True to their name, the Heard Island Icefish are found in the near-freezing waters of the Southern Ocean.
An interesting feature of the icefish is they have a whitish, nearly transparent blood which contains a special ‘anti-freeze’ component that prevents the build-up of ice crystals in their bodies.
Heard Island Icefish typically reaches an average size of 30cm in length and 200-300g in weight.
The Fish
This versatile fish has a fresh, delicate meat with medium texture and small flake which lends easily to any cooking technique.
The flesh is white in colour and very high in healthy Omega-3 oils.
The Heard Island Icefish fishery has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as sustainable and well-managed.
The Fishery
Heard Island & McDonald Islands (HIMI) is Australia’s most remote Commonwealth-managed fishery.
It surrounds Australia’s only active volcano, Big Ben. The fishery is also home to 14 spectacular glaciers.
Sustainability
Heard Island Icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) is a species unique to the sub-Antarctic and was the first finfish in Australia to be certified by the MSC as a sustainable and well-managed. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) decides on the amount that can be caught each year from expert advice and recommendations from scientists, fisheries managers and the 26 member conservation commission, CCAMLR.
Furthermore, like all other wild seafood caught by Austral Fisheries, Heard Island Icefish is also certified Carbon Neutral by the Australian Government Climate Active program.