Seafood industry leaders, Grahame Turk, Dr Bruce Standen, and Peter Dundas-Smith, have each been awarded with a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia award.
The distinction, conferred by The Commonwealth of Australia, was granted for their contributions in helping develop an environmentally and socially sustainable seafood industry in Australia.
Turk, the Chairman of Sydney Fish Market, was recognised for significant service to the seafood and fisheries industry through leadership roles, and to the development and sustainability of the sector.
Notably, Turk led an industry consortium in the privatisation of Sydney Fish Market, which was purchased from the Government in 1994. Turk has been an active contributor on numerous industry bodies in an honorary capacity, strongly advocating for sustainable fishing practices while also helping to drive value for community stakeholders.
Dr Standen has been an independent Director on the board of Sydney Fish Market since 1994, also serving as the Deputy Chair of OceanWatch Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to make the seafood industry more environmentally sustainable.
In that capacity, Standen has provided valuable insight into government relations and strategic planning on a pro bono basis for many years. Since 2000, he has worked with the Crawford Fund, which works to raise awareness of agriculture and aquaculture training activities and research programs that improve food production and processing in Australia and internationally.
Peter Dundas-Smith was awarded Member of the Order for significant service to the fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries through innovation, research and development.
Peter has a long record of leadership in furthering research and development both at a government level and on behalf of the industry. Peter played a major role in shaping the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) during his time as Executive Director.
Since retiring from FRDC, Peter has continued to work to ensure a sound program of end user driven research and development is pursued. He was Chairman of the former Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre, and is currently Chair of the NSW Fisheries Research Advisory Body and a Director on the board of OceanWatch Australia.
Bryan Skepper, GM, Sydney Fish Market, has commended each of the men for having played an important role in enhancing the industry in different ways.
“The seafood industry has many advocates and we are proud to see Grahame Turk, Dr Bruce Standen and Peter Dundas-Smith bestowed with awards from the Order of Australia,” Skepper said.
These three have contributed enormously to the seafood industry at both a state and national level over many years, and through their leadership they have helped create a more vibrant and sustainable industry,” he added.
