Sydney ban on N.Z. blue cod

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 12

Sydney ban on N.Z. blue cod

NZPA Sydney New Zealand blue cod will be scarce this week because of a ban by Sydney fish-smokers in protest against what they called an unjustified price rise. , The manager of the New South Wales Government (Mr Les Freeman) said that when ' smoked fish was needed for Easter, the New Zealanders had jacked the price of blue cod up by more than 60 per cent. “They must think that Sydney housewives are made

of money. We told them to keep their fish,” he added. The fish Is imported fresh to Australia from the Chatham Islands, via Christchurch. Fish-smokers on the island were unable to be reached last evening because they were overseas. Mr Freeman also said that the fish had to be smokedd in Sydney because New Zealand fishermen did not know how. to do the job properly.' The president of the Christchurch Fish Retailers’ Association (Mr B. E. Mather) said this was all a matter of taste. Tastes in smoked fish' varied throughout the world. Some countries, such as Scotland, liked their fish smoked more “softly” than others.

Mr Mather said that fuel and freight increases which had nearly doubled in the last year could have had something to do with the alleged 60 per cent price increase of. New Zealand blue cod in Sydney. Blue cod was caught by crayfish fishermen, mainly from the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island, he said, and if the crayfish setvon was on fishermen would ix/ bother to catch the blue cod unless the price was good. “If they want our fish they’ll have to pay the price for it,” he said.