The Fishing Party

11Watts Close

SINGLETON HEIGHTS NSW 2330

Ph 0265 560338   0408434591  0265 731197  

Fax 0265560338    

Email  sinali@bigpond.com    

sinali@hunterlink.net.au

Issues on The Fishing Party agenda >Fishing related items for Recreational, Commercial, Indigenous; The Chairmans comments

Briefly and not necessarily in priority and originated mainly for NSW reference during and since the development of the party.

Water Quality

Water quality in this country is collapsing at an alarming rate. The impact of human coastal migration and the urban water edge development on top of the already industrialised land use is killing our marine existence. The Government emphasis is avoiding the inevitable. The Government strategy of; emotional divide and conquer is trying to decoy the real issues. They are emotionally sucking up to the Greens on band-aid masquerades. Most river and lake systems are on the verge of environmental collapse and difficult for marine survival.

Part of the strategy would be to re-snag rivers and lakes with old cheap throwaways like wooden railway sleepers, create mini reefs and fish habitat zones. Not all locations would be suitable but surely a target location list could be developed. Small scale efforts by interested groups or divers would not  

Fish Kills

Professor Leon Zann from the Southern Cross University has stated, along with the CSIRO that research has shown that maybe 50% of our coastal fish-stock have been destroyed by major fish-kills. Every water system suffers in one-way or another. Large and small kills occur with some on a continuous basis. Lake Cathie is a good example with not many answers from the bureaucracy.

The Richmond, Clarence and Macleay rivers are some of the larger systems that suffer dramatically.

We need to insist on "investigated reports by EPA" to establish on a predetermined "report-card" what the possible causes, likelihood of future occurrence and suggested means to rectify i.e. 10 questions with 5 or more multiple choices, in a matrix, to determine if any further monitoring is required.

Fishing License

This is the result of a carefully manipulated tax scheme implementation. Anglers have been hoodwinked into believing that this was the only way of getting the Labor Government to do anything for the resource. False. Firstly they already have over $300 million in annual recreational fishing related GST not counting the normal taxes, with NSW getting the major share that should have been put back into the resource by a responsible Government to achieve the same results. Secondly the license is discriminative and is for selective payers. Recreational anglers should not be responsible for the retirement funding of commercial fishers or paying public servants wages. Queensland rejects the license idea as this would be a threat to their tourism (Qld is capable of getting Commonwealth and State and Industry funding to finance their resource by the way), Western Australian Government refuses point blank to establish a license there, Victorians have threatened to burn their licenses on the steps of Parliament. Now there is another third tax in the form of dollar for dollar grants. The Government is now luring the community again with this spin of " We will give you back your own fishing tax money if you match it with some more of your own money" for you to do all the work anyway. This to me means the Government is holding the community at ransom to manage their affairs.

Questions arise here in NSW as to who really pushed for the license implementation and Why?

When getting licensed to legally go fishing there are no qualifying benchmarks, i.e.: anybody can purchase a license, I can get one for my dog if I sign his name, people can buy a license for a Christmas present even. There is not even a verification of names, addresses etc just as long as the Government gets the money. A bit of paper that is destroyed when wet is not very acceptable.

Who Owns What

The resource is community owned. Recreational anglers have the right to go fishing. The non-fishing public are entitled to enjoy the delights of the marine resource and the Indigenous food gathers have the right to their hunting grounds. Should one be favoured over the others, I dont think so.

Suggestions-: Because of the demand the community should be, if legal? be levied eg $0.50/kg and maybe (because its cheaper) $1.00/kg on imported or farmed /aqua to be re-invested in buyouts, fads, ramps etc.

Exported produce- does it attract GST?, and also allow a lot of tax deductions eg fuel to effectively be subsidised by the community, as well as losing their resource into the pockets of a very few (relatively)

Funding

The ruling Government needs to make sure that adequate funding from already paid taxes are made available for proper departmental management without the need to place extra tax burdens on stakeholders. Fisheries, along with National Parks and Wildlife do not receive the appropriate funding to satisfy the inherited responsibility. The dollar for dollar grant scheme associated with the RFL is the greatest rip of and greediest Government ploy ever of public purse. It also should not be the extra responsibility of anglers to pay public servants to do their job.

-         What are the names of Fisheries Officers we supposedly pay for?

-         Why? Is any RFL money used at all. With unfilled job vacancies, and therefore unspent monies already allocated?

