About 50 Queensland fishing families will see the end of their livelihood in November when the government’s ban on in-shore net fishing in three zones comes into effect - but the impact could be felt further.
Rockhampton business Glenmore Seafood sources up to 40 per cent of its fish locally, and owners Mark and Vicki Bush said they would not have bought the business three years ago if they knew this would be on the cards.
The three zones -near Cairns, north of Mackay and on the Capricorn Coast - cover a combined area of about 1400 square kilometres.
“We had absolutely no consultation,” Mr Bush said. “A business like ours specialises in fresh, local seafood, which you don’t get from Coles or Woolies.”
Glenmore Seafoods supplies other wholesalers along the coast as far south as Melbourne and as far west as Longreach, as well as providing local fish to the elderly and customers on specialised diets.
“The income we make from this produce is fed back into our local economy,” said Ms Bush.
What is particularly galling for the Bushes and the affected commercial fishers, however, is that the proposed net-free zones will allow recreational anglers to use bait net, drag nets and cast nets within the net-free zones.
“Bait nets or drag nets do more damage to the juvenile fish than the six inch nets commercial fishers use,” Ms Bush said.
“Commercial fishers are also not allowed to use cast nets or even line fish in the same zone.”
Ms Bush said commercial fishers paid licence fees and undertook safe food accreditation, unlike recreational fishers, and appeared to have all the costs and none of the advantages.
While Minister for Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Bill Byrne announced the government had put aside $10 million to buy back licences and help the commercial net fishing industry adjust to the proposed zones, it is understood this does not extend to associated businesses.
Mr Byrne also said earlier that the government had received over 6300 submissions and over 90 per cent were overwhelmingly for the net-free zones.
His office also pointed out that the previous government had bought back 74 commercial fishing licences over their three years in office at a cost to taxpayers of $9 million.
Ms Bush said even when she and her husband presented figures to Mr Byrne about how they would be affected, this was dismissed.
Meanwhile, their wholesale manager Steven Russell said the business supplied recreational fishers with bait.
“If there is not net fishing, where will they get their bait?” he asked.
Mr Russell dismissed government claims that the ban would boost tourism.
“Why can’t commercial and recreational fishers work in together instead?” he asked.
