Approximately 86 per cent of seafood consumed in NSW is imported — much of it coming from the freezer section of the supermarket — and it's a statistic that frustrates the Australian fishing industry.

Key points: The Professional Fishermen's Association wants us to eat more fresh, local fish rather than imported seafood

The Professional Fishermen's Association wants us to eat more fresh, local fish rather than imported seafood The association is educating children to experiment with different types of seafood

The association is educating children to experiment with different types of seafood It says local fish has more flavour and also supports local communities

The Professional Fishermen's Association has embarked on a new program to get consumers eating more fresh and local fish by appealing to those more accustomed to their fish coming in rectangular "fingers", than fresh off the boat.

"We've noticed the new generations are less comfortable with trying a variety of seafood," CEO of the Professional Fishermen's Association, Tricia Beatty, said.

"They just ask for the one type of seafood they know and that's it."

Prawns, salmon, snapper and mud crabs

CEO of the Professional Fishermen's Association of NSW, Tricia Beatty, says we need to broaden our palates. ( ABC News: Kerrin Thomas )

While Australians love a prawn and some types of better known fish, Ms Beatty said they were less willing to venture outside their comfort zone.

"Unfortunately it doesn't seem like the Australian palate is very adventurous. They don't seem to like a seafoody tasting fish; they don't really like the strong flavours," she said.

"The popular ones are snapper, salmon, mud crab, prawns, and whiting; but people don't seem to go after mullet any more, or luderick, which used to be a very popular fish, a staple in the diet."

It's a trend Andrew Mitchell saw frequently as general manager of the Coffs Harbour Fishermen's Co-op.

"It's one of the things we struggle with in our retail store; we'll have fillets of fish and nobody knows how to cook them or what to do with them," he said.

As a result, the co-op now hosts regular cooking demonstrations to teach people how to cook seafood quickly and simply.

"Most people are pretty intimidated by [seafood]; they're just not very familiar with it," Mr Mitchell said.

Getting kids involved

The Professional Fishermen's Association recently received funding from the NSW State Government and chose to put part of the funds into an education program for school children, which sees them visit the Coffs Harbour Fishermen's Co-op to see and touch the daily catch, and learn how it's caught.

Ms Beatty said the program was designed not only to make children more aware and comfortable about seafood. She hoped they would go home and start conversations with their parents about what was on their dinner plate.

When it came to seafood, it was more often something that had come out of a box from the supermarket freezer.

"A lot of people are used to the frozen, pre-cut blocks of fish that are coming in imported because that's what they've always eaten, and they know how to cook it and that's the flavour that they know," Ms Beatty said.

"It's like someone buying cheap wine — they're missing out on a depth of flavour, a depth of experience, and buying back into the local economy and supporting their local community."

Primary school children learn about the fishing industry in Coffs Harbour as part of a program trying to get more Australians eating fresh, local seafood. ( ABC News: Melissa Martin )

Is seafood the next foodie trend?

The high consumption of imported seafood comes at a time when reality TV shows and an increasing dining out trend have seen Australians become more adventurous with their own cooking.

Products such as duck, pork belly and beef cheeks, which were rarely seen outside a professional kitchen a decade ago, are now a regular in the home cook's repertoire.

Mr Mitchell believed seafood would have its day in the sun soon.