Debbie Wisby swears you can "taste the sea" in the wild-caught scallops her business plucks from the waters off Tasmania, which are whisked to restaurants and takeaway shops across Australia.

Once diners taste the sweet, creamy parcels – eaten grilled, pan-fried, steamed or even raw – "they refuse to eat other, certainly imported, products," Mrs Wisby says.

Scallops caught by Aqua Marine Tasmania pictured at Deepwater Jetty in Triabunna, east coast of Tasmania. Credit:Matthew Newton

But many consumers are denied that choice after the Senate this month rejected a push to force restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaway shops to disclose if their seafood is local or imported.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon introduced the bill after a Senate inquiry recommended the measure for cooked or pre-prepared seafood. Proponents say it would have enabled diners to support the Australian seafood industry and know their meal was clean, sustainable and legal.