Sustainability
Sydney Fish Market is proud to be Australia’s Home of Seafood and wholeheartedly embraces the corporate and social responsibilities that come with being a leader in the seafood industry.
Innovation & Continual Improvement
Sydney Fish Market embraces innovation and is committed to the continual improvement of processes and practices across every aspect of our business. We maintain international Food Safety Management Systems Standards and were the first company to be accredited to the Australian Seafood Standard.
Along with our onsite retailers, we are licensed under the Australian Fish Names Standard, promoting accurate product labelling for consumers.
We’re pioneers in best practice food safety handling and continue to advance a seafood Quality Index to help assess the freshness, quality and shelf life of seafood – benefitting industry, retailers and consumers.
Our pursuit of continual improvement extends to minimising wastage across the Sydney Fish Market site and reducing our water and electricity consumption as well as our greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to these efforts, we support innovation by our suppliers and tenants to ensure the longevity of their businesses, and of seafood supply, so that future generations can continue to enjoy delicious, fresh Australian seafood.
Sound Environmental Management
Sydney Fish Market is dedicated to the environmental sustainability of all our activities, and the prevention of pollution.
We are certified to the international environmental management standard and undertake annual verification of our greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
We adhere to a Waste Management Plan to minimise the impact of our site activities and maximise the recycling, repurposing and re-use of all consumables.
Improvements in equipment and practices have significantly reduced the onsite consumption of both water and electricity, and we recycle 125,000 polystyrene boxes per year, rescuing nearly seventy tonnes of EPS from landfill annually.
In addition to these site initiatives, we work with a range of stakeholders to progress best practice environmental management and sustainable practices across the seafood industry, at every stage of seafood production.
People & Community
Underpinning Sydney Fish Market’s commitment to the ongoing sustainability and viability of the Australian seafood industry, is an equally firm commitment to the individuals and businesses that are part of it.
This includes our tenants and our staff, whose work brings the auction, the site, and our broader industry activities, to life every day. Together, their efforts create the unique, vibrant atmosphere the market is renowned for.
Our market is the lifeblood for fishers and aquaculturists in more than 300 regional communities across Australia, who sell through our wholesale auction or retail outlets. We also have many small businesses, retailers and restaurants which rely upon us for supply.
We actively support them through initiatives which inject value back into their communities, including local area promotions, and the purchase and leasing of fishing quota.
This support extends to our mechanisms of sale and activity, including our Dutch auction which ensures fair market prices are attained at sale, backed by a guaranteed seven day payment system.
Additionally, we support these communities by working with peak bodies, environmental non-government organisations, research organisations and government, to make sure the industry’s interests are represented, both in the media and behind the scenes.
Safe & Nutritious Seafood
Sydney Fish Market is committed to making quality, fresh and sustainable seafood accessible and attractive to consumers.
We have best practice quality assurance systems in place, which are subject to regular audits against accredited food safety standards.
Our rigorous supply chain traceability system ensures that the seafood we sell can be traced back to its source, giving consumers confidence that the seafood they purchase has been sourced from a sustainable fishery in an environmentally responsible way.
We champion the health benefits of a diet rich in seafood, and educate consumers on its safe storage and preparation through our onsite, online and on-the-road services and activities.
We run tours of our wholesale auction so people can find out where their seafood comes from and understand the lengths we go to ensure it’s safe and of the highest quality. Through our Sydney Seafood School, we offer a huge range of hands-on cooking classes so they can learn how to cook it.
This commitment to the provision of safe and nutritious seafood is what our reputation as Australia’s Home of Seafood is built on.
It’s what drives us to seek improvement in everything we do and it’s what drives our passion for Australian seafood and a viable seafood industry.
Responsible Sourcing
Australian fisheries are exceptionally well managed, operating within a tightly regulated framework which accounts for sustainability of the resource, minimising impacts on the marine environment and maintaining the livelihoods of professional fishers who supply seafood to the Australian community.
Sydney Fish Market plays an integral role in the Australian seafood industry and has an enduring commitment to responsible sourcing. Our commitment is based on our four ‘Responsible Sourcing Principles’, meaning that:
- All our product is lawfully supplied;
- We know all our suppliers and have a robust traceability system.
- Our suppliers label their product accurately, using the Australian Fish Names standard and identifying country of origin.
- We track the sustainability status and environmental impact of our source fisheries.
- Where necessary, we advocate and support improvements in responsible fishing practices, rigorous scientific research, and best practice fisheries management.
- We regularly report on the implementation of our Responsible Sourcing Principles.
In addition to the Responsible Sourcing framework, we work with peak bodies, research organisations and government, to give the professional fishing sector a voice on important issues, with further communications efforts to boost consumer confidence and knowledge, ensuring the public are informed on the facts and fallacies around seafood and long-term sustainability.
