A roadmap for the future of Australia’s tuna industry

Australia's tuna industry has unveiled a roadmap to secure its future through innovation, investment, and value-adding.

The completion of the Future Proofing Australia's Tuna Industry: Integrating community quota, product supply, product innovation and market diversification project marks a major milestone for Australia's tuna longline industry.

Funded by FRDC and led by Tuna Australia between 2021 and 2025, the project produced a roadmap to strengthen Australia's seafood manufacturing capability in the long term.

"The roadmap details a practical pathway to create jobs, increase exports and build a more resilient industry," said David Ellis, CEO of Tuna Australia.

It identifies six priorities for future growth: improved access to fishing through a Fishing Community Quota Fund, advanced seafood processing, product innovation, premium domestic and export markets, end-to-end traceability, and consumer education.

"The project findings show how we can build a stronger, more resilient tuna industry while providing a model for the future of Australia's seafood sector," said Ellis.

More value from every fish

Australia produces some of the world's highest-quality tuna, most of which is consumed domestically or exported overseas as whole fish.

Alistair Douglas, co-founder of EachMile, said the value of each fish landed can be dramatically increased.

"By combining advanced processing, objective quality grading and product innovation, we can create significantly more value from every fish," he said.

The research highlights opportunities to develop premium food products, specialised marine ingredients and innovative seafood products.

The roadmap also promotes full head-to-tail utilisation, reducing waste, increasing returns and improving sustainability.

"This is about creating premium products that consumers are willing to pay more for while making use of every part of the fish," Douglas said.

We can turn oversupply from a challenge into an opportunity by directing surplus product into advanced manufacturing and new markets."

Driving innovation

Innovation is central to the roadmap.

Ellis said the industry can better leverage existing and new technologies to transform Australia's seafood sector.

"These include ultra-low temperature processing, AI-assisted quality grading, objective quality measurement, digital traceability and streamlined certification systems," he said.

"Together, these innovations can improve efficiency, strengthen consumer confidence and help Australian seafood command premium prices in domestic and export markets."

The project also reinforces Australia's reputation for sustainably harvested seafood.

"Our industry holds Marine Stewardship Council certification, showing we’re committed to responsibly harvested, fully traceable seafood," said Ellis.

The roadmap also outlines a staged pathway to establish a tuna innovation and research centre near Sydney, giving it access to product from across Australia.

“The proposed centre would support research, product development, commercialisation and collaboration across industry, government and research organisations.”

Building Australia's seafood future

As global demand for quality seafood grows, Australia is poised to strengthen its position in international markets.

Crispian Ashby, General Manager, Research & Development Investment at FRDC, said achieving that vision will require continued collaboration between industry, researchers and government.

"We all share a goal of developing practical solutions that strengthen resilience, improve competitiveness and deliver lasting benefits for Australia's fishing sector," he said.

The project also aligns with FRDC's refreshed investment approach, which better connects industry knowledge with national priorities to maximise long-term impact.

"This Tuna Australia project reflects the type of strategic, impact-focused investment that will help future-proof Australia's seafood industries."

Importantly, the roadmap provides an investment-ready framework.

“It’s all there and ready to go. There is a validated cost-benefit analysis, governance arrangements, legal structures and a staged implementation plan,” said Ellis.

This roadmap demonstrates how innovation, investment and collaboration can transform Australia's tuna industry and unlock new opportunities for regional communities.”

The next step is to generate an investment model for a fit-for-purpose research and innovation centre, inviting co-investment from the government to grow the tuna and broader Australian seafood industries.