WAFIC calls for protection of fisheries resources
Darryl Hockey featured on a talkback segment on 6PR last week where he spoke at length about the need for protection of access to WA’s fishing resources and its importance in ensuring food security for Western Australia.
Western Australia currently imports around 70 percent of its seafood and this will only increase as more waters are shut off from fishing.
The irony is that locking up well managed and sustainable fisheries in WA will simply open doors for more imports from countries running low-cost, unsustainable fisheries.
“The government’s position is to lock up and protect 30 percent of the marine estate. That makes a great headline and call-to-action, however the missing point is that the amount of WA waters currently protected under law today already exceeds 30 percent, so how much more do you want?”
The conversation covered a lot of ground, including the State Government’s plans to expand marine parks and sanctuary zones, as well as how thousands of square kilometres of fishing areas will also be lost to offshore wind farms and other industrial projects. Country of Origin labelling also got a mention.