Lobster catch sinks to new low
Posted on May 17, 2010, 8:08am
A Port MacDonnell fishing veteran has warned the state of the southern =
zone
rock lobster fishery has spiralled into its worst state in living memory.
Port MacDonnell Professional Fisherman’s Association secretary =
Lionel
Carrison — who has been a part of the sector for more than =
50 years — yesterday
issued a warning about the future sustainability of the fishery.
The sector generates millions of dollars for the Mount Gambier and =
district
economy, creates hundreds of jobs and underpins a thriving export =
industry.
The fishery’s stocks have been on a downward slide since the boom =
years
earlier this decade.
While professional fishers are reeling from the low catch rates, fears =
have
also emerged the prolonged downturn is beginning to hurt the viability of =
live
export factories operating along the coastline.
“A lot of people are worried about the situation, a lot of our =
members are
concerned,” Mr Carrison said.
“They don’t want further restrictions, but they also =
don’t want the state of
the fishery to get worse.”
He said some fishermen had already pulled their pots for the season =
because
of the rising cost of additional fishing days and the impossibility of =
catching
their quota.
“Fisherman have very little hope of catching their quota again this =
season,”
said Mr Carrison, who predicted the sector would be 100 tonne short this =
season,
despite the reduced quota.
He said during the booms times fishermen were pulling in on average 124kg =
per
landing, but were now just hauling in “four, eight, 10 or 20kg =
per day.
“We have been concerned about the sustainability of the fishery for =
a number
of years,” he said.
“We have seen the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) go too high and the =
fishery has
been overfished.”
Mr Carrison said the Port MacDonnell association had written to the
government asking that October and May be closed to fishing in a bid to build =
up
lobster eggs.
However, he said a cabinet reshuffle after the election had seen Michael
O’Brien replace Paul Caica as Fisheries Minister and he would need to =
be briefed
by his and departmental advisors.
He said the majority of fishers across the fishery had so far rejected
the call.
South East Professional Fishermen’s Association president Joel =
Redman said it
was too early to make a decision because the independent scientific research =
had
yet to be fully analysed.
“We are not ruling anything out,” Mr Redman said.
He said a state management plan was yet to be finalised and the =
association
was providing critical input into the document.
“We want to assess the independent scientific review of the current =
season
before making any decisions for next season,” Mr Redman said.
However, he said it was vital any decisions were not made too late before =
the
next season to avoid impeding the restructuring activities of =
fishers.
The government is yet to announce what the TAC will be for the 2010-11
season.