South Australia is home to Spencer Gulf King Prawns, Coffin Bay oysters, and the global capital of Southern Bluefin Tuna — Port Lincoln. SA produces roughly 35% of Australia's wild-capture seafood by value.
South Australia is home to Spencer Gulf King Prawns, Coffin Bay oysters, and the global capital of Southern Bluefin Tuna — Port Lincoln. SA produces roughly 35% of Australia's wild-capture seafood by value.
Volume: 75,000 t (2023)
Largest wild-catch state by volume — driven by sardines and tuna.
~$580M (2023)
SA Sardine Fishery is Australia's largest by volume.
Southern Bluefin TunaSouthern Bluefin Tuna ranching at Port Lincoln.
King PrawnsSpencer Gulf King Prawns.
rock-lobsterSouthern Rock Lobster on the SE coast.
Greenlip AbaloneCoffin Bay Pacific Oysters.
Vessels: 750
Workers (approx): 4,200
Home ports: Port LincolnPort AdelaideCoffin BayKingscote (Kangaroo Island)
South Australia produces roughly 35% of Australia's wild-capture seafood by value — driven primarily by Port Lincoln, the global capital of Southern Bluefin Tuna, and the SA sardine fishery (the country's largest by volume). The Coorong fishery on the lower Murray is a longstanding Ngarrindjeri co-management arrangement; the cultural heritage of Greek and Italian migrants underlies much of the SA fishing fleet's character.
7 fishing regions have their own profile inside South Australia.
Spencer Gulf, South Australia, produces wild-caught Western King Prawns considered among the finest in the world — fished under tight quotas and well-defined seasons.
Coffin Bay's clean, nutrient-rich waters on SA's Eyre Peninsula produce some of the world's most celebrated Pacific Oysters — fast-growing, plump, and consistently briny.
On the southern tip of SA's Eyre Peninsula, Port Lincoln is the centre of Australia's Southern Bluefin Tuna industry — both wild capture and ranching.
The Bight is where wild Southern Bluefin Tuna are caught each summer before being towed back to Port Lincoln. Also home to deep-water fisheries with strict environmental management.
On the western edge of SA's Eyre Peninsula, Streaky Bay supports Pacific oyster farms and a strong abalone-diving fleet operating along the rugged coast.
Robe and the Limestone Coast support the bulk of SA's Southern Rock Lobster pot fishery, with live export to Asia underpinning much of the local economy.
Kangaroo Island has a small but highly regarded southern rock lobster fleet, marron aquaculture, and growing oyster farms in clean offshore waters.