Seafish has its say

We recently ran a story on the imminent arrival of a new super trawler to our waters which posed a few questions about super trawlers and the company which proposes to operate them. If you missed the story, you can read it <a href=".

"Seafish Tasmania plans to turn an under-valued fishery of Jack Mackerel, Redbait, Blue Mackerel and Sardines (the Small Pelagic Fishery) into a valuable, nutritious and affordable source of seafood for Australian consumers and for world markets.

"Seafish Tasmania is investing to bring some of the world’s best fishing technology to the fishery.

"This fishery stretches from Queensland to Perth and has typically been fished by a few small trawlers with limited range and no ability to keep the fish fresh. These small trawlers therefore sell their fish into processing as fish food for aquaculture.

"Seafish Tasmania will add value to this fishery by fishing sustainably and preserving the catch for human consumption.

"Seafish Tasmania’s flagship vessel, the Geelong Star, is equipped to target only quota species, and to fish out to sea, well away from recreational fishing areas.

"The Geelong Star is a 95m long mid-water trawler with on-board processing and freezing capacity. The vessel is one third smaller than the Abel Tasman, the vessel that Seafish brought to Australia in 2012, and smaller than other vessels currently fishing in Australian waters.

"Small pelagic fish are rich in omega 3 oils, and need to be managed carefully to avoid spoilage. On-board freezing will retain nutritional values and suitability for human consumption.

"Seafish Tasmania, through sustainable quota limits imposed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) aims to fish 16,500 tonnes of Jack Mackerel, Redbait and Blue Mackerel per year. This is less than half the total sustainable quota determined by AFMA for the fishery. The total quota is set at less than 7.5% of the estimated biomass of target species.

"Chairman of the SPFIA Grahame Turk said the fishery has been subject to significant research and assessment over many years. That research is updated with current egg count studies for key species and from data where fishing occurs.

“Seafish Tasmania has asked the global NGO the Marine Stewardship Council to assess this fishery, and if the fishery meets the MSC criteria for sustainable fishing, to certify it accordingly. MSC assessment is concerned with the sustainability of the fish stocks as well as ensuring that best practices are used to avoid by-catch and to look after the health of the ecosystem,” Mr Turk said.

“Seafish Tasmania’s investment in this fishery will create many skilled and unskilled jobs for Australians on-board the vessel, and on land to support the vessel and to transport and market the catch.

"Seafish Tasmania’s harvest strategy, commitment to sustainable fisheries management, the scrutiny of MSC assessment and the technology onboard the Geelong Star, creates a new high water mark for sustainable fishing in Australian waters,” Mr Turk said.

"When The Geelong Star begins fishing later this year her home port will be Geelong, Victoria."