Austral Fisheries
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 12 sources
Australian fishing company selling Glacier 51 toothfish and Skull Island prawns.
A deadly safety failure was documented in Austral Fisheries' supply chain in 2013, which it has only partly put right.
Other prawns and shellfish brands
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (deadly safety failure, last recorded in 2013) is more than 5 years old.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: deadly safety failure, last recorded in 2013
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Austral Fisheries names some of the countries it makes in: Australia. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| NorwayUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: fishing fleets and processing plants have some of the worst documented forced labour, including trafficked crews held at sea for years.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- Traces most of its fish and seafood to named fishing boats or farms
- Modern slavery statement
- It traces some of its catch or holds environmental labels such as MSC, ASC or BAP, but doesn't show both that its catch is traced to the boat or farm and that crews' or farm workers' conditions are checked independently.
Research notes Austral catches its own seafood with 18 Australian vessels: two Southern Ocean longliners off Heard Island (toothfish, sold as Glacier 51), 11 trawlers in the Northern Prawn Fishery (Skull Island and Karumba prawns) and five trap boats for snapper. It also owns the Moreton Bay Seafoods plant in Brisbane, a SMETA-audited processor and importer, and Port Louis in Mauritius is a base for its Southern Ocean fleet. Its two toothfish vessels were certified to the FISH Standard for Crew by MRAG Americas in 2024 after crew interviews, but its prawn fleet has no reported crew certification. Crew nationalities are not disclosed.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Austral Fisheries files annual statements under the Australian Modern Slavery Act; the 2024 statement covers 18 vessels and reports ending trade with a supplier after a 2023 SMETA audit. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | NT WorkSafe charged Austral over a 2013 deckhand death and accepted an enforceable undertaking worth $967,700 in 2017. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | A young deckhand died after being electrocuted on Austral's prawn trawler Newfish1 in 2013 while using a mains-powered grinder on deck without a safety switch; NT WorkSafe charged the company in 2017 (NT WorkSafe, 2017). Source · archived copy | PartlyCharges were withdrawn after Austral agreed an enforceable undertaking to spend $967,700 on safety, industry and community measures; no compensation is reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 12
Show all 12 sources
- Sanctions accepted over fishing vessel fatality (NT WorkSafe, 2017) · archived copy · Enforceable undertaking of $967,700 accepted over 2013 deckhand electrocution; charges withdrawn
- Fishing company charged over 2013 electrocution (NT WorkSafe, 2017) · search the archive · Deckhand Ryan Donoghue electrocuted on FV Newfish1 on 29 November 2013
- Austral Fisheries working to elevate brand image of its Glacier 51 toothfish (SeafoodSource, 2024) · search the archive · Austral catches most of Australia's 2,400 t Heard Island toothfish quota
- Austral Fisheries Fleet Achieves FISH Standard for Crew Certification (Perishable News) · search the archive · Australian-flagged toothfish vessels certified by MRAG Americas after face-to-face crew interviews; prawn fleet not mentioned
- Austral Fisheries acquires seafood processor and wholesaler (We Are Aquaculture, 2022) · search the archive · Austral owned 50% each by Maruha Nichiro and Kailis Fisheries; Moreton Bay Seafoods in Brisbane imports and exports
Published by Austral Fisheries or its owner
- Austral Fisheries Modern Slavery Statement 2024 · search the archive · 18 vessels: 5 trapping, 11 prawn, 2 Southern Ocean; brands Glacier 51, Skull Island, Karumba; MSC for NPF, Heard Island and Macquarie Island fisheries; 2023 SMETA audit ended a supplier
- Austral Fisheries Modern Slavery Statement 2023 · search the archive · Perth and Port Louis, Mauritius listed as Southern Ocean locations; FISH certification planned for southern fleet
- Austral Fisheries Modern Slavery Statement 2022 · search the archive · Acquired Moreton Bay Seafoods processing factory in Brisbane in April 2022; assessed under SEDEX/SMETA
- Austral Fisheries achieves FISH Standard for Crew (Austral Fisheries, 2024) · search the archive · FISH Standard for Crew certification covers vessels Cape Arkona and Isla Eden
- Shareholder Information (Austral Fisheries) · search the archive · Shareholders are Kailis Fisheries Holdings and Maruha Nichiro Corporation
- Our Brands (Austral Fisheries) · search the archive · Glacier 51 caught near Heard Island; Skull Island and Karumba prawns from the Gulf of Carpentaria; store finder for retailers
- Find a Store (Austral Fisheries) · search the archive · Store finder for Glacier 51, Skull Island and Karumba stockists
Company details
- Owned by
- Owned 50:50 by Maruha Nichiro (Japan) and the Kailis family's Kailis Fisheries Holdings
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Austral Fisheries ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/austral-fisheries, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Austral Fisheries.