Factory trawler fishes NSW South Coast

The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF), the peak national body representing Australia’s recreational fishing community, has expressed disappointment and concern that the Geelong Star operators have not heeded advice from ARFF or honoured undertakings made at a meeting with the Government, Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), ARFF and the vessel operators before Christmas.

This follows reports that the Geelong Star has been fishing the popular and iconic recreational fishing grounds off Bermagui on the NSW South Coast in early January holiday time after ARFF advised them not to fish these areas.

A press release from Assistant Minister for Fisheries, Anne Ruston following the meeting stated:

"In addition, Seafish Tasmania also agreed that the Geelong Star voluntarily agreed to avoid fishing near major game fishing tournaments.

The press release also stated:

"The operators of the Geelong Star assured the meeting that best endeavours will be made to minimise interactions between the vessel and recreational fishers."

Of course, these are lip-service comments, gentleman's agreements at best, and with no legal restrictions the factory trawler operators fish where they want.

But that doesn't mean recreational fishers don't feel cheated. In a media statement Mr Allan Hansard, Managing Director of ARFF, said: "We are disappointed that the Geelong Star operators have not honoured these undertakings as the vessel has been reported fishing off Bermagui when the Bermagui game fishing tournament starts on 25 January.

"In addition, we are still in the Christmas, New Year holiday period where thousands of families converge on the south coast of NSW to go fishing. The fishing operations of the vessel were reported to us by recreational fishers in the area, so it is hard to see how the vessel owners are using their "best endeavours" to minimise interactions with recreational fishers.  

"These recent actions have put a cloud over future talks about the operations of the Geelong Star scheduled for early February. Unfortunately, their actions have also brought into question the value of such talks," Mr Hansard concluded.

Meantime, the Geelong Star has again been sighted and identified operating  inshore in Commonwealth waters between Eden and Bermagui. This sighting was via a commercial trap fisher who was searching for his lobster traps off Bermagui which had mysteriously disappeared  from where set. It is suspected that the trap floats and lines may have been unintentionally caught up by the Geelong Star when fishing.

News of the sighting was raised with Australian Fisheries Management Agency (AFMA) in a bid to obtain conformation or otherwise of the Geelong Star fishing in these waters. Due to confidentiality provisions AFMA was not in a position to inform where the Geelong Star was fishing but it did indicate it would investigate the possibility of an interaction between the Geelong Star and another commercial fishing operation. News of the sighting of the Geelong Star off the NSW south Coast went viral on social media over the remainder of the week.

Hopefully, the East Australian Current brings new bait schools to the popular NSW recreational fishing region and the game fish that shadow those schools stick around the area. Anglers invest considerable  time and and money in fishing the NSW South Coast and sustainable sport and game fisheries like those at Bermagui date back decades.

Factory trawlers like the Geelong Star are shunned all around the world for their industrial-scale fishing practices, dolphin and seal deaths, and brazen mentality.