Safety

This is a very sensitive issue relating to responsibility and where it lies. Now that fishing has become commercialised with money changing hands there is now a legal entity to duty of care by the authority that is in receipt of the dollars to which I intend to challenge. This safety issue is a can of worms that I will bet Government authorities doesnt want to know about.

Contentious points on safety issue>, Medical> can you read, can you swim, can you read and speak English, have you heart problems.

Further: Can you identify fish, especially poisonous ones, do you understand the powers of the sea, the weather, do you understand bag and size limits. You might think all this sounds silly but 90% of people who go fishing have not got a clue on fishing matters or safety. Some dont care, some dont understand and some arent capable of understanding but you will get a license.

Which leads to>

Education

Starting from youngsters at school right through to Adults of all nationalities. Hands on education would be beneficial to all facets of fishing i.e., environmental, understanding marine life cycles, fish cycles, catch quality, eating, safety, access, habitats etc. If you fish in a nursery you surely will catch small undersize fish and the temptation to keep them is strong if that is all that is there.

There would be no real cost to "establish" this.

No Take Zones

Any scientific evidence that proves and substantiates that this course of regulation increases the bio-diversity of such an area should be laid out on the table as a justification. Areas should not be closed off because of emotional or greenie based pressure, as this is usually an easy accessible safe fishing area close to facilities. Example: Areas such as Cabbage Tree Bay at Manly was one of the safest family fishing spots on our metropolitan coast, now is a no fishing zone because of green pressure and some lies told. If no take zones were to be implemented then surely out of the way areas would be more acceptable.

Marine Parks

Should not be used and highlighted as a fisheries management tool. There is this publicised bureaucratic belief that Marine Parks will sustain our fishery, I do not believe that. Most fish species are migratory or will follow the food chain. Again, it is not a proven fact that, the creations of Marine Parks are any better than before. There is great belief that these parks have been created for the benefit of Eco- Terrorists (Scuba fraternity) and the green agenda. This lot would create sanctuaries for gay sperm whales if they had the chance. Marine Parks strangely and coincidently always depict the best fishing spots, WHY?

Having said that, Marine Parks can be created so long as loss of amenity does not occur or one stakeholder is favoured over another, one out all out I say. I have to say that Marine Park legislation does stop activities such as Mining exploration and Oil drilling so it is good in that sense.

National Parks

Here lies one of the greatest threats to any outdoor activity imaginable. This is the green agenda to lock up Australia. Again, National Parks cannot be managed under the current system. More and more area is being inherited to this green masquerade tree-hugging lot but as we have witnessed all is not well in the Garden of Eden. The opposite results have occurred than what was intended. The green agenda has backfired. We have witnessed enormous disasters recently with massive devastation that I hope (and intend to pursue) will cause a rethink on Policy and Legislation. The unnecessary loss of human lives and more Koala BBQs than you could imagine must change the way National Parks are managed. The economic loss of livelihoods, possessions and memories along with untold wildlife is mind-boggling

We need for starters one access fee for all areas, just like the RFL structure.

Ministerial Appointed Yes Men Committees

I have never agreed with this style of committee. This is not a true representative organization as members are carefully selected that agree with the predetermined agenda. Members who dont seem to fall in line dont last long or cant stand the arrogance and resign. One-sided panels as part of the Judge, Jury and Executioner syndrome cannot see the big picture and that is what should be managed.

Rather I suggest that members be elected by popular vote and have independent status. Another suggestion is a secret ballot on issues to encourage "speaking up"

Wetlands

These are a must for marine nursery protection. You dont have to be a tree hugger to see this type of conservation needs priority but fall victims to development, run-off etc Development lobby seem to get privileged priority.

More IPAs and increased fines for offenders in this area.

Toxic Algae

Algae blooms are becoming more frequent and causing economic downturns in affected communities.

Toxic Algaes have destroyed pristine waterways and destroyed aquaculture. Excessive nutrient run-offs and bad land management practices are catching up with the waterways limitations.

Look at investing in eg, paddle wheels, aeration methods that are transportable to disperse. Funded by?????

Fish Nurseries

Mangroves, natural filter systems such as swamps etc, weed beds, backwaters create fish nurseries that are diminishing with time and human interference. These are the areas that need Special Habitat Protection rather than development approvals.

Manly Gas Works

Progress has been made here with the announcement of remedial drainage work being agreed to by the local committee and consulting group Sinclair Knight Merz. Now all we need is action by the appropriate bureaucrats and some commitment by the Government.

