Updated list of commercial names for fish
Friday 8 June 2007
Fish labelling regulations require that certain fish and aquaculture products are labelled when they're sold to consumers with the commercial designation of the fish species (such as cod, salmon, and so on), the production method and the catch area or country of origin.
Since April and May 2006, the 2006 amendment regulations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have updated and replaced the previous national list of commercial designations. The amendments are needed to comply with EC rules that require all Member States to keep such lists and update them as necessary.
The new list includes a number of additions to allow for newly commercialised species and changes some existing designations in light of new scientific information. The amendment regulations came into force on 6 April 2006 in England. Equivalent legislation came into force on the same date in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and 24 May 2006 in Wales.
The first link shows a list of provisional designations. Newly commercialised species, for which an agreed designation does not exist in The Fish Labelling Regulations, may be marketed under a provisional commercial designation. The Food Standards Agency grants provisional designations which may be used until further notice or until the next review of the Fish Labelling Regulations when they will be considered for inclusion in the definitive list. However, it should be noted that a provisional designation may be changed when it is moved into the Regulations. New provisional designations are also published in FSA News.
The extract from the 2006 amendment regulations at the second link below shows the table with the updated list of definitive commercial designations for fish species. This replaces the schedule of the 2003 regulations. The full 2006 Amendment Regulations are available from the Office of Public Sector Information (formerly HMSO).
