Media release – 30 October 2007
Fish Names Set A New Standard
MORE than 200 years of confusion about fish names in Australia has come to an end.
For the first time since Captain Cook landed in Botany Bay in 1770 and recorded catching a “snapper” -- a name he was familiar with from the West Indies but belonging to an entirely different family to the Aussie variety -- Australian fish and other seafood species now have a standard set of common names.
Mr Roy Palmer, Chairman of the Federal Government’s Australian Fish Names Committee, said today that six years’ hard work by a dedicated group of seafood experts had produced a standard name for a total of 4,500 varieties of seafood, both locally harvested and imported.
“We pulled together a committee of seafood catchers and sellers, scientists and fisheries managers, and then talked to industry people and consumers from one end of the country to the other,” Mr Palmer said. “It wasn’t always an easy task convincing people they needed to let go of local names, no matter how quaint, in favour of a single name across the nation. I guess it was fairly easy for something like the snotnose trevalla but a bit harder with the Tommy Ruff.
“The Australian Fish Names Committee knew that we simply had to make these changes to stop the purchasers’ confusion, and, in some cases, to stop deliberate substitution of cheaper fish under false names.”
He said the outcome was a standard enforceable through Standards Australia -- Australian Standard® AS SSA 5300 – 2007: Australian Fish Names Standards -- released today.
The Australian Fish Names Committee was funded by the Australian Government through the Fisheries Research & Development Corporation, and the new Australian Standard was launched at Seafood Directions, the seafood industry national conference in Hobart, by the Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry & Conservation, Senator Eric Abetz.
“The standard names apply at all levels of the marketing chain, from harvest to final retail sale,” Mr Palmer said. “They will also improve assessment of fish stocks by fisheries managers, who will now be using the same names throughout Australia, which is why there are 4,500 standard names on the list, not just 300 for the common commercial species.
“Also, a raft of tools has been devised to help everyone to come to grips with the Australian Standard, including websites, e learning resources, posters and books.”
Seafood Services Australia (SSA) has been accredited by STabdards Australia as a Standards Development Organisation charged with managing the standard’s development.
SSA Managing Director Mr Ted Loveday said production from the Australian seafood industry was more than $2 billion annually, and the jobs of about 80,000 people depended on it.
“Strong consumer confidence in seafood is supremely important. We’re immensely proud of the uniform fish names standard — countless hours of voluntary work from many industry sectors have finally come to fruition. It’s a truly historic event for the seafood industry.
“Standardising fish names was on the agenda at least 80 years ago, when the Sydney Fish Market held meetings on regional variations in names. And for nearly 30 years the process has moved around between government and industry. But it wasn’t until 2001, with the Australian Government funding the Australian Fish Names Committee, that there has been a body to take control of the challenge and resolve it decisively.
“The Fish Names Standard is a win-win. It’s a big advance for consumer confidence and it’s a great leap forward for the viability, profitability and sustainability of the Australian seafood industry.”
Note: A searchable database of all species listed in the Australian Fish Names Standard is available at www.fishnames.com.au.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Mr Roy Palmer, Deputy Chair, Seafood Services Australia: 0419 528 733 or palmerroy@hotmail.com
Mr Ted Loveday, Managing Director, Seafood Services Australia: 0427 323 663 or tedloveday@seafoodservices.com.au
Issued: Tue Oct 30 22:24:23 EST
Reference-id: SSANEWS0199
News archive: For more news stories visit the SSA News Archive
Seafood Services Australia is a not for profit company supported by the Australian seafood industry and the Australian Government through funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.
