Date of issue: 24 November 2017
Date of effect: 1 December 2017
Attention:
Seafood Export Consultative Committee
Registered export manufacturing establishments
Registered licensed exporters and EDI users
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources—Central and regional offices
Purpose
To notify manufacturers and exporters of changes to Australian Fish Names and/or scientific names for some species of sea cucumbers in the export documentation system (EXDOC).
Summary of key points
- Effective 1 December 2017, there will be changes to how the Australian Fish Name and/or scientific names appear on export certification for some species of sea cucumbers.
- It is a requirement of the Export Control (Fish and Fish Products) Orders 2005 that fish for export are described by the scientific name of the fish and/or the Australian Fish Name of the fish as it appears in the Australian Fish Names Standard (AFNS).
This includes:
- the description of the fish that is part of the trade description applied to fish for export
- the description (including the scientific name) that appears on export documentation and health certificates issued by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
New and amended names for some species of sea cucumbers
Detailed in Tables 1 and 2 are the most recent changes made to EXDOC and the action (if any) to be taken by exporters and processing establishments preparing or exporting the products specified.
| New EXDOC Product Type Code | New product description and scientific name | Action required by occupier of registered establishment preparing this product for export |
|---|---|---|
| BBC | Deepwater Blackfish (Sea Cucumber) Actinopyga palauensis |
Application to be made to add codes to the establishment. a Cut-codes available for:
|
a Note: Additional information may be required to support the application if the product is prepared using a process that the establishment has not previously received approval for from the department.
No action is required to be taken by establishments or exporters using the current EXDOC Product Type Codes and associated cut-codes. As of 1 December 2017, amended product descriptions will print on export documentation.
| Current EXDOC Product Type Code | Current product description and scientific name |
Amended product description and/or scientific name |
|---|---|---|
| BBS | Brown Sandfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia marmorata (or V. vitiensis) |
Brown Sandfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia vitiensis |
| BCH | Chalkfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia similis |
Chalkfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia marmorata |
| BDG | Golden Sandfish (Sea Cucumber) Holothuria scabra var. versicolour |
Golden Sandfish (Sea Cucumber) Holothuria lessoni |
| BLF | Leopardfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia graeffei |
Blackspotted Sea Cucumber Pearsonothuria graeffei |
| BTF | Tigerfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia argus |
Leopardfish (Sea Cucumber) Bohadschia argus |
A list of EXDOC codes and scientific names as they appear on health certificates is available at: Product Codes.
Detained consignments due to a change to fish name
If a consignment is detained due to a change to fish name, contact the Dairy, Eggs and Fish Export Program at: Dairy Eggs Fish as it may be possible to provide a letter of facilitation to the importing country.
Background
Changes to Australian Fish Names
Periodically, changes are made to the AFNS by the Fish Names Committee.
Changes can include:
- the addition of names
- amendment of existing names
- changes to scientific names.
To ensure continued legislative compliance with the AFNS, we may be required to make corresponding changes to our systems for issuing export certification - the Establishment Register (ER) and EXDOC.