Yorke Peninsula businesses fear snapper fishing ban would cut tourism, economy
Business owners on Yorke Peninsula are reeling from a proposed three-year snapper fishing ban, saying it would hurt the local tourism economy — while fishing-supply stores are already cutting jobs.
- Snapper fishing ban for three years shocks anglers
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Yorke Peninsula businesses are bracing for a downturn on the back of a potential three-year snapper fishing ban.
The state government put out a consultation paper this week on the management of snapper stocks. In a move that shocked many, one option was a complete statewide ban for snapper fishing for three years, starting October 1.
The other option was to ban snapper fishing in SA, except in the southeastern section, which would be subject to lengthy seasonal closures and other measures to restrict catches.
The proposed ban comes on the back of snapper stocks in Gulf St Vincent decreasing by 87 per cent across the past five years and by 23 per cent in the Spencer Gulf.
Port Hughes General Store owner Mark Crocker feels the state’s snapper stocks should have been better managed years ago, so both the fishing industry and the towns reliant on it were not facing such an extreme scenario.
While Port Hughes is renowned for its King George whiting fishing, Mr Crocker said the town was a “huge” snapper fishing area, especially during the summer holidays.
“We can get up to 300 boats going out from here on one day over summer,” he said.
“Even last week, in the middle of winter, we had 200 boats go out on one day.”
Mr Crocker said this demand for the “big two” — whiting and snapper — had driven growth at Port Hughes in a major way.
“I’ve been in this store coming on 15 years, and I’ve seen the fishing sector grow significantly. We get so many tourists here and that many boats,” he said.
Mr Crocker is concerned about what could happen to stocks of other fish species like whiting if the snapper ban is brought in.
“I think if people can’t catch snapper, they’ll just go chasing whiting, snook or squid instead, and that will put pressure on those stocks,” he said.
“The other thing I’d ask is, where does it stop? Could this mean two years down the track fishing for whiting could be banned as well?”
Mr Crocker believes while he will not be hit as hard as other businesses, there will still be income losses.
“We’re really pretty lucky here at Port Hughes, we have a jetty, caravan park and beautiful beaches people will come for anyway,” he said.
“But I still feel I will lose a percentage of my business, because I sell a lot of bait and berley.”
Mr Crocker said for many visitors to the region, catching a snapper was a must-do experience.
“For a lot of people, it’s like their game fish — the excitement of going out to catch that elusive, big snapper,” he said.
Mr Crocker would prefer to see catch limits of snapper brought back, rather than a blanket ban on its fishing.
Moonta Hotel co-owner Kym Phillips is concerned about what a snapper ban could mean for the broader economy on the Yorke Peninsula.
“We are a huge fishing town at Moonta Bay. You only need to look at the growth here and at Port Hughes to see how popular it is,” he said.
“A lot of the time you have families come visit, and while one family member goes out fishing, the others might be shopping and dining in the town, which all helps the local economy.”
Mr Phillips had no doubt snapper fishing drew in good numbers to the peninsula, as he noticed a pick-up in trade both before and after previous seasonal bans had been brought in.
“At the end of the ban, fishers would be here waiting, ready to go out,” he said.
Even businesses beyond the snapper fishing hot spots on the Yorke Peninsula have grave concerns about the proposed ban.
While Port Vincent is more known for its blue swimmer crab and garfish catches, Shane Biddell, who manages the Port Vincent Foreshore Caravan Park with his wife Louise, believes it will still affect the business.
“I think it will definitely affect all of the peninsula, but it will affect some areas more than others,” he said.
“We have a few visitors that target snapper, but when you go to towns like Edithburgh, Corny Point and Point Turton — more deep sea areas — snapper fishing is a major drawcard.”
Mr Biddell would prefer to see another option on the table, rather than a three-year ban.
“I understand snapper stocks are low and the government needs to do something about it, but three years seems like an extremely long time,” he said.
“I’d rather see a ban for a year, and then see what the numbers are like after that.”
Yorke Peninsula Council mayor Darren Braund said this week’s news of the proposed bans came as a shock.
“It came out of the blue for sure. I realise that sustainable snapper fishing is needed, but I believe the economic impact of a ban will be huge,” he said.
Consultation on the governments’ proposals closes on August 30, which Mr Braund said was disappointing as it was not a lot of time to get submissions in.
“We’re trying to do analysis at the moment of what the bans could potentially mean for the region,” he said.
“It could have a huge affect on caravan parks and local cafes, as well as the charter industry and professional fishermen who rely on snapper so much.
“If you go to our local caravan parks and talk to people, a lot of them are there to fish and a lot come only for snapper. Some people come from interstate, just for the snapper fishing.
“I’ve also had a local cafe owner tell me that on a day when the boats couldn’t go out due to the weather, it was their biggest trading day ever, just because of the amount of people already in the town, waiting to fish.”
Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said the State Government was focused on protecting and rebuilding snapper stocks for the long-term.
To provide feedback on the proposal, visit www.YourSAy.sa.gov.au/snapper.
We can fix this if you don’t go overboard
— Nigel Hunt
Businesses directly impacted by the proposed three-year ban on snapper fishing are urging the State Government to consider other measures to ease angling pressure on depleted stocks.
Fishing tackle retailers, boat dealers and SA’s leading fishing magazine owner believe measures such as halving recreational bag limits and banning professional longlining for snapper should be considered instead of a fishing blanket ban.
Tackle retailer Ian Clift, who owns the Sportfishing Scene at Cavan, said he had already advised two full-time staff their jobs will not be available after Christmas.
“The impact on this industry will be more than PIRSA could have imagined,’’ he said.
“Governments change, but it is still the same people in PIRSA running it that have made the mistakes for the past 10 years that had led to this.’’
Mr Clift said he believed if bag limits were reduced for recreational anglers and longlining banned in both gulfs, pressure on snapper stocks would be considerably reduced and the impact on reliant businesses and regional tourism would be minimal.
He said while both the recreational and professional sectors have measures introduced to control their catch over recent years, despite these the professional catch had increased dramatically.
Marine dealer Peter Heinrich, who owns Sports Marine at Angle Park, said the ban would lead to a “slowdown’’ in the industry and he backed calls for the softer option.
“That is not good, the industry has just been through a super tough time. Retailers are trying to regain their footing and things have just started to improve. This will put consumer confidence on the back foot,’’ he said.
Respected fishing commentator and SA Angler owner Shane Mensforth said the alternative option “must be considered’’ to prevent hardship in many sectors.
“I am sure this option would keep people buying boats and tackle, staying in country caravan parks and spending the money that is so vital to so many businesses in this state — while allowing the fishery to gradually recover.’’
Mr Mensforth said while he did not blame all professional fishermen for the current predicament, it was the “incessant activities of longliners that had sent the snapper fishery into a downward spiral’’.
“The blame lies squarely with PIRSA for allowing commercial fishers to excessively exploit the fishery over a sustained period,’’ he said.
Labor Fisheries spokesman Eddie Hughes said the proposed ban was a direct result of the government’s inaction.
“In late 2017, Labor put in place an extensive plan that included a buyback scheme targeting the removal of 100 commercial net and longline licences, in addition to the introduction of new zoning and quota management regulations to safeguard the future of the fishery.
“Without any explanation, the Liberals scrapped the plan and cut the funding and are now refusing to provide any financial support for the industry.’’
He said the Opposition would speak with experts and key stakeholders before deciding its position on any ban.