Give our fishers a Christmas present by choosing local products

Consumers are being urged to back the local commercial fishing sector by purchasing Australian seafood for their Christmas feasts.

Shoppers can show their support for our state’s fishers by asking their fishmonger for locally caught or harvested prawns, fish, crab and other products.

Enjoying a seafood lunch has become part of the Australian tradition on Christmas Day, and consumers have a wide variety of tasty, healthy and safe local seafood to choose from.

However, many fishers are struggling to compete against a flood of cheap imports which have entered our markets in recent years.

Under NSW labelling laws, all imported products are required to be clearly identified as such at the point of sale.

If you are unsure of the origin of the product you wish to buy, ask your fishmonger to tell you – and if they can’t reassure you the product is local, then look for a home-grown option elsewhere.

The NSW Food Authority regularly conducts operations to ensure food labelling laws are being followed, and to prevent illegal fish substitution.

Not only does this ensure our local fishers are given fairer treatment at the point of sale, it also prevents consumers from being ripped off and sold inferior seafood products.

In September this year the Food Authority conducted a seafood labelling blitz, inspecting 91 retailers across the state during a three-day crackdown.

Seven retailers were fined for fish substitution – marketing a cheaper or inferior species of fish as a more expensive variety – or for incorrect labelling of imported product.

Commercial fishing in this state is subject to strict guidelines, with management plans and monitoring programs in place to ensure we harvest our fish responsibly and sustainably. Aquaculture industries must also follow health and environmental guidelines.

As a result NSW produces some of the safest and healthiest seafood in the world, both farmed and caught in the wild, with an extensive array of different products available.

Buying local seafood will help support the jobs of the 4000 people employed by the NSW commercial fishing sector.