Fishers caught up in government net ban say buyout undervalues their licences

Commercial fishers say the Palaszczuk government’s policy will put the cost of quality seafood species beyond the reach of Queensland families - but conservationists insist it is necessary.

Members of the fishing industry protest outside Parliament House in Brisbane.

Commercial fishers say the ­Palaszczuk government’s offer to buy their licences to implement its ban on gillnets grossly undervalues their worth and will make Queensland seafood unaffordable for everyday families.

A phase-out of gillnets within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which runs along much of Queensland’s east coast, will begin next year with the banning of the nets within dugong protection areas.

The ban has been welcomed by recreational anglers and conservation groups and was brought in, with encouragement from federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, to appease international agency UNESCO over concerns about the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

On Thursday, Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner announced the state government would spend $125m to buy back licences, retrain and provide financial advice to affected fishers. Another $60m will go to research.

Queensland Seafood Industry Association chief executive officer David Bobbermen said the government’s offer “totally undervalued” the licences and the effect the ban would have on the fishing industry.

“This is not a market-on-market transaction, this is a resumption of people’s livelihoods and their property rights, and therefore a premium ought to be paid,” he told The Australian.

“It will force fish-and-chip shops to use lesser-quality, imported species. The high-quality species will just become out of reach for most people.”

The vaquita, the world's smallest porpoise, has been pushed to the brink of extinction by gillnets. Picture: Mexican Secretary of Environment

Mr Bobbermen said the rule change would destroy the fishing industry north of Bundaberg because there was currently no commercially viable alternative to net fishing for the targeted species, including barramundi.

Along with proposed gillnet bans in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the 71 per cent reduction in the Spanish mackerel quota, the east coast gillnet ban, announced without warning in May, has caused significant upheaval for the Queensland fishing sector.

Mr Furner said the government wanted the industry to transition to more sustainable fishing practices.

“This package gives the certainty that our commercial fishing industry needs to plan and be able to ensure the ongoing supply of Queensland seafood that has built a global reputation,” he said.

Coalition northern Australia spokeswoman Susan McDonald said the government was valuing the advice of “activist bureaucrats” and conservationists over the livelihoods of fishing families and fishing communities.

“The federal and Queensland governments are doing everything possible to appease activists while ignoring sensible, factual and scientific information being offered by the commercial fishing industry,” she said.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society welcomed the swift implementation of the ban within dugong protection areas.

“With destructive gillnets removed from these key areas, our precious marine life will no longer have to run a gauntlet of gillnets,” AMCS Great Barrier Reef Fisheries campaign manager Simon Miller said.