Industry update on demersal fisheries meeting with the Premier
Thank you to all the licence holders on the West Coast who have come together over the last week or so to discuss the commercial fishing closure and to help shape the WAFIC position and next steps.
As you know we met yesterday with the Premier and the Fisheries Minister.
It was a constructive meeting where fishing reforms and the impact of the closure of commercial demersal fishing and commercial shark fishing in the West Coast bioregion were discussed.
We diligently relayed the industry messages formulated in the days beforehand as agreed, providing some examples of how commercial fishing could continue sustainably if it were not a total closure position. We also spoke on the need to run a buyback alongside these suggested solutions to allow commercial fishers to exit with dignity.
We started by setting the scene making clear:
- Inadequate consultation, or provision of any transition timeframe.
- The confidence crisis this has caused across the industry by the sudden and heavy blow.
- The fact commercial fishers have been compliant with all the rules and are now paying for the poor management of the fishery with their livelihoods and businesses.
- Our concerns with the data, and the need to improve the data to improve the science. Including the important role of the commercial sector in achieving this.
- Our concerns with the reallocation of the whole West Coast from commercial to recreational fishing and the anticipated consequences (e.g. Perth Metro)
We then spoke to some industry success stories in recovering fisheries, such as the Gascoyne.
We then spoke to the example solutions by region, and for shark as directed by industry.
We discussed the compensation and the clarity required by industry ASAP.
The Premier and Fisheries Minister have committed to further engagement on sustainable commercial fishing in a way that does not jeopardise at risk species.
The Premier and Minister have committed to forming a Ministerial Advisory Committee which will include fishers directly as the next step to facilitating discussion and progressing some solutions.
The Minister has committed to providing additional information on the buyback ASAP.
In this respect it was a constructive first meeting and we will be in touch shortly with next steps.
Regards
Melissa Haslam