Christmas table are already carrying the weight of strict environmental safeguards. More blanket bans will not improve sustainability, they will just restrict access to seafood that is already responsibly caught.

Prices, Imports and Everyday Australians

Every closure has a price tag. When productive grounds are locked away, supply falls. When supply falls, retail prices rise. Shoppers have already seen what happens when local catch is tight: prawns that once sold for a family-friendly price suddenly double, while frozen imported alternatives quietly take their place in freezers. These imports are not subject to the same sustainability or quality controls as Australian seafood, yet they increasingly dominate supermarket aisles. Consumers end up paying more for less choice, and the connection between our communities and our marine parks is weakened.

The Real Threat at Sea

While Australian boats are heavily monitored and licensed, illegal foreign fishing continues in northern waters. Consumers rarely hear about it, but these vessels operate outside any sustainability standards and undermine both food security and fairness. Every dollar spent on drawing new lines on maps is a dollar not spent on keeping illegal fish off Australian plates. The real risk to consumers is not a local trawler landing regulated prawns, but the quiet creep of untraceable and unsustainable imports filling the gap left by reduced domestic catch.

A Smarter Path Forward

Australians deserve access to fresh, local seafood at prices that do not put it out of reach. That means smarter management, not symbolic closures. It means investing in enforcement where it matters, targeting high-risk areas, and supporting local operators who are already world leaders in sustainability. For consumers, the choice is clear: either we maintain a strong local industry that keeps seafood affordable and trustworthy, or we let short-sighted marine parks policy push us further toward reliance on imports.