The Australian Fish Names
Standard - AS 5300
The key topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is a standard
What is a Standards Development
Organisation
Why an Australian Fish Names Standard
What next for AS 5300
A Standard
Standards are published documents setting out
specifications and procedures designed to ensure
products, services and systems are safe, reliable and
consistently perform the way they were intended
to. They establish a common language that defines
quality and safety criteria.
A document, established by consensus and
approved by a recognized body, that provides, for
common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or
characteristics for activities or their results, aimed
at the achievement of the optimum degree of order
in a given context.’
Who uses Standards
Standards are used in four main areas:
 Regulatory compliance - Mandatory
 Voluntary compliance – Certification
schemes
 Contractual specifications - Purchasing
 Guidance - Educational, best practice
‘Australian Standard’ is a registered
trademark of Standards Australia
Who develops Australian Standards?
Standards Australia (SA) is a resource based
on need and prioritisation
2. Committee driven where an ad hoc group of
affected stakeholders develop a standard
under the Standards Australia banner
(Committee resourced)
3. Externally funded where SA is paid to develop
and manage standards development
4. Accredited Standards Development
Organisation (FRDC)
1.
Fisheries R & D Corporation
Accredited in 2013 to “Develop
Australian Standards in the fields of
terminology, sustainability and operational
practices in the fishing industry”
 The scope of accreditation and the
existing standards were effectively moved
from SSA to FRDC

Criteria for Designation as an
Australian Standard

New Project Registration
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Relevance (consultation, need, support, costs)
Value (national interest, public benefit)
No duplication (national compatibility, harmonisation)
Timeliness
Independent facilitation
 Balanced standards development committee (lack of
bias)
 Transparency (open participation, public comment)
 Consensus
 International alignment
 Final process approval

The Australian Fish Names Standard
SSA accredited as an SDO in March 2006 and developed the AFNS.
Use of standard fish names in Australia, as defined in this Standard,
achieves outcomes that are consistent with the aims of industry and
governments, including:
1.
Improved monitoring and stock assessment enhances the sustainability
of fisheries resources;
2.
Increased efficiency in seafood marketing improves consumer
confidence and industry profitability;
3.
Improved accuracy in trade descriptions enables consumers to make
more informed choices when purchasing seafood and reduces the
potential for misleading and deceptive conduct;
4.
More efficient management of seafood related public health incidents
and food safety through improved labelling and species identification
reduces public health risk;
5.
To enhance the marketability and consumer acceptability of the
standard fish names used for a species.
The Australian Fish Names Standard
Contains 5000 standard fish names for fish
including invertebrates
 Is continually being amended to ensure it
remains relevant
 Is available as a printed standard and a
searchable database where you can search a
scientific name or a standard fish name
 Based on premise of one name per species

The Fish Names Committee
The Standards Development Technical
Committee responsible for the
maintenance of the AFNS
 Has a rigorous process for considering
applications to amend or add names to
the standard
 Needs to have a 66% majority before an
application is approved

Representative FNC Membership
Independent Chair
Seafood Industry Peak Body
Representative
Australian Fishery Managers Forum
Representative
Roy Palmer
Gus Dannoun
Seafood Importers Representative
End-user Representative (Hospitality)
End-user Representative (Retail/
Supermarket)
Recreational Fisheries
Representative
Expertise based member
Expertise based member
Expertise based member
Norm Grant
George Hill
Hamish Allen (Woolworths)
Chair of AFMF (Ian Curnow) with
rotating attendance dependent on
location of meeting or nominee
Russell Conway
Nick Ruello
Gordon Yearsley
Don Tuma
Extract from the AFNS
CAAB Code
Standard Fish Name
PRAWNS - Penaeidae
28 711077 Blue Prawn
28 711079 Vannamei Prawn
28 711905 TIGER PRAWN
28 711046 Kuruma Prawn
28 711044 Brown Tiger Prawn
28 711053 Grooved Tiger Prawn
28 711051 Black Tiger Prawn
28 711908 KING PRAWN
28 711047 Western King Prawn
28 711048 Redspot King Prawn
28 711052 Eastern King Prawn
Approved Scientific name and authority
Litopenaeus stylirostris
Litopenaeus vannamei
Marsupenaeus
japonicus, Penaeus
esculentus & Penaeus
semisulcatus
Marsupenaeus
japonicus
Penaeus esculentus
Penaeus semisulcatus
Penaeus monodon
Melicertus latisulcatus
& Melicertus plebejus
Melicertus latisulcatus
Melicertus longistylus
Melicertus plebejus
Stimpson, 1874
Boone, 1931
Bate, 1888
Haswell, 1879
De Haan, 1844
Fabricius, 1798
Kishinouye, 1896
Kubo, 1943
Hess, 1865
Where is the AFNS now
An Australian Standard
 Referred to in the Food Standards Code
as a guidance note
 All state fisheries agencies are referencing
the AFNS as legislation is being rewritten
 Is a requirement for seafood exporters
 Is being used by Fish Names Brands
Scheme subscribers

The AFNS – Future Plans
The AFNS is to be mainstreamed and
become part of all seafood codes,
procedures and entities
 Need to have innovative names to
facilitate marketability of a species
 Needs to harmonise with initiatives such
as the Stock Status Report, state fisheries
legislation
 If you need to do performance reporting,
you must have the right name

The AFNS – Future Plans (2)
Must meet the needs of
• fisheries managers
• retailers
• fishing industry
• Importers and exporters
• Food service industry
• Regulatory and food safety agencies
Industry Survey
CLG Defining Australian Sustainable Seafood - Wild Capture Fisheries Survey included question:
SEAFOOD LABELLING FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) don’t include a mandatory
regulation for retailers and restaurants to abide by Fish Names within the Food Standards Code.
What should be done to ensure that retailers and restaurants abide by the use of Fish Names?
Sample of responses:
‘Appropriate legislation needs to be developed to mandate their use.’
‘Spend some money on advertising. Look at what lamb has done!!’
‘Generate more public support for it so that you get consumer demand
for it. If people care then retailers will too.’
Final Word
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Fish names is where it is today because the
people involved believe in it.
It is time for everyone to play their part,
mainstream fish names, and make the
adoption of Standard Fish Names a given
If the names that is currently in the AFNS,
does not meet your needs, put through an
application to change the name.
Get Involved