This is the third year of the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC’s) Australia-wide celebration of fisheries, retailers, chefs and restaurants who are working hard to ensure we protect seafood, end overfishing and have a future full of fish.
Western Australia has been supporting Sustainable Seafood Week and the MSC since the beginning and we can proudly say Western rock lobster was at the forefront. Since 2001, MSC’s goal for sustainable fisheries has grown significantly around the world and our State is playing its part with 10 fisheries independently certified as sustainable through MSC.
The most recent to receive sustainability certification is WA’s sea cucumber fishery and one of the highlights of tonight’s Science for Sustainability seminar, at the State Library in Francis Street Perth, will be a presentation on the amazing future potential of this fishery.
WA's sea cucumber species is Sandfish (Holothuria scabra)
Sea cucumber ranching is where growth of this fishery can be maximised and there is a larger area in WA for sea cucumber ranching than there is for salmon in Tasmania. Once suitable infrastructure is established here, it will provide a major aquatic resource development initiative.
To make sure you have a seat for tonight’s Science for Sustainability public seminar, you will need to register through Eventbrite via this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/science-for-sustainability-how-good-science-supports-sustainable-fishing-tickets-96829161629?aff=ebdssbeac
As part of Sustainable Seafood Week, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) gets involved at Crab Fest, with our Community Education team and fisheries compliance officers on hand to welcome people to our special display.
Crab Fest will be held at Mandurah on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and the DPIRD display marquee will be on the eastern foreshore adjacent to the fishing demonstrations.
Visitors to the DPIRD display will get to see how the Peel Harvey blue swimmer crab fishery continues to meet world standards in sustainably-sourced seafood through our third party certification program with the Marine Stewardship Council.
We will also have a giant crab on display and some male and female blue swimmer crabs (on ice) that people can practice measuring using the free crab gauges on offer.
There’ll be lots of fun activities for children to enjoy, including an educational fishing game and an entertaining crab explorer’s guide that youngsters can do at our booth or take home with them.
Our DPIRD Crab Fest display also showcases the new SharkSmart app, as well as general recreational fishing rules information.
For more information, about a fun event for the whole family, visit the Mandurah Crab Fest website: https://www.crabfest.com.au/