Little Penguins at Manly

Fishermen (Anglers and Commercials) have been wrongly made a scapegoat for the decline in this colony. Feral animals (cats) and foxes and domestic animals and possibly the Manly Gas Works chemical and metal run-off are to be the priority here. Seals have been spotted here as well and would certainly contribute to the penguin decline.

Cabbage Tree Bay

This Manly area has been made the brunt of a green agenda at Manly Council. The so-called protection of the weedy sea dragon, occasional grey nurse shark, a few square metres of sea-grass were the excuses for banning all types of fishing here. No scientific evidence supports these issues to any degree of reasoning. One of the safest family fishing spots in Manly are now out of bounds because of the green influence.

Boat Ramps and Parking

As prime development space becomes less and more expensive, parking for boats and trailers is decreasing. Encroaching residents are now whinging about early morning or nightly noise from anglers with Councils threatening some closures or installing gates with time limits and of course introducing increased fees. I guess if councils close ramps then they dont have to maintain them or be responsible insurance wise either. Fisheries are determined to confine anglers into designated areas but there is not the same agenda to create better facilities, launching ramps or secure parking. This push will create more ramp rage and fights over parking and probably theft. Anglers confined to certain areas also make for easier compliance and scrutiny. Development proposals should have ramp facilities as a matter of a community contribution as part of approval qualifications. 

Beach Access

One of the most controversial fishing issues confronting the fishing community these days is 4wd on beaches and beach access. Over the last 10 years the coastal communities have seen a steady human migration and now at a faster rate. More people are retiring to the water or leaving the land. We now have an older population who like to wet a line up the beach and who are not athletes or a member of Bob Carrs green bushwalking folly. Beach access can be sustained with proper management, not banned because somebody saw a tyre mark on the sand 2 klms along a beach somewhere. National Parks are closing beach access tracks all up and down the coast for reasons that defy logic. Vandals have now a better variety and more vehicles to attack that are in roadside parks many klms from where the owner is supposedly enjoying himself.  It has to stop.

Headland Access

Here again tracks are being closed off due to greenie pressure and National Parks. A locked gate means less maintenance, less insurance responsibilities and less compliance. A proper maintained access track benefits a lot of people including NPWS, RFS, and takes away the need for mindless users to bulldoze their own track out of frustration.

The Greenies

The Greens these days seem to be focusing on issues that oppose outdoor activities. No group is beyond green condemnation. The radical Greens want it all. To them there is no difference between preservation and conservation. Fishermen, Horse Riders, 4WDs, Hang Gliders, Boaters, Campers, Trail Bikes, Beekeepers and probably even bird watchers are on their hit list. There must be a balance and sanity must prevail. Tree huggers need to get a life and live outside the square. The problem is they seem to have an influence over Governments these days especially in NSW.

Grey Nurse Shark Sanctuaries

Up until a few years ago the same proponents of the current saviour programs slaughtered these sharks. There appears to be a determined decoy towards recreational fishers and on probably rare occasions this does occur and Grey Nurses are hooked but there are more destructive reasons for their decline than will be admitted. Lies have been told on this issue to over emphasis the low numbers of shark sightings. There is a perceived agenda on this issue to allow only the scuba terrorists to have access to these magnificent fishing grounds because of the eco dollars and of course the Government collects more taxes from this thriving business. My question is; Are there young sharks and if the answer is no then WHY? My guess is the reason is from more than fishing deaths. I would want scientific tests carried out on the reproductive organs and reactions to toxins and chemicals that are being pumped into the oceans from outfalls. The current recreation fishing rules introduced by Fisheries to these sanctuaries are stupid and are an insult to accomplished anglers. Ban all electronic repellents for these terrorists in all sanctuaries not just GNS ones.

Opening up Coastal Lakes

The coastal lake systems in NSW are now at a danger level of survival.

Most are sanded up at the entrances and have little or no tidal flow or water exchanges.

The green agenda of letting nature take its course is no longer valid. There now needs to be human intervention of some degree. Some systems need only minor help but a majority need major help, whether it is dredging or bulldozers, sand has to be shifted to get clean fresh sea water back into the systems. Some systems are completely blocked and are now lice riddled shallow infestations that were once a thriving marine resource and a Mecca for the fishing community and tourists. Its these systems that are getting shallower by the day because of sediment settling in the still water. I think this is also the reason that these lakes are now slightly higher than the outside ocean and would probably drain on opening. Too long the so-called do-gooders have left it to nature for. Lets change that idea with some Government commitment instead of sucking up to the Greens.

