Many Aussies aren't aware that every weekday morning, before most of them even wake up, Sydney Fish Market's famous auction has already begun. Buyers from across Sydney are pacing the aisles between the famous blue boxes, stacked high with fresh seafood product sent to Market by suppliers from Wallis Lake to Western Australia to New Zealand. The Dutch auction begins, with three digital clocks controlling the sale of tonnes of seafood to fishmongers, restaurants, and retailers Sydney-wide. 
Also on the scene is Sydney Fish Market's Quality Assurance team, who are responsible for checking the size, volume, and quality of all product sold on the floor. Not only does this team ensure that buyers are receiving the best quality seafood available (by checking that deliveries have been prepared and packed according to food safety and seafood handling guidelines), but they also ensure compliance with Australia's strict fisheries management policies, and are often in contact with NSW DPI Fisheries, reporting undersized or otherwise incorrect catches to ensure the sustainability of Australia's fish stocks.
With over 12,000 tonnes of seafood traded across the floor every year, maintaining a high standard of quality and seafood handling practice on site is an essential part of ensuring that Australians receive the freshest product, every day.
Sydney Fish Market takes this responsibility seriously, and thus voluntarily introduced its Quality Assurance Program in October 1998. Since then, the Market has worked to ensure all products sold across the market floor, as well as all meals prepared at Sydney Seafood School, stringently adhere to this standard.
This program is designed not only to ensure that the seafood sold by SFM is safe to eat, but also to ensure that the highest levels of quality, truth in labelling, and customer satisfaction are achieved.
In 2005, Sydney Fish Market was the first Australian company to be certified to the Australian Seafood Standard and, in October 2007, to the Australian Fish Names Standard. 2005 also marked the Market's certification under the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System, a globally recognised certification which forms the basis of the Market's quality assurance measures. On a regular basis, the Market surveys its registered buyers and meets with a representative committee for the buyers, to ensure that it clearly understands their needs when purchasing seafood through SFM.
Sydney Fish Market's Seafood Handling Guidelines manual is therefore a clear representation of not only the best and safest methods of storing and handling seafood, but also of what buyers value when purchasing product through the Market. This manual is the result of the Market's talented and educated Quality Assurance staff, as well as the Market's decades of seafood trading experience.
By consistently following the practices suggested in this manual, suppliers are able to achieve improved size grading, maximise freshness, and prolong shelf life for their seafood, allowing them to command premium prices for their products in the marketplace.
Sydney Fish Market is proud to say that our Seafood Handling Guidelines are not only used within the Market, but also as a benchmark for seafood handling practices throughout the entire industry. These guidelines, and the passion of Australia's primary producers for careful handling of their product, are the reasons that Australians can be confident in the freshness and calibre of local seafood.