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Sustainability & Science

We take only what the reef can sustain, and we can show it. Science and good record-keeping sit behind every coral we collect, grow or return to the reef.

Responsible harvest

We take only what the reef can sustain, and every coral we collect is accounted for.

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  • Licensed under Queensland's coral and aquarium fish fisheries

  • We hold export approval under CITES

  • Species-specific collection, logged and reported

  • A team with fisheries management and policy experience

Licensed coral diver holding a hand-collected Australian coral

Why wild collection is sustainable

The Queensland Coral Fishery is one of the most tightly regulated fisheries in Australia. Licensed divers hand-collect corals one fragment or colony at a time, under species-level catch limits and quotas, with daily catch reporting and satellite vessel tracking. Here is what that looks like in numbers.

Infographic: even on extreme assumptions, Queensland coral divers could reach at most 0.14% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in a year
Illustration: a licensed coral diver on surface air hand-collects selected colonies within a 150 m hose reach of the vessel, with no nets, dredging or bycatch
Chart: Queensland Coral Fishery fishing days rose 81% above the 2016–19 reference period, and management responded with species harvest limits, quotas and monitoring
Chart: a wild-collected coral produces about 5 kg CO2-e, versus about 65 kg for a coral farmed on land for three years

Giving back more than we take

Our aim is to spawn and return more corals to the reef than we harvest. Our reef restoration work puts that into practice.

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  • Working with AIMS on Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) pilot deployments

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  • Broodstock collection, ground-truthing and deployment from our own vessels

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  • Growing corals in our approved aquaculture facility for return to the wild

Snorkeller holding coral underwater during Great Barrier Reef restoration work

Science in practice

Our team holds marine science qualifications, and we put that knowledge to work for the fishery and the reef.

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  • Members of the Coral Fishery Working Group since 2020, advising government on fishery management

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  • Supplied over half the corals for ANSTO's coral provenance study, which built Australia's first coral “fingerprint” database to verify where corals come from

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  • Donated vessel time for surveys of the reef and key coral species

Orange and green Australian plate coral in our aquaculture facility

Security and biosecurity

Our corals reach customers quickly, safely and with the right paperwork.

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  • Known Consignor: we run an approved air cargo security program with the Department of Home Affairs. Export shipments are examined and secured at our facility, so they can be loaded without further screening at the airport, meaning less handling and fewer delays for live animals

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  • Health certificates: we arrange the health certification needed to meet each importing country's requirements

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  • Biosecurity: we operate in line with Australian biosecurity requirements, with quarantine and health checks for new corals and treated water leaving our site

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  • Visitors are welcome by arrangement and follow our biosecurity procedures

Aus Fish Coral team checking corals in the aquaculture facility tanks before export
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