Fish naming standard recognised with award

Thursday, 13 June, 2019

Standards Australia has announced the Fish Names Committee (FNC) as the winner of the Outstanding Committee Award for its efforts to improve identification and quality control of seafood in Australia.

Held on 30 May in Melbourne, the 2019 Standards Awards recognised those making a positive impact and furthering the development of standards within Australia and internationally.

Established in 1998, the FNC is an accredited standards development organisation established under Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC). It is responsible for the development and ongoing maintenance of AS 5300 The Australian Fish Names Standard.

Australia is home to about 3000 edible fish species, for which there were about 10,000 different names used throughout Australia. With fish names resembling unrelated species in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as a high level of regional variation within Australia, this has led to consumer confusion. For example, Australian Whitings are unrelated to the Northern Hemisphere Whitings from which they derived their name.

To address this, the FNC developed an Australian Fish Names Standard to assist with clearer identification and quality control on all seafood traded in Australia. The first version of the standard was published in 2007 and it has been regularly reviewed since that time.

The achievements of the Australian Fish Names Standard include:

Marketability of seafood species has been improved.
Misleading and deceptive conduct has been reduced through improved accuracy in trade descriptions for seafood species.
Consumers are more confident in what they are purchasing.
Stock assessment and monitoring in Australian fisheries has been improved.
Traceability of fish products has been enhanced.

The FNC uses a technology-based solution for stakeholder consultation on proposed amendments to standard, and it has developed an online consumer interface to enable consumers to search the database of 6000 fish names.

“The Standards Awards are how we recognise members of our community who adhere to key values within the organisation around quality, community and innovation,” said Adrian O’Connell, acting CEO of Standards Australia. “We’re proud to work with some of the country’s leading experts across a range of industries and the annual awards help us to celebrate their dedication and expertise. The work they do continues to position Australia as a leader in standards development, and helps us stay ahead of the curve on best practice, safety and new technologies.”

Other winners of the 2019 Standards Awards include: