Freedom at the Table: Why Your Christmas Seafood Choices Matter
Christmas is a time for celebration, family, and sharing good food. For many Australians, seafood is the popular Christmas choice. But behind the prawns, fish, and scallops on our plates, there’s a hidden story that few of us see—a story of exploitation, illegal fishing, and modern slavery.
The Hidden Cost of Seafood
Globally, the seafood industry is one of the most vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These practices don’t just harm marine ecosystems—they often go hand-in-hand with forced labour and human trafficking.
Workers on distant-water fleets can be trapped in horrific conditions: unpaid wages, violence, no way home, and even death. Some are recruited under false promises and end up enslaved on boats for years. View Tway’s Story of life on trapped on a fishing vessel.
Why does this matter for your Christmas table? Because the choices we make as consumers can either support these abuses—or help stop them.
What You Can Do
The good news? You have power. Here are three practical steps to make your festive seafood ethical:
1. Use the Good Fish App
The Good Fish Guide (by the Australian Marine Conservation Society) helps you choose sustainable and ethical seafood. It rates species based on environmental impact and sourcing practices.
Download it here: goodfish.org.au
2. Ask Questions
When buying seafood, ask your fishmonger or supermarket:
Where was this caught?
Is it certified sustainable?
Does it come from a traceable supply chain?
Just asking the question signals that customers care about ethical sourcing and can push businesses to demand better transparency from their suppliers. If they can’t answer or don’t know, it’s a clear warning sign of weak traceability and poor due diligence.
3. Choose Certified
Look for certifications like:
MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) for wild-caught seafood
ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) for farmed seafood
These standards reduce the risk of IUU fishing and labour exploitation.
Freedom at Your Feast
Every ethical choice sends a message: we won’t tolerate slavery in our food systems. This Christmas, let’s make freedom part of the celebration.
Take Action
Donate to Be Slavery Free to support campaigns ending slavery in seafood and beyond.
Buy our Be Slavery Free T-shirt—a conversation starter and a way to fund change.
Share this blog and spark awareness in your community.
Together, we can turn the tide against slavery in seafood. Let’s make this Christmas a feast for freedom.