PUBLIC MISSES OUT IF COMMERCIAL FISHING BANNED

Plans to ban netting by commercial fishermen in Western Port and other parts of the State could deny people the opportunity of purchasing fresh, local fish right across the State, according to The Nationals.

The Nationals Resources and Environment spokesperson Peter Hall attempted to water down legislation to ban netting in Western Port, based on the figures which show commercial and recreational fishing can comfortably co-exist in many areas.

Mr Hall expressed his disappointment that all other parties had meekly ‘rolled over’ in the face of a Government decision to ban netting in Western Port, when the Government’s own figures had shown that the catch had not decreased at all in the last six years.

He also said the action would put at risk the availability of fresh fish to the general public.

“One of the great attractions of going to a coastal area of Victoria is to sample local product,” Mr Hall told Parliament. “Who would not go to Lakes Entrance and buy fish and chips? Who would not go to Welshpool or Corner Inlet and buy fish and chips?

“The attraction of travelling to Lorne or Apollo Bay or Warrnambool is that you can purchase local product. It is the same with restaurants along the Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine Peninsula and all along the coastal areas. You go there and look for local product on the menu.

“(But) in places like Mallacoota, for example, where the government compulsorily closed down commercial netting, there is no local product available for purchase.

“I make the claim that once we close commercial netting in Western Port you will not be able to go to places like San Remo, Cowes, Hastings, Flinders or any of the other communities around the coastal areas of Western Port and purchase locally caught product.

“There will be an impact on businesses such as those in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The tourism industry will also suffer because of the lack of opportunity to supply fresh food and attract people.

“Moreover, the alarming thing is what will happen if this trend continues. It was only a little over 12 months ago that we saw a compulsory closure of commercial fishing in Lake Tyers in Gippsland and also at Mallacoota Inlet. Now we are seeing it being closed in Western Port bay. What will be next?”

Mr Hall quoted from Government sources in regard to fish numbers in Western Port, which demonstrated that fish numbers were not at risk from commercial fishing.

“I refer to a document, produced by the government, by the Department of Primary Industries, entitled Fisheries Victoria Commercial Fish Production Information Bulletin, published in November 2006.
“King George whiting is a very popular species in Western Port. The figures show the actual (commercial) take of whiting from Western Port over the last six years.

“In 1999-2000 the take was 12 tonnes of King George whiting; currently it is 11 tonnes. If you look at the figures throughout you can see that they have been very consistent over that period of time. In 1999-2000 the total catch (commercial and recreational) out of Western Port was 62 tonnes; it is now 56 tonnes. There has been very little variation.”

Mr Hall said the information on snapper showed a similar trend.

He quoted the Fisheries Co-Management Council 2005-06 annual report, which said: In the past few years anecdotal information suggests that anglers in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port bay have experienced the best snapper fishing for decades.’’

Mr Hall added: “It goes on to say: ‘... the estimated total recreational snapper catch taken from Victorian waters was about 475 000 fish that weighed 330 tonnes. In 2000-01 the total reported Victorian catch was 74 tonnes.”

Mr Hall said with just 74 tonnes taken commercially, as opposed to 330 tonnes in an estimated recreational take, less than a quarter of snapper are caught commercially.

“If the fisheries are booming in Western Port, as stated by the co-management council, and if the commercial catch is only about a quarter of that taken by recreational fishers, I again make the claim that the removal of commercial netting from Western Port would have no significant impact on fish resources or resource management in Western Port.”

Mr Hall said the Government’s decision was not based on scientific grounds, but was “ideological, philosophical and political opportunism.”