Who does this affect?

This notice is for importers who import large whole fish to provide updated detail to support the sampling of fish for the toxin histamine. This update supports the information on histamine susceptible fish provided on the Tests applied to risk food webpage.

Why has this detail been updated?

From 10 August 2017, all sampling for histamine analysis of whole large fish will be taken from the lower forward portion of the fish loin.

Chemical analysis is an effective means to detect the presence of histamine toxin in fish flesh. However, because histamine is generally not uniformly distributed in a fish, it has been determined that the lower forward (anterior) portion of the fish is likely to provide the best information about the histamine content of the fish flesh.
Histamine in fish and fish products can have serious consequences for consumers. Importers should therefore ensure that the fish and fish products they import comply with the 200 mg/kg limit for histamine in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.​​

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food/notices/ifn-14-17