Cooloola Coast family-owned fishing businesses face closure

Gympie MP and shadow fisheries minister calls for a halt to changes to Queensland Fisheries Regulations, which he says will make too many businesses unviable

Trawler fishing boat in waters off Queensland coast. Picture: Warren Lynam

STATE Government changes to the state's Fisheries Regulations is causing angst up and down the Queensland coast, with the changes forcing hundreds of family-owned commercial fishers out of the industry, Gympie MP Tony Perrett has said today.

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Mr Perrett, the LNP shadow minister for fisheries, called for a halt to the regulation changes.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett, shadow minister for fisheries. Picture: Arthur Gorrie

"Under the proposed changes listed in the released discussion paper, quota changes to certain fisheries species will see allowable take reduced to well below business viability for many fishers,” Mr Perrett said.

"Generational fishing businesses and jobs are being whipped away due to Labor arbitrarily squeezing them out, by reducing their quota to unsustainable levels.

"All these changes are being imposed on fishers without a cent of compensation.

"To make matters worse, the Palaszczuk Labor Government hasn't completed modelling on the impact the reduction in available Queensland fisheries will have on local and domestic seafood supply.

"It doesn't take a genius to realise if there is less available local seafood to meet demand then imports from overseas will increase.

Trawler fishing boat. Picture: Blake Antrobus

"Put simply, there will be less Queensland seafood and more imports in your local supermarket.”While the LNP want to make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase Queensland seafood through clearer labelling laws, Labor is in the process of dismantling and destroying our once proud commercial fishing fleet”.

Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) CEO Eric Perez joined the LNP in calling for a halt to the misguided regulation changes putting fishers' livelihoods on the line.

"Quota changes have not　been developed in full consultation with industry and do not represent best practice in terms of fisheries management,” Mr Perez said.

"Industry were asked to provide feedback on how to manage our fisheries and quota was not supported by most commercial fishers.

"Yet this industry finds itself on the verge of more poorly developed fisheries policy”.