Seafood sector honours
Several well-known members of Australia’s seafood sector have been recognised in the 2016 Australia Day Honours List for their contributions in a range of fields. These include Peter Dundas-Smith, Grahame Turk, Michael Gardner, Norman Moore and Bruce Standen, who are each named as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM).
Brian Easton was named as an Officer in the General Divison of the Order of Australia (AO) and Steven Moon received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division (OAM).
Peter Dundas-Smith, AM, was recognised for his significant service to the fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries through innovation, research and development. This included his past roles as executive director of the FRDC and chair of the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre.
Michael Gardner, AM, best known to fishers for his role on the Queensland Seafood Industry Association and the Queensland Fisheries Advisory Committee, was recognised for his service to cardiothoracic medicine as a surgeon and teacher.
Norman Moore, AM, is a former Minister for Fisheries in Western Australia, and was recognised for his service to the WA Parliament, to education and to the community. He is chair of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
Australia and an independent director on the Sydney Fish Market Board, Bruce Standen, AM, was recognised for significant service to primary industry, particularly to agricultural economics, sustainability and research.
Grahame Turk, AM, was recognised for significant service to the seafood and fisheries industry through leadership roles, and to the development and sustainability of the sector. He is chair of Sydney Fish Market and was previously its managing director. He is also a director (and former chair) of the National Seafood Industry Alliance.
Steven Moon, OAM, was recognised for service to marine environment preservation. He was project manager for the Australian Government’s Crown-of-thorns Starfish control program and is president of Dive Queensland.
Brian Easton, AO, was recognised for distinguished service to conservation and the environment through leadership roles with a range of organisations, to public administration in Western Australia and to aged care. He was a member of the Aquatic Advisory Committee for the Department of Fisheries.
Fresh fish test app
Sydney Fish Market (SFM) has launched a new smartphone app to help seafood buyers and restaurants assess the freshness and shelf life of their seafood.
The app is based on the Australian Seafood Quality Index and has been developed by SFM, the University of Queensland and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, with funding from the FRDC and the Australian Cooperative Research Centre.
Debunking media myths
International fisheries experts have joined forces to establish CFOOD, which will provide rapid, scientifically based responses to inaccurate reporting on seafood-related matters in the media. Australia’s representative on the CFOOD forum is CSIRO fisheries scientist Tony Smith. Other countries represented include Argentina, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, the UK and the USA.
International study
Applications from the commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors are encouraged for the 2017 Nuffield Australia Scholarships. Applications open in April 2016 for the scholarships, which provide a $30,000 bursary for up to 12 weeks of international travel, allowing primary producers to investigate a topic of their choice to assist their business and the development of their sector in Australia. The FRDC is a regular sponsor of the annual scholarships.
More information
National export award
Austral Fisheries overcame stiff competition to win the national agribusiness prize in the 2015 Australian Export Awards. Austral Fisheries trades a range of premium products internationally including Glacier 51 Patagonian Toothfish sold to high-end restaurants around the world. The Australian Export Awards is a national program that recognises the achievements of Australian companies engaged in international business
Have your say on FISH magazine
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