The Southern Shark Industry Association (SSIA) made it clear that according to Australian fish naming standards, the term "flake", synonymous with quality fresh fish in southeastern Australia, is only applicable to Mustelus antarcticus sharks and New Zealand sharks (Mustelus lenticulatus).
The explanatory document was widely sent to the "fish and chips" restaurant. In the letter, the Southern Shark Industry Alliance (SSIA) warned that it was illegal under Australian consumer law to engage in misleading or deceptive acts and stressed that replacing other fish and calling them scales could constitute such acts.
The Australian Competitors and Consumers Association (ACCC) stipulates that misleading and deceptive acts are illegal and that individuals who break the law can be fined A$500,000 and companies can be fined A$10 million each time. ACCC can also issue infringement notices to individuals or companies. The cost of each infringement notice is A$2520 for individuals and A$12600 for companies.
SSIA announced that a survey had been initiated and the results of the sampling would be submitted to ACCC.
