After reading the editorial in Queensland Country Life (05-11-15) I am compelled to give the readers the other side of the Net Free Zone (NFZ) story that has seemed to be absent. As a fourth generation primary producer and a member of the Mackay Recreational Fishing Alliance I had been heavily involved in the Net Free debate. Firstly I will say the campaign run by the Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) would have made even the staunchest trade union proud, nothing was out of bounds. The net free advocates on the other hand stuck to the truth and facts and by doing so run a very successful campaign. Even in defeat the same propaganda is still being peddled by those who opposed the NFZ, which by the way were a section of the LNP, commercial fishers and for some reason a few media organisations.
The greatest reason for the mess of Queensland’s fish stocks is the over allocation of commercial fishing licences. The Queensland east coast currently has over 300 large mesh licences whereas the NT has less than 20. The LNP when in government fully backed by the QSIA, partook in a $9 million net buy back scheme with a target of removing 50% of the netting effort from along the east coast. Only 30% of the netting effort was removed thus the problem remained.
With the election of the Labor Party, came the sustainable fishing policy, something that Queensland has been in desperate need of. One could say this policy should finish the job of removing excess fishing effort that the LNP failed to deliver. The policy states that the “fisheries resources should be allocated to those who would provide the greatest economic value from their access”. In short it will convert a $16 a kg Barra caught by a commercial fishermen into $50 + / kg caught by a recreational fishermen or a tourist of which many of these fish will be released to live another day.
The NT has not always been the fishing mecca that it is today, one could say that during the 1980’s, the state of its fisheries was in a very dismal state much like our own. But through successive licence buy backs and the implemented NFZ’s the NT government regained a very productive commercial fishing industry and created a lucrative tourist industry bringing millions of dollars into the state. We here in Queensland are following in the successful footsteps of the NT.
We have just about heard every negative story that the NFZ will generate. The true impact In the Mackay area is that four fishermen licences will be bought out on a voluntary basis. These fishermen will also be entitled to a very generous compensation package. The effort from these fishermen accounted for only 16 per cent of the total estuary fish that is caught annually in the Mackay area. Fresh fish will still be available to the non-fishing public from the vast more productive areas outside of the NFZ area for local commercial fishermen to continue their operations.
What will change is that the average angler will not have to fish for 6.7 hours in order to catch one legal fish. This are the statistics that a recent baseline fishing study of the area has revealed. An economic study for the Mackay area also states that the NFZ has the capacity to generate 66-110 new jobs and raise the Gross Regional Product from $10.4 -$17.4 million dollars. This would seem a reasonable trade-off for $150K (farm gate price of fish).
The recreational fisher fraternity would like to thank the Labor party, Katter party as well as the independent MPs for supporting the NFZ. If the LNP continue not listen to the people that support them they will have to get used to being in opposition.
- John Bennett, Mackay
