The 2014 Oil and Gas Season in Review
Fishermen share the fishery with companies that hold leases to explore for, and extract, oil and gas. SETFIA’s policy on the oil and gas industry is that we love their product, want to act like good neighbours but expect the oil and gas proponent to understand who fishes where, when and how the effects of […]
Sub-Antarctic fishery pristine after 16 years of trawling
The Heard and McDonald Island (HIMI) Patagonian Toothfish and Mackerel Icefish fishery is located in the Southern Ocean 3,000 miles south-west from the Australian mainland. An eight year FRDC study has shown that after 16 years of trawling and five years of longlining that 98% of sensitive sea floor biodiversity remains in pristine condition. The […]
Why the fish naming standard must be legislated?
The brown lump of fish to the left is probably a large shark like a Mako Shark, Thresher Shark or Bronze Whaler but was allegedly sold to a Victorian cafe by a Victorian licensed fishermen as gummy shark (the true image of which is pictured on the right). The Association believes that consumers have the […]
Tasmania, open for business?
23 July, 2014. For immediate release. The Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) is considering a motion from the Break O’Day & Northern Midlands councils to lobby the Australian Government to ban certain types of Australian flagged fishing vessels from Australia waters. Mr Simon Boag, the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association’s Executive Officer says […]
Mangrove Jack caught in Eden
This is the second unusual catch for the Eden trawl vessel Imlay, in February they extended the known range of the Queen Snapper by catching one in Eden. This time they have caught what they believe to be a Mangrove Jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) while fishing from Eden on NSW’s south coast. According to the Australian […]
Seabird success
All Commonwealth trawl vessels in South East Australia and the Great Australian Bight already operate under regulated Seabird Management Plans (SMPs) to minimise interactions with seabirds. Compliance with an SMP is a condition on the fishing license. Under these plans all vessels must manage their offal by batching or retaining it (to avoid attracting the […]
New Commission
The Parliamentary Secretary, Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck, has announced the makeup of the new AFMA Commission. The number of part-time Commissioners has been reduced from nine to seven. The appointment and end dates for the part time Commissioners have been staggered providing for better succession in the future. The current Commission has three new […]
Trawl vessels to receive text messages when they transit marine parks
Parks Australia manages six Commonwealth national parks on land, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and Australia’s network of Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Parks Australia is part of the federal environment portfolio in the Department of the Environment. Parks Australia is launching a new alert service to help Commonwealth commercial fishers know when they enter […]
Trawl vessels to receive text messages when they transit marine parks
Parks Australia manages six Commonwealth national parks on land, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and Australia’s network of Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Parks Australia is part of the federal environment portfolio in the Department of the Environment. Parks Australia is launching a new alert service to help Commonwealth commercial fishers know when they enter […]
A global perspective on a local industry: Globalised Seafood Markets and Our Current Position in Them
By Wayne Dredge, Nuffield scholarship recipient. While in New York recently I visited the second largest seafood market in the world, New Fulton Fish Market. It was Easter week so I was dismayed, although not surprised, to discover not one item from Australia. I counted thirty nine represented countries with an extraordinary range of products […]