“Ask for Aussie seafood” is the consumer message coming from trade body Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) ahead of the Easter holidays.
After Christmas, Easter is the second-highest consumption period for seafood in Australia and a very busy time for fishmongers. Good Friday in particular is one of the busiest days on the calendar for seafood purchasing, with popular choices this year expected to include barramundi, snapper, and prawns.
“Seafood is one of the biggest highlights of Easter and that means serving up the freshest, finest quality Aussie products to enjoy with family and friends,” SAI CEO Jane Lovell said. “This Easter, Aussies have a fantastic supply of seafood to put on their tables. While availability has varied due to weather events, most species are now able to be found. However, if you’re stuck ask your fishmonger for a recommendation.”
More than 50,000 visitors are expected at Sydney Fish Market this Good Friday, the tourist attraction’s busiest day of the year, when it’s expected some 650 metric tons (MT) of seafood will be sold.
“Traditionally, fish such as barramundi and salmon are favorites, however, this year we encourage families to try something new. Australian fish like mirror dory, eastern school whiting or silver trevally are great alternatives as they are in abundance around Easter, so they make for very affordable and sustainable options,” said Bryan Skepper, general manager at Sydney Fish Market.
Because it has also been a fairly big banana prawn season in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the tiger and king prawn season along the east coast of Queensland has been quite plentiful, there is also expected to be good quantities of high-quality prawns on the market and prices will be “extremely attractive,” said Marshall Betzel, president of the Queensland Seafood Marketers Association.
