08/10/2026
Seafood is a connection, not just a food. ❤️🐟
I absolutely loved watching "Inside Sydney Fish Market" on SBS last night.
What stood out to me wasn't just the seafood, the boats, the auctions or the markets. It was the people. The families, the generations, the hard work, the passion and the personal stories behind what eventually ends up on someone's plate.
It reminded me so much of why we created Malanda Seafood 14 years ago. We wanted to connect people with our own catches and wider Australian seafood, introduce them to species they may never have heard of, and share the stories of the fishers and families who catch it.
Over these 14 years, we've watched customers discover fish they'd never tried before, only for those species to become family favourites. We've also had customers walk into our shop, spot a lesser-known species and suddenly be transported back to their childhood. Memories of fishing with their grandparents, family holidays, meals around the table and traditions they hadn't thought about in years.
That's something you can't put a price on.
While the Sydney Fish Market is a significant part of the seafood story for so many Australian fishers, I think it's equally important to recognise the role of smaller, independent seafood retailers in regional communities.
Shops like ours are often the connection between fishing families and local consumers. We bring seafood into communities that may otherwise have limited access to the incredible variety of Australian wild-caught species. We introduce people to something different, share our knowledge about where it comes from and, importantly, help keep Australian seafood on Australian tables. The big markets are one part of the story, but it's the smaller regional seafood businesses that help keep that connection alive in our communities.
And that's what I loved about this series. It brought the human side of our industry into people's living rooms. It showed that behind every fish, every boat, every auction and every seafood counter are real people, families and livelihoods.
Seafood is so much more than a product. It's memories, traditions, livelihoods, family businesses and communities. It's a connection between generations, between the ocean and our plates, and between the people who catch our seafood and those who enjoy it.
And that's why I feel so strongly about the future of our commercial fishing industry. We talk a lot about protecting fish stocks, sustainability and ensuring seafood is available for future generations. All incredibly important. But we also need to protect the fishing families, their knowledge, their livelihoods and their ability to continue doing what generations before them have done.
Because if we want future generations to continue enjoying Australian wild-caught seafood, we need to ensure there are Australian fishing families still able to catch it.
The series, along with the reflections shared by the Seafood Consumers Association, reinforces something I've believed for a very long time. PEOPLE CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. And when consumers understand the people and stories behind their seafood, they begin to value so much more than just the fish on their plate.
We need to keep our fishing families fishing, our independent seafood businesses thriving, and our communities connected to Australian wild-caught seafood. Because once those connections are lost, we lose far more than a source of food. We lose knowledge, traditions, livelihoods and a part of our Australian identity. Seafood is a connection, not just a food. And those connections are worth preserving.
📺 Inside Sydney Fish Market - SBS On Demand
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/inside-sydney-fish-market
📰 Seafood Consumers Association
https://www.seafoodconsumers.global/blog-detail.php?id=265
Watch Inside Sydney Fish Market for free with SBS On Demand, your ultimate destination for diverse entertainment. Stream now!
