Seafood industry Brisbane rally condemns gillnet fishing ban

A crowd estimated at around 100 condemned the plan, saying it was out of step with public sentiment, and was done without any consultation with the people affected.

The state's fishing fraternity found out via a joint media release on June 5, World Environment Day, that gillnet fishing would be banned in waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Two months later the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation handed down a draft decision not to list the Great Barrier Reef in danger, citing "significant progress" being made on climate change, water quality, and sustainable fishing by the Australian government.

One of those impacted by the gillnet fishing ban, Alva Beach fisherman Neil Green warned that once it took effect, it would not only see about 2000 tonnes of wild-caught fish disappear from the market, forcing up prices, but would have a flow-on effect to communities.

"According to Burdekin Shire Council figures, the closure in Ayr alone will have a $12m impact annually, and 37 jobs will go in the shire," he said. "The government says there will be a loss of 90 jobs in the state, but that doesn't take into account the knock-on to equipment suppliers, ice makers, chandlers, boat sellers, mechanics, delivery drivers, wholesalers and retailers."

An earlier rally in Ayr in July saw 400 people turn out from the Gulf to the Sunshine Coast, which Mr Green said represented "a huge show of support for continued supply of wild-caught fresh fish to seafood-lovers".

"We're supporting this rally in Brisbane now because we've become the sacrificial lambs," he said.

"This is management by media release - we had no warning, no consultation and there's no science.

"Gillnet fishing is completely sustainable and has been conducted in North Queensland waters for more than a century.

"This decision has been taken to mollify UNESCO."

He said the threat by the international agency to declare the reef, a world heritage site, in danger and to embarrass the Australian government internationally, had the government running scared.

"It's blackmail and the state government has been dragged into it."

State Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said both governments had made a "tough but necessary decision, as recommended by UNESCO, to phase out gillnet fishing to protect the Great Barrier Reef for future generations".

"Ultimately this is about ensuring we protect the reef, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, for our children and our children's children, and conforming with the required recommendations of the UNESCO report," Mr Furner said.

He acknowledged the changes would have significant impacts on some fishers, and said $160m in joint state-Commonwealth assistance was being provided, and an independent Future Fisheries Taskforce established to oversee that.

Mr Green's daughter, Sienna Green, 26, has had her professional fishing licence for six years and said she didn't want compensation, she wanted to continue fishing.

"My partner Dale and I have invested a lot of money in purpose-built nets, in a boat valued at $12,000," she said. "Our resource is organic, it's on our doorstep in abundance - we're going to keep fighting this."

She said they had considered moving to the Gulf of Carpentaria to continue their business but were wary of changes there as well.

"You just can't trust the government," she said. "Today's been good, to get the true story out to people."

Mr Green said they'd given Mr Furner an alternative plan and asked to discuss it but hadn't had a reply.

"I think he knows he can't back up what he's saying," he said.

"We've asked to continue net fishing in Queensland waters from low tide in creeks and rivers.

"We want 0.02 per cent of Great Barrier Reef water, to support businesses and our consumers.

"That's where we fish now, in mosquito-ridden mangroves and creeks.

"The nearest reef is 60 kilometres out.

"Offshore nets would have to go, be bought out, but we've been dragged into this."

Mr Green added that local Indigenous elders speaking at the Burdekin rally questioned the lack of consultation with themselves.

LNP Senators Susan McDonald and Jonno Duniam have added their concerns to the decision, saying that appeasing UNESCO will result in food shortages, higher costs and more pain for primary producers.

While welcoming UNESCO's decision to continue to leave the Great Barrier Reef off its 'in danger' list, they say gillnet fishing is just one of 10 priority recommendations devised by UNESCO and subsequently endorsed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

The agreed recommendations include a 'significant' scaling up of adoption, monitoring and enforcement of various cane and banana farming best practices, land buybacks, grazing land restoration and dam restrictions.

Ms McDonald, the opposition spokesperson for Northern Australia, and Mr Duniam, opposition environment spokesperson, have called on Ms Plibersek to reveal exactly how and when the federal government plans to implement all of the 10 recommendations.

They are also urging her to sit down with commercial fishers and strike a more balanced outcome.

"Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek also need to explain exactly how hard - if at all - they pushed back against UNESCO's directives," Ms McDonald said.

"UNESCO's recommendations will radically change how we farm and fish in this country, so Labor must come clean with the Australian people.

"Time and again, Labor doesn't want to know the impacts of their laws; they just dictate and push them through."

Mr Duniam criticised the lack of input fishing businesses had been given to the decision, despite efforts over a number of years to minimise by-catch and harm to dugongs and turtles.

"If you want local, fresh, wild-caught fish, sustainably raised beef and fresh produce, rather than being forced to eat imported food, you should be furious about what Labor is doing to the Australians who provide it," he said.