Sewerage Outfalls

This bandaid problem solver is going to destroy our marine world. It might not happen next year or the year after but it will happen. I believe there is enough evidence on the table now to indicate something is changing to the marine environment. More and more viruses and disease are occurring in the resource. The bureaucrats keep saying it is all-natural but that excuse is getting boring and outdated. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. If you keep pissing in the wardrobe the boards will rot, let alone the overpowering smell. There needs to be alternative ways of waste disposal or usage for the human race.

Baitfish

Baitfish is the lifeblood of the marine resource. The pressure that this specie must resist for survival is tremendous and comes from all sides on a continual attack. This bottom of the food chain is like money to humans, no money means starvation and death. Baitfishes need to be carefully managed. Some areas need more human protection than others as baitfish masses differ with locality. Commercial harvesting needs to be strictly monitored or in some areas banned as not to exceed recovery rate.

There has always been a conflict between commercial and recreational bait fishers that needs to be addressed.

Bait Collecting

 This is a fundamental right of anglers. Bait should not be wasted for the sake of having too much.

I would encourage anglers to collect their own for a number of reasons. To get a better understanding of fish habitats, eating habits, less pressure for commercialised bait netting and the use of artificial bait for the same reasons.

Commercial Fishing

Commercial fishing has been a tremendous food industry for the populations. Unfortunately successive Governments have turned a blind eye on its management. For the fishing resource to be sustainable there needs to be TACs (total allowable catches) applied. There is a problem today of blaming commercial fishermen for the downturn in stocks. I believe that this is only partly true and only part of the downturn in fish-stock numbers, as this reality does exist but to put the blame in proper context commercial fishers are legally licensed to plunder by the appropriate authorities. Even now with commercial buyouts there is still no restrictions. What is the difference whether 2,000 commercial fishers take 1,000 tons of fish or whether 1,000 commercial fishers take the same 1,000-ton? There is no green dividend and recreational anglers have been hoodwinked by emotional political propaganda and forced into taking the financial brunt of contributing extra taxes to the Government coffers. Commercial fishing is a fundamental right also, for the non-angling but fish eating public. To be fair I must say that Recreational anglers must realise that they do not own the resource outright. I also have to say that since deregulation of the commercial fishery more scope exists for the black market to thrive. I would also say that this undeclared business is now more prevalent than ever and goes relative unchecked.

The rise in export tonnage has to be addressed, the demand is unlimited, the supply is not. TACs to be penalised if an increase in exports results in a scarcity or increase in price for local community. The loss in GST is to the advantage of overseas employers (effectively)

Compensation

This is my biggest bugbear with Government policy. Recreational anglers (some) should not be solely responsible for commercial fishers compensation or retirement payouts. Anglers did not have a say in the issuing of commercial fishing licenses to begin with but have been conned and decoyed with the emotional allocation of fishing havens to lure them on one hand and then take away other top fishing

spots with the other sleight of hand. In the meantime the Government keeps on collecting the taxes and I would say that more will be collected if there is an increase in angling activity. Also I have to say that the Government has not told the anglers publicly that they have borrowed $20 million dollars from Treasury on their behalf to pay this compensation and that anglers will have to pay interest on this as well in the payback. Wee should be lobbying for the cancelling of the RFL debt and for the Government  (via consolidated revenue) to match $ for $ any Recreational initiative.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture! At What Cost

Will it solve the problems or create irreversible environmental catastrophes. Will it break investors hearts and who will compensate them if it does. Is the wild fishery being closed down so seafood prices will rise to justify the high cost of Aquaculture?

These are just some of the questions the NSW Government doesnt want asked as most Australians enjoy a good feed of some type of seafood. 

As usual the Government spin-doctors saturate the media on how good they are (especially before an election) in creating these wonderful new ventures but alas! All is not rosy in the Garden of Eden as only the good parts get the attention.

In saying this I must agree that aquaculture sounds exciting but fraught with danger.

Is the NSW Government push on aquaculture putting the cart before the horse? I think so, or is theyre a dollar windfall lurking for the Government.

Firstly, there seems to be a very poor standard of science in association with our marine environment. Most decisions are made on emotions and precautionary principles rather than scientific fact.

Then we have poor environmental factors with water quality collapsing at an alarming rate, whether it is inland or coastal; there is rapid decline in marine habitat and survival conditions.

