Super trawler update

Expert panel to assess impacts of factory fishing

Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has announced an expert panel to assess the environmental impacts of the super trawler on Australia's small pelagic species and the fish and marine life that feed on them.

Mary Lack is the chair and director of fisheries-management-consulting company Shellack, with more than 25 years experience in Australian and international fisheries management and governance, Burke states.

The other members of the panel include Professor Peter Harrison, who has more than 30 years experience in marine science research; Associate Professor Simon Goldsworthy, who has been undertaking research in marine biology for more than 20 years; and Dr Cathy Bulman, a senior fisheries biologist with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

The four member panel will carry out an extensive assessment of the environmental impacts of large mid-water trawl freezer vessels in the Small Pelagic Fishery under national environment law.

"Last year the Gillard Government made changes to national environment law which allow me to stop new types of commercial fishing activities in Commonwealth waters when there is uncertainty about their environmental impacts,'' Mr Burke said.

"The expert panel will assess the declared commercial fishing activity to determine if the proposed fishing activity would adversely impact the Australian environment.

"I have chosen the members of the panel based on their strong experience and expertise across a range of scientific and fisheries management disciplines. The terms of reference for the new expert panel have been developed in consultation with the Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig," claims Burke.

The report from the expert panel must be presented to the Minister by October 22, 2014, at which time a decision will be made as to the future of this kind of fishing activity.

The full terms of reference for the panel are available at http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/fisheries/commonwealth/pelagics.

AFTA POSITION

Meantime, the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) has called on the Government to honour its commitments to all Australians in relation to the super-trawler issue.

The call comes in response to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) asking for comment on an application for the Super Trawler the FV Abel Tasman to process fish from the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF).

ARFF Managing Director Allan Hansard said: “This appears to be a backdoor way for Seafish Tasmania to get the super trawler access to our waters. We understand that under the application, the FV Abel Tasman will act as a processing and freezing vessel to be fed by smaller trawlers that will do the fishing.

“However, under the definitions in the Fisheries Management Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, fishing means ‘the processing, carrying or transhipping of fish that have been taken.’As such, this application should be covered by the same legislation that has banned the super trawler from fishing for two years.

“We call on Minister Burke to do what he said he would do and immediately form the Review Committee to assess the fishing activities of the Super Trawler," says Hansard.

BACKGROUND

Seafish Tasmania -- the company responsible for bringing the super trawler Margiris (now the Abel Tasman) to Australia -- has applied to use the super trawler as a freezer factory for smaller trawlers to unload their catch onto for processing (transhipment). This is despite the two-year ban and the review of super trawler impacts that hasn't even begun yet.

Adding to the farcical tangle of events, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority asked for submissions from the public just three days prior to a shutoff date of Monday January 28, that is, over the Australia Day long weekend!

The super trawler pictured above is the offending Margiris aka Abel Tasman after it docked at Port Lincoln in August, 2012, Photo courtesy of Greenpeace.

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Super trawler update

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