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NSW to hold fish inquiry
SYDNEY: The NSW
Government will launch
an inquiry into a million
dollar fish substitution
racket.
The move follows tests
which found that only two
of 12 samples of fish were
what they were said to be
— barramundi.
The tests were carried
out at the Federal
analytical laboratory
which last year used a simi
lar process to show that
kangaroo meat was being
substituted for beef in
some exports.
It is believed that the
racket has been worth at
least $1 million over the
past two years.
The NSW Minister for
Consumer Affairs, Mr
Whelan, said yesterday
that the racket "could be
of very big proportions".
"If the public are paying
$8 or S9 a kilo for a fish
of their choice and they're
not getting that fish then
I'm going to take some
action," he said.
"I'm going to make sure
that these blatant rip-offs
don't persist."
Mr Whelan said that for
too long people had been
getting shark under the
guise of popular brands of
fish. He would have talks
with the State Minister for
Agriculture and Fisheries,
Mr Hallam.
State Government of
ficers would investigate
the reports, Mr Whelan
said.
The vice-president of the
Master Fish Merchants
Association, Mr Andrew
Almos, said yesterday that
the SI million a year claim
put on the racket was
"probably right". He said
that names sold fish.
"The public prefer bar
ramundi to ling fish, which
many retailers use as a sub
stitute," Mr Almos said.
"Shark is turned into
deep sea cod, boar fish into
snapper fillets, harpuka
into barramundi."
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