Poster Presentation 2024 Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual Meeting combined with NZMSS

Potential Impact of IUU Fishing on Domestic Fish Prices and the Australian Seafood Sector (#666)

Anna Spiessens 1 2 , Richard S. Cottrell 3 4 5 , Rosa Mar Dominguez-Martinez 5 , Sean Pascoe 6 , Peggy Schrobback 7
  1. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
  2. Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
  3. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  4. Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  5. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  6. Environment, CSIRO, St Lucia, 4074, QLD, Australia
  7. Agriculture & Food, CSIRO, St Lucia, 4074, QLD, Australia

Seafood products sourced from Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing infiltrate supply chains and enter domestic and international markets, with global estimates ranging between 8 and 14 million tonnes annually. Australia imports 65% of its seafood  and some of its main trade partners are countries at high risk for IUU sourced production. Yet there is little information on how imported IUU products could impact Australia’s domestic seafood market. We present a simulation model to assess the impact of imports from IUU origins on the prices of domestically produced seafood in Australia. We use previously estimated price flexibilities (i.e., the sensitivities between prices and quantities supplied) and import reduction scenarios from key fishing regions to explore the economic influence of IUU imports on Australia’s seafood sector. Our findings offer a baseline for discussion about policy changes that restrict the import of IUU seafood into Australia.