Evidence suggests that 99% of our waterways are suffering from some form of environmental catastrophe as witnessed in the Healthy Rivers Report. Water quality will not only kill Aquaculture, it is destroying the wild infrastructure. Every day we hear about some form of marine kill or disease or algal bloom or unknown virus and the excuse of it all being "Natural Causes" is getting boring and past belief. Band-aid decisions are only prolonging the outcome.

The NSW Government is seen as being supported and dependent on the development lobby for their power base, so there seems to be a reluctance to fall fowl of this support.

Let's look at whats happening on the coastal scene with aquaculture.

The oyster industry which is the "canary in the coalmine" of our waterways tells us the story of a failing environment. The shallowing of estuary systems causing restrictive water exchanges and even some systems completely closing off from the oceans are causing this industry major concerns, despite what the Government spin doctors' say. It might sound all right for the greenies to promote nature taking its course but nature needs a hand here to overcome the human problem. Disease is spreading, viruses are becoming more frequent with some of these resulting in oyster farmers loosing up to 80% of their product without compensation as we witnessed in Lake Wonboyn. Farmers spend up to three years on each crop only to lose it because of water quality. Some river systems such as the Hunter are now just degraded polluted drains.

With the threat of other species of oysters taking over (some say these are experiments gone wrong) and with this spreading QX disease this industry could again be devastated. Of course the Oyster Industry has not escaped the forever-increasing Government money grab either, as fees and charges placed on farmers rising by up to 3,000%

Next the Abalone is in trouble with a worm infestation indicating something terrible is wrong. Incredibly and maybe coincidently Abalone spat was introduce and seeded to bays and inlets on the NSW coast not so very long ago by Fisheries and now there is a ban on taking any Abalone from Port Stephens to Eden! Incidentally also this industry has been the focus of intense scrutineering involving a large costly labour force, so no wonder the ban came so easily.

Next we have the finfish aquaculture, a high cost process of fish farming. This process involves destroying some form of other marine resource to feed the fish up for sale. Sounds good but results of escapees being caught in the wild with some being drastically deformed causes concern for the wild stock. Antibiotics, along with added chemicals not only enter the fish but also enter the surroundings through droppings and tidal flow. We have also been witness to Genetically Modified fish specimens that are developing overseas into the ideal way for investors to make a quick buck. This has got a long term potential to expand to the rest of the world, which includes Australia. Short term might not see any changes occurring but what is the long-term affect on the wild surrounds? This is not just pointing the finger at NSW.

It has been witnessed in Scottish and Northern Hemisphere Sea farming stocks where years of work have had to be destroyed because of disease and unacceptable levels of contamination. Here in NSW we have witnessed waterways along the entire coast suffering fish kills, some of horrendous proportions and nobody seems to have come up with an answer except the 'natural cause' one. Our coastline has been subjected to huge algal outbreaks indicating high levels of nutrients but with sewerage outfalls continuing to discharge their contents (sometimes untreated and frightening in content and increasing in volume) attraction of unwanted viruses and diseases is just a formality that will invade our marine stocks if it is allowed to continue.

Next we have the prawns. NSW has a wonderful array of prawns of which a majority of Australians relish.

Without good water quality and wetlands and breeding grounds this delicacy will decline. There has already been some disease scares for this resource with prawning and fishing stopped for a while recently down south in Victoria from a virus. The white spot disease has been the cause of concern here in NSW and is probably just a matter of time before something like this happens. The current fisheries management plans are based on increasing the importation of seafood, whilst putting increased pressure on somebody elses fishery. Some of this will come from overseas and no matter what happens no amount of Government spin and excuses will justify a disease slipping through and causing more destruction. So now we have prawning aquaculture, great you say. Prawning aquaculture has the most devastating potential for environmental disaster. Firstly this industry needs the right seasonal conditions to survive, then it has an environmental responsibility with the effluent waste i.e. nutrients, chemical additives, food source, and now because only a certain type pf prawn is capable of being aquaculture there is a new disaster looming. The farmed prawn has apparently escaped in quantity from the Clarence area about two years ago, it has been found down in the Manning River in NSW. This prawn has the capability of preying on other prawns. Last year these prawns were small, about four or five inches long and were caught in about half kilo per day quantities. This year they have been caught ten inches long but are fairly quick on the move and most escape the type of prawning method carried out. Concern is already being talked about because of the small amount of prawns available in the river this year and it might not be all attributed to the drought. Concerns are also being raised as to why Indonesian prawn specie is being farmed in Australia.

