Species

Australians have always had a close association with the sea and a great appreciation of the excellent food that it provides. In this respect, we are fortunate in having possibly the greatest variety of seafood available anywhere. Australian seafood is second-to-none in quality and is enjoyed by millions of people both locally and overseas.

Australia has a diverse range of freshwater and marine habitats that support many aquatic species. Australia’s maritime zone is one of the largest in the world, covering about 14 million square kilometres: about twice the area of Australia’s landmass. The zone contains about 4,500 known species of finfish (and perhaps tens of thousands of invertebrate species) — most in relatively small numbers. More than 800 seafood species are commercially harvested and sold in Australia, under about 300 marketing names, for local and overseas consumption.

The primary source for images and information on the FRDC website is the two seafood handbooks (Australian Seafood Handbook and the Guide to Imported Seafood Species) and the Australian Seafood Users Manual. Currently the image library contains images of around 600 species. However, the FRDC are working with CSIRO to increase this number to over 4,000 images by 2007.