Forage species represent the bulk of prey in a marine ecosystem’s food web and channel energy from low trophic level species to upper trophic level species. Moreover, some forage species play a ‘key’ role in the structure and functioning of an ecosystem. These species are simultaneously often of great importance for commercial fisheries and are thus not only ecologically but also economically highly valuable. To assess and improve the sustainability of fisheries and ecosystems, it is therefore important to identify which forage species are key and may warrant more conservative harvest strategies and regular monitoring. The existing SURF (SUpportive Role to Fishery ecosystems) index weights the food web connectance of a forage species regarding the importance of its trophic linkages, enabling the identification of those that are key. A higher SURF score indicates that there is a greater likelihood that a fishery targeting the forage species will indirectly affect food web dynamics and the functioning of the ecosystem. This presentation will focus on the SURF index as a tool to aid in the improvement of the sustainability of forage fish fisheries included in the Australian seafood supply chain and related ecosystems. Remaining challenges and future opportunities will also be highlighted.