As you can see there are problems facing the Aquaculture industry, which this Government or any Government must address.

The Fishing Party suggestion is the formation of a Task Force or maybe a Coastal Lakes Commission given the finances and power to commence action and in affect would take away the Ministerial Authority to be Judge, Jury and Executioner.

Commonwealth Fisheries

The Offshore Constitutional Settlement between the States depicts management deficiencies. Dual Com/State commercial fishing licenses are lawless. There is a problem with fish sizes as Commonwealth Fisheries do not have size restrictions and this reflects at the point of sale with these dual license holders. The slimy mackerel issue highlights these problems along with the Flathead fishery in the South East Trawl. NSW Fisheries has 20 purse seine boats under its jurisdiction that fish inside the three-mile zone and that creates friction between recreational and commercial fishers. South of Barenjoey the Commonwealth Fishery starts from the shoreline and there is no State three-mile limit. In essence the tiger flathead here are under Commonwealth jurisdiction and that means no size limit.

The Japanese tuna quota has been increased to the final allocation contractual limit. Where this ends is anybodies guess for the future.

Why does Fisheries and AcoRF allow this to happen? Set sensible size limits.

Total Allowable Catches

I see this as an important ingredient of sustainability of the resource. I am not against commercial fishing for a number of reasons and I believe both recreational and commercial fishers can share the resource but there is no limit on what can be harvested, it is an open chequebook and probably there needs to be some sort of independent scientific examination of stocks.

Fish Exclusion Devices

I believe that this is a priority to be adopted in fish harvesting and not enough independent study has been done on the harvesting of marine resources. Some current methods might have to be totally banned, other methods modified or completely changed.

Spawning Fish Stocks

This is the area that needs to be protected because if stocks are continually taken before they spawn the overall specie mass will be eventually decreased. The most damage to stocks occurs at this time. Also what is the point of flooding the markets and receiving very little money for the catch? To me a commercial fisher is better off having a reasonable income spread out over the year where he gets fair prices most of the time and not get a transport bill instead of a cheque.

Suggestion is that no netting allowed in spawning, for specific target specie, eg even if netting for other specie the closed specie must be released.

Closed Seasons

As seen with the inland Trout fishery there should be consideration given to having closed seasons for both recreational and commercial fishers around spawning periods.

Only recommend eg 3 times at 7 days, over 2 or 3 months i.e. specific moon phase related, and only line caught (if necessary to release breeders)

Bag Limits

Sensible bag limits should apply to anglers catches. The black market exists here amongst recreational anglers just as much as commercial fishers but that should not stop honest anglers from getting a good catch. Bag limits are rarely achieved these days and suspicion must be raised on anglers who continually do so. Bag limits are the way of fisheries management on species that are in decline.

There is one thing to remember here and that is that one pair of mature breeding bream have the potential to produce the entire bream catch of NSW (theoretical). Anglers should be encouraged to only take what they need for a reasonable food source. Target and increase fines to those that buy as well as sell to deter.

Public demand on resource

Public demand for good quality seafood is rapidly increasing. I dont blame people for wanting to eat seafood as it is not only delicious but is recommended for medical reasons. Every nationality has a different view and value on what they like to eat. It could be also part of their custom. Sustaining this resource is the priority, which incorporates more than perceived overfishing. One of the problems I see is that bureaucrats are pushing this problem onto other areas rather than managing our own resource.

Importation of seafood

Danger exists in this form of food source. The danger is disease and viruses that have the potential to wipe out Australian marine products. We have already witnessed what can happen with viral diseases that virtually wiped out the pilchard population. The tuna had a scare with huge deaths of farmed stock. Tasmania nearly suffered the potential loss when salmon were going to be imported before the public uproar. White spot in the prawn industry is their biggest scare. Why do we import inferior seafood when we have first class local products?

Whole of Government responsibility

Our marine resource needs more than just Fisheries management. The resource survival depends on all facets of proper policy structure. Currently legislation gives the NSW Fisheries Minister the job of judge, jury and executioner as we can see in the run up to the election. Fisheries Management appears to be mainly politically motivated to maximise the vote potential. This brings back the water quality issue that Governments avoid. Even the Greens are decisively invisible on this issue. For over 200 years Fisheries have mismanaged this resource. Our rivers and lakes are dying and not just because of drought. Government needs to address this issue and prioritise.

Further Information:

Robert Smith

Contact as above.