Sydney Fish Market is proud to be Australia’s Home of Seafood and are dedicated to continuous improvement in this space, ensuring the ongoing viability of our industry for many generations to come.
OceanWatch Australia
OceanWatch Australia Ltd is a national not-for-profit environmental company that works to advance sustainability in the Australian seafood industry.
OceanWatch’s key activities involve:
- enhancing fish habitats and improving water quality in estuaries and coastal environments;
- working with industry and local communities to minimise environmental impacts;
- introducing industry and communities to sustainable technologies and behaviours.
Since its establishment in 1989, OceanWatch Australia has administered a broad range of successful projects to improve environmental practices, protect threatened marine species, reduce by-catch, introduce sustainable technologies, change behaviours and restore important marine habitats.
Sydney Fish Market was instrumental in the establishment of OceanWatch Australia, as one of its foundation members, along with the NSW Fishermen’s Co-Operatives Association Ltd and the Master Fish Merchants Association of Australia. The OceanWatch head offices are located on the Sydney Fish Market site.
Since its inception, OceanWatch has received funding from its foundation members through a ‘crate levy’ on seafood traded through Sydney Fish Market’s auction. The organisation works in partnership with the Australian seafood industry, federal and state governments, natural resource managers, private enterprises, and local communities.
OceanWatch Master Fisherman
Since 2013, the OceanWatch Master Fisherman Program has recognised over 140 New South Wales and South Australian professional fishermen for their individual commitment to responsible and sustainable best fishing practices and environmental stewardship.
Fishers participating in the program have successfully demonstrated knowledge to implement best practice related to various aspects of their operations including;
- Seafood quality assurance,
- Bycatch reduction devices and techniques,
- Fisheries management and regulatory awareness,
- Catch reporting documentation,
- Animal welfare awareness and threatened species management,
- Marine pest management,
- Environmental habitat and marine ecosystems,
- Pollution identification and management,
- Indigenous and cultural fishing awareness,
- Workplace health and safety culture
Modern Slavery Statement
Sydney Fish Market is a leader in the seafood industry, and we therefore feel a strong sense of responsibility as an organisation for setting the standard in responsible industry practice. Thus, we are committed to respecting human rights in everything we do.
Through our Responsible Sourcing Policy, we actively seek to both minimise the impact of our activities and operations, while supporting and promoting responsible practices at every stage of the seafood supply chain.
With this policy and the ethos behind it in mind, during 2018-19, we undertook an assessment of the risks of modern slavery in our main supply chains, going on to develop our Modern Slavery Policy and Implementation Plan.
Under our modern slavery policy, we do not tolerate modern slavery in any form. We are committed to three principles:
- Acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships.
- Implementing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our business or on our site; and,
- Ensuring, as far as we are able, that our supply chains are free from modern slavery.
We are committed to addressing the risks of modern slavery, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders and experts, to continuously evolve our response to this challenging and complex issue.
Reconciliation Action Plan
With great pride, Sydney Fish Market presents our inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Sydney Fish Market is proud to be dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to Reconciliation; this document is just the beginning of our long term commitment to meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations.
About The Artwork
“Sydney’s many coastal coves and harbour inlets were home to the Gadigal for thousands of years. Our people, known for having a unique and exquisitely practical method of moving from one fixed address to another in order to ensure a sustainable practice of food procurement, camped in the area known as Blackwattle Bay. This bay was where the fresh water met the saltwater of the harbour. The swamp lands around Glebe would empty out into the bay. It is likely that eel or Barra found their way to this place during big rains and we know the Gadigal had this beautiful Ngura as a camp and place of shelter and safety.
It was, however, the British that named this cove after the endemic species of Wattle (Arcadia Mernsii) commonly known as Blackwattle. This native species is a hard wood and excellent for making furniture. The Gadigal used the sap mixed with water to make a sweet lemony cordial for a refreshing drink during the warmer summer months.
This painting, Yilabara wala (pron. ile-bar-ra wela), is my homage to both the old and new Blackwattle Bay. I have used cartography maps from the early Sydney colonial settlement with narrative from early colonial diaries to mark key sites around the cove as inspiration for this work. This has then been overlayed with the information from modern day mapping of the area to create a record of the old and new in one single body of work.”
— Konstantina (Kate Constantine)
OUR PARTNERS
Thank you to our partners, without whom the development of our first Reconciliation Action Plan would not have been possible.
TRIBAL WARRIOR
Tribal Warrior is a not-for-profit community organisation with a vision of revitalising Aboriginal culture through economic and social stability. Through a range of activities, they empower their local community through connection to culture and family.
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CULINARY INSTITUTE
The National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI) supports young Aboriginal chefs through their apprenticeships, and helps establish and support their career pathways.