Action Supermarkets and Theodosios Kailis, of the Kailis and France Group were last week presented with the Australian Seafood Industry Awards ‘Seafood Business of the Year’ and the ‘Seafood Industry Icon’ awards respectively. The awards, which included a number of Western Australian finalists, marked the conclusion of the Sydney seafood industry conference, Seafood Directions 2005, recognising and rewarding excellence within the Australian seafood industry. In the Business of the Year award, Action was up against a range of businesses including the Sydney Fish Markets. The award recognised is presented to a seafood business involved in commercial fishing, aquaculture, processing, wholesale, export, import, retail, tourism, transport or other seafood related activity, that has demonstrated business growth, innovation, excellence in product, service, marketing and made a significant contribution to the future of the seafood industry. Mr Kailis and the Kailis and France Group faced opposition from fellow finalists Australia Bay Seafoods at Fisherman’s Wharf in Darwin, in the North-ern Territory and Rick Morgan of Morgan’s Seafood in Redcliffe, Queensland. The award is presented to an indiv-idual, company or organisation whose contribution has been judged by the Australian Seafood Industry Council as having made a very real and positive difference to the industry, including outstanding contributions over a sustained period of time and the establishment of positive, precedent setting outcomes that have secured a more secure future for the industry.Other WA finalists were Kailis Bros. Fish Café, Leederville, in the Seafood Restaurant Award, Fremantle Octopus, O’Connor, in the Research and Development Award, Jenny Hodder from Wembley in the Seafood Industry Promotion Award, Catalano Seafoods, Bassendean, and Challenger TAFE – WA Maritime Training Centre – Fremantle & Tiger Fisheries groups, which were finalists in the Seafood Training Award.