SPARTECA funds

Trade Winds

SPARTECA funds for fish testing

Australia and Fiji have started testing for mer cury levels in randomly selected samples of chosen Fiji fish species.

Exports to Australia of fish from Fiji and other Pacific Is land countries are at present subject to compulsory testing for mercury levels on arrival at the Australian Government Analytical Laboratory (AGAL).

Under Customs and Health department regulations this is required to ensure that all fish imports have mercury levels

below o.smg/kg (0.05%), but it has in some cases been a disincentive to fish exports from Fiji.

Testing often takes up to four days and basically precludes the export of chilled fresh fish since the fish is kept in frozen bond storage. The importer also has to bear the analysis cost of about SA4O per sample.

Australia and Fiji are con sidering the possibility of ex emption from testing for Fiji if it can be sufficently demonstrated that mercury levels are normal

ly below the required minimum.

If test results of random sampies sent each month for a ten month period are under 0.25mg/kg for all samples, the species concerned would be granted exemption. Where some results are over 0.25 mg/ kg but under o.smg/kg some further testing would be required.

Fiji was encouraged to seek funding under SPARTECA’s article 8 provisions to cover the costs of the exercise. The Aus-

tralian Government under SPARTECA recently approved the expenditure of $F10,225 to cover costs of purchasing, pack ing, transport and air freight, clearance and analysis by AGAL of 24 species of Fiji fish in ten monthly shipments these will include both high priced species in strong in temational demand, such as deepwater snappers and donu, or local reef species sought after by Fijian communities in Aus tralia, like nuqa, kawago, sabu tu, kalia and even shark.