New technology often leads to overexploitation as people find increasingly efficient ways to exploit the environment. The challenge for science is anticipating how emerging technologies will interact to transform industries, so that appropriate management responses can be developed. Here I describe predictions for interactions among new technologies and then how we can manage them for enhancing seafood sustainability. I draw on two examples of emerging technologies. The first example is automated monitoring of fisheries. This could facilitate overexploitation, but it could also improve the quality of data used in fishery management. New data can enable more informed consultation with industry, recreational fishers and indigenous communities. The second example is development of renewable energy and aquaculture in offshore waters. New development may constrain other uses of the ocean, including fishing and the cultural values of sea country. But there are also opportunities, for instance wind farms create de-facto protected areas that can enhance fish population productivity. Potential conflicts among ocean users can be mitigated if we use marine spatial planning. Both these case-studies illustrate how interdisciplinary teams and modelling tools can help predict emerging issues and opportunities. Ultimately this helps science better prepare management for novel uses of ocean environments.