Geelong Star prepares the nets

Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston, has welcomed this week’s discussions between the commercial and recreational fishing sectors on the operations of the factory trawler, the Geelong Star, in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF). 

Senator Ruston thanked both parties for their attendance to a meeting in Canberra and their commitment to working towards mutually beneficial outcomes. But he wider recreational fishing community isn't so sure.

Recreational angling advocates say they were told the Geelong Star is here to stay. So they tried to work out ways to mitigate the potential damage this factory trawler could have on our sport and game fisheries, no tot mention the mammals swept up in the enormous nets.

"While both parties acknowledged that there are difficult issues to work through, both gave their commitment to work together to find ways to co-exist around this shared resource," Minister Ruston claimed.

"Shared use allows Australians to sustainably and profitably achieve the many ongoing benefits including healthy seafood on our tables, valuable exports and recreational enjoyment.

"I was pleased to hear that an outcome from the meeting was a voluntary agreement by Seafish Tasmania that the Geelong Star will not fish in management zone 7 of the SPF until the end of the season on 30 April 2016.

"This is an area nearly 14 times the size of Tasmania and includes the major game fishing ports of Port Stephens and Coffs Harbour in New South Wales to name a few," Senator Ruston said.

However, that leaves the popular NSW South Coast right down and along the East Coast of Tasmania as a targeted fishing areas of the Geelong Star. And it's that bait biomass that supports the fisheries for southern bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and striped marlin.

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

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

"I also look forward to meeting with recreational fishing groups represented at the meeting... to discuss a range of key fisheries policy and management issues outside the SPF,"  she added.

Participants agreed to meet again early in the new year. Rec fishing advocate Alistair McGlashan, who attended the meeting, has also expressed his concern over building support for rec-fishing southern bluefin tuna catch restrictions, despite an increased commercial fishing quota, and talk of new marine parks in the Sydney region.