Why Quotas on Sea Mullet Would Be a Disaster for Seafood Consumers

The Total Allowable Fishing (TAF) Committee has floated the idea of putting Sea Mullet under quota management from 2026/27. On the surface it sounds neat: set a cap, carve up the catch, and watch everything fall into place. But anyone with even a passing knowledge of how quotas have worked in other fisheries knows this is preposterous. It is a model that rewards corporate consolidation and sidelines the family businesses who actually put seafood on our tables.

A fishery that is already sustainable

NSW Department of Primary Industries’ own science could not be clearer. Sea Mullet is assessed as a sustainable stock. The latest Stock Status Summary shows that:

• Biomass is well above the limit reference point, sitting at around 37 percent of virgin biomass in 2020.

• The fishery operates well below maximum sustainable yield, with combined NSW and QLD catches at 4,100 tonnes compared to an estimated MSY of 5,353 tonnes.

• Estuary catch rates have remained stable for over a decade, despite floods and environmental challenges.

• Age and length data show a healthy spread of younger and older fish, a clear sign of ongoing recruitment and population stability.

In other words, this is not a fishery in trouble. It is a fishery being managed responsibly, producing affordable, local seafood without compromising future generations. Introducing quotas under the guise of sustainability is a solution in search of a problem.

What is at stake for seafood consumers

Sea Mullet is the backbone of NSW’s working coast. It is affordable, local, and caught by people whose names and boats are known in their communities. If this fishery goes to quota, consumers will pay the price. Quotas are financial instruments. They can be bought, sold and hoarded by investors who have never set foot on a beach or estuary. That means access to fish is determined not by skill, stewardship, or tradition but by who holds the deepest pockets.

Once quota is centralised, fish moves further away from the people who eat it. Instead of being sold direct off the boat or through trusted co-ops, it is funnelled through larger corporate supply chains. This strips seafood of its story and strips consumers of their choice.

We have seen this movie before

Just look at the lobster fishery. Quotas there have created exactly what the critics feared: a handful of large corporations consolidating access while small operators struggle to survive. The same playbook applied to Sea Mullet would decimate the diversity and resilience of the fishery. And this is not just about mullet. The Estuary General fishery, with its rich mix of species and small-scale operators, would be next in line.

The TAF Committee is trying to sell centralisation as “modern management”. But centralisation is not modern, it is extractive. It hollows out coastal communities, reduces competition, and drives up the price of fish at the counter.

Consumers do not want corporate fish

Ask any seafood lover what they want. They want fresh, local fish sold by the people who caught it. They want to support co-ops that return money to their towns. They want to know their dollars are keeping small boats on the water, not feeding speculative investors.

Imposing quotas on Sea Mullet does the opposite. It takes seafood out of the hands of local families and puts it into the hands of corporations. Consumers lose choice, fishers lose independence, and the state loses yet another layer of food sovereignty.

Sea Mullet, the line in the sand

There is no stock sustainability issue with Sea Mullet. NSW DPI’s own science calls the stock sustainable. What is happening here is not about biology. It is about finance. And that makes it even more urgent for consumers to speak up.

Quotas on Sea Mullet are not just a bad idea, they are an attack on the relationship between Australians and their seafood. If we allow Sea Mullet to be quota-managed, we will open the door to every other species in the Estuary General fishery. The result will be fewer fishers, less choice, and higher prices.

It is time to draw a line. Consumers want seafood from owner-operators and co-ops, not corporate portfolios. Let us keep Sea Mullet where it belongs: in the nets of local fishers and on the plates of Australian families.