WEST
COAST DEMERSAL SCALEFISH RESOURCE
551. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the minister's
plan for the west coast demersal fishery, which includes an extended ban that
will impact numerous businesses and communities along the coast.
(1) Was the
minister presented with a set of options for the future of this fishery, other
than the two publicly announced shutdowns?
(2) Did the
government model the economic impact of shutting fishers out for three-quarters
of the year; and, if not, why not?
Mr D.T.
PUNCH replied:
(1)–(2) This
is not the first time that questions have been asked in this place about
demersal fisheries. I want to go back to 2009 when a comment was made in this
place. A member stated —
I have read some of the reports. Do
we sit back and say, ''Too hard. We'll do nothing. We'll
let those species become, if not extinct, in
such limited numbers and so rare that fishing will no longer be a major
recreational and sporting activity in this state''?
That member also said —
� if things are left as they are, the
ability of future generations to go out in a boat and catch demersal fish will
not be there.
Who does the member for Moore think
said that?
Mr R.H. Cook: Who said that?
Mr D.T. PUNCH: Who do we
think said that? It was Hon Colin Barnett, who was the Premier at the time. He
was debating the then government's move to whack a huge tax on
recreational fishing boats to try to dampen down demand—a huge tax. I am
sure that a few members in here would remember that debate. Hon Jon Ford, who
was Minister for Fisheries prior to the Barnett government coming to power,
came up with a plan, part of which was a four-month seasonal closure. It turns
out that an election was called shortly after that and members opposite
campaigned—they did a bit of dog whistling—to bring on and
attract the vote of recreational fishers by offering to soften those closure
periods. What did that government do? It put a boat tax in place and halved the
closure period to two months. Here we are in
2022 and once again we are having to clean up the mess that members opposite
have left, because if that four-month closure
period had been in place, we would not be in the position we are in today.
The government does not treat this
issue lightly. We brought the recreational sector, commercial sector and marine
charter boat industry sector onto the Harvest Strategy Reference Group to have
a good look at this issue. They provided advice to me back in February 2022,
and that advice was quite clear. The first recommendation was —
Following consideration of the
science and the application of the harvest strategy control rules, a 50%
reduction in the current recovery benchmark �
It
will go from 750 tonnes to 375 tonnes. In addition, some secondary measures
were put forward. That recommendation was signed by none other than the
CEO of Recfishwest, members of the commercial sector and all members of the
Harvest Strategy Reference Group. I am happy to table this letter for the
benefit of members opposite.
[See paper 1434.]
Mr D.T. PUNCH: This is a very
significant issue. It is a tough issue. We have requested Recfishwest, the Western
Australian Fishing Industry Council and the marine charter boat industry to
come forward with recommendations on how we might implement a 50 per cent
closure. Make no mistake, members: this will be a 50 per cent reduction in the
mortality rate of demersal fish. That means that fewer fish will die. The
easiest way to make sure that fish do not die is to not take them out of the
water. That is what the industry is saying to us. That is what Recfishwest,
WAFIC and the marine charter boat industry have said to me. It is quite clear.
We put in place a process for
Recfishwest, WAFIC and the marine charter boat industry to look at options, and
they have provided those options to us. All those options have been considered
and are reflected in the proposals that have gone out from the department. This
is despite all the rhetoric, particularly from the shadow spokesperson for
fisheries, who has not even asked for a briefing on the science. This is such a
critical issue for recreational fishers, yet members opposite are so lazy that
they have not even asked for a briefing. No decision has been made at this
point. All that has been put out are the proposals. The submission period will
close on 30 September. I will then re-discuss the issue with WAFIC, Recfishwest
and the marine charter boat industry to look at how we can address this issue.
This issue can be traced directly back to the decision of the Barnett Liberal–National
government to go weak in 2009 and soften the closure period. That has directly
led to the situation now, in which we have had marginal recovery of these
important species. You go and talk to your tackle shops in your area and tell
them what your party did, because this is around your neck!