An election proposal to restrict the fishing of several species in Tasmania until stocks recover to a certain level has been labelled a “disaster” by the state’s peak fishing body.
Independent Franklin candidate Peter George wants to set biomass limits “at or above 50%” to boost fishery productivity.
He is also pushing for real-time reporting of every catch, which would mean fishers would legally have to log every fish, including those they throw back.
TARFish CEO Jane Gallichan said the “nonsense” policy would lead to the “effective closure” of sand flathead, rock lobster, abalone, calamari and striped trumpeter fisheries.
“That’s basically every fish we target, particularly in the south-east,” she said.
“This policy is a direct threat to the Tasmanian way of life and to the thousands of jobs and the regional communities that recreational fishing supports.”
Liberal candidate for Franklin Eric Abetz has also criticised the “extreme green policy”, saying it would destroy Tasmania’s fishing industries and stop people fishing for generations.
He said setting a blanket 50% biomass level would be “devastating”.
“I doubt that any commercial or recreational fishery would be close to that,” he said.
“We have a target of about 40% to 50% and we are managing a lot of the stock back up to those levels.”
George has defended his policy as being “strongly in support of both recreational and commercial fishing”.
He described Abetz’s comments as “simply false”.
“As a minister, Mr Abetz is strongly pushing expansion of industrial salmon farming in Storm Bay, by far the greatest threat to marine life and fishing in state waters,” George said.
“In attacking me, he is doing the work of the salmon barons who have both Labor and Liberal parties in their pockets and are terrified of independents like me being elected.”
