Agreement on super trawler imminent

The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), the national organisation representing the interests of Australia’s recreational fishing community, has announced that discussions with the Small Pelagic Fishing Industry Association (SPFIA), the organisation representing the operators of the super trawler Geelong Star, had progressed in order to address concerns about the impact of fishing of the small pelagic fishery (SPF) on recreational fishers and the broader community.

Commonwealth Government permission for the Geelong Star to fish the SPF has been granted despite the ARFF's ongoing concerns.

The ARFF tabled a proposal to the SPFIA on its concerns and how it believes any impacts of industrial-scale fishing of the SPF on recreational fishing can be minimised by managing where and when vessels fish, and ongoing research into fishing the SPF on the impacts of recreational fishing.

The ARFF proposal recognises that the SPF is a very important fishery for Australia’s recreational fishers. What happens in the fishery can have impacts on Australia’s recreational fishers now and for the future:
>> The SPF covers a large proportion of Australia’s coastline including all of our major capital cities and regional centres, from Brisbane, south to Sydney and Hobart, across to Melbourne and Adelaide and Perth.
>> The SPF covers some of Australia’s most iconic recreational fishing grounds.
>> Under legislation for this fishery the Geelong Star can fish within three nautical miles of these population centres and iconic fishing locations at any time of the year.
>> Small pelagic fish are a major food source within the marine food web that includes key recreational species such as southern bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, marlin and kingfish.

Recreational fishing in Australia generates an estimated $10 billion a year and creates tens of thousands of jobs through out metropolitan and regional communities. We don’t want this put at risk and there is no reason that it should be.

The ARFF says it is pleased that the SPFIA is considering its proposal in good faith. ARFF has established a working group and this group will advance the discussions toward an agreement on where and when the vessel will fish as well as an on-going research program. An agreement on these issues is expected by the end of next week.