TFIC News
By Bob Lister
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Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme extended
You may be aware that TFIC and the Australian Seafood Industry Council have been lobbying for some time for the Federal Government Satellite Phone Subsidy Scheme to be extended to the commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.
I am pleased to advise that the Minister for Communications Hon. Daryl Williams has just announced an expansion of the scheme which includes for the first time maritime and aviation users. There is of course strict eligibility criteria such as applicants must operate a business in an area not serviced by a terrestrial mobile phone service and applications for a subsidy must be approved before a satellite phone is purchased etc.
The subsidy is for the purchase of a satellite mobile phone through a registered dealer and the amount of the subsidy depends on the monthly access plan you select. The subsidy is up to 80 per cent of the retail phone price, to a maximum of $1500 (including GST).
The subsidy is paid to the registered dealer. You will then be able to buy the phone from the registered dealer for the retail price less the amount of the subsidy.
More information on eligibility, as well as application forms and contact details for registered dealers, is available at www.dcita.gov.au/satphone or by calling 1800 674 058 or TFIC on 03 6224 2332.
And the news only gets better! Globalstar has just announced that they will be releasing their dual-mode satellite/CDMA phone in May and they will be reducing prices of access plans.
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Royal Flying Doctor Service – Medical Chests
The RFDS has available steel medical first aid chests complete with approximately 150 prescription drugs for loan to larger commercial fishing vessels that regularly operate in Commonwealth waters. The chests are approximately 40cm wide and deep and are effectively a chemist shop in a box.
They cost approximately $1,000 to set up but are available free of charge to approved applicants under a Federal Government scheme which, for the first time, now includes commercial fishing vessels with up to 30 crew. All the drugs are numbered and applicants must have a satellite phone to enable direct contact with the RFDS Doctor in Broken Hill (NSW) who will provide a free consultation service and prescribe appropriate medication should a crewman require treatment. Skippers would be responsible for the security of the chest and to request free replacement drugs from the RFDS as and when required.
There are currently over 3,000 chests in use around Australia in mining camps, on tourist buses, outback pastoral properties and significantly on Maria and Swan Islands. If you wish to apply for a free medical chest you should contact Mr Lindsay Millar, RFDS, 124 Craigburn Road, Hillwood, Tas. 7252 - telephone 03 6394 8191.
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Inevitable negotiations on State MPAs continue
The State Government’s intention to proclaim marine reserves at Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour and the Kent Group of Islands in Bass Strait has resulted in the inevitable and unfortunately adverse impacts on individual fishing businesses. Quite apart from the restrictions on abalone diving and rock lobster potting in the sanctuary zones (no take) the proposed changes will prevent fish trappng, netting and longlining in the habitat protection zones (restricted take) – refer the last issue of Fishing Today.
In the company of TFIC President Steve Gasparinatos I met recently with the Minister for Environment Judy Jackson to put the case to allow low impact fish trapping and shark fishing in all the restricted take areas. To be fair to the new Minister she had only held this portfolio for one day before announcing the MPA decision and at the time of our meeting was not fully aware of the long and difficult process to reach this point.
Despite the logic of our argument the Minister would not agree to what I consider to be a reasonable request for minor changes to the MPA plan which would have little or no impact on the benthic environment. Given that she has sole authority on trapping as a State managed fishery and her decision is final I have now been forced to approach AFMA and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) for support to enable shark fishing to continue in State waters around Deal Island in the Kent Group.
The Tasmanian Government needs to seek Commonwealth support in a review of the Offshore Constitution Settlement Agreement to prevent the use of shark gillnets and demersal longlines in the proposed State MPA for this area. The southern shark fishery is managed by the Commonwealth from the high water mark and the State MPA decision will have a serious impact on this fishery.
I am advised that a flush of gummy shark and other shark species usually appears to the west of Deal Island towards the end of April or May each year and slowly moves south east to the south of Deal Island and out of the area by late September or October each year.
AFMA records show that an average of 134.5 tonne of shark per annum have been caught in Fishing Blocks 39A47 and 39C47 over the last five years by an average of 30 vessels per year with an average of 423 shots per year. This represents a very significant 6% of the entire southern shark fishery for those years.
The two fishing blocks cover the whole of the Kent Group of Islands and AFMA advised the Resource Planning and Development Commission in Hobart last year that in these blocks most shark are caught within 3 nautical miles (i.e. in state waters) of the Kent Group.
Around 80% of catches are by shark gillnet and the balance is caught by demersal long line. Both these types of fishing gear would not be permitted under the Tasmanian Government’s marine reserve proposal which would result in an estimated financial loss to shark permit holders or relocation of effort of around $1.1m per annum.
In general the reef area around the Kent Group only extend from one to two hundred metres offshore and the remaining area out to 3 nautical miles is a silty, sandy bottom which is where the shark fishing occurs. Bottom set longlines and gillnets would not do any damage to the marine environment within the marine reserve and the industry feeling is that if the shark are not caught in these shallower state waters they will be lost to the fishery. I have therefore urged AFMA and DAFF not to support any Tasmanian Government move to ban netting and longlining within their proposed marine reserve around the Kent Group of Islands.
It will be interesting to see how serious AFMA in particular is about protecting the entitlements of Commonwealth shark permit holders in this area.
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Adjustment assistance for displacement still uncertain
On the subject of MPAs the issue of financial assistance for fishermen who are displaced by the creation of MPAs is an interesting issue.
The MPA strategy document says that the Tasmanian Government recognises the importance of displacement issues. To address these issues, the Tasmanian Government has agreed to establish a process for providing special adjustment payments on a case by case basis (ex poste) to certain individuals directly affected by a marine protected area.
Subsequent advice to the previous Minister from the Office of the Solicitor-General is to the effect that provided fishermen can obtain their full quotas from State fishing waters, then closure of certain areas of State fishing waters would not be compensatable.
All this seems very proper and considerate but in reality means very little to fishermen who will be forced to fish elsewhere and of course under our management plans MPAs are likely to put additional pressure on remaining areas still open for fishing.
The Federal Minister has released a policy statement on MPAs and displaced fishing. This paper recognises that there is no constitutional or legal requirement to provide compensation to commercial fishermen impacted by new or rezoned MPAs but does recognise that the public good benefits for all Australians could be borne in the short term by a small group of marine related industry sectors. Any decision on whether adjustment assistance would be provided to fishermen or fishing dependent communities as a result of an MPA declaration will be made on a case by case basis.
Unlike the State position the Commonwealth proposal at least has some comfort for our industry but of course is untested at this point. A similar commitment for the Great Barrier Reef fisheries is being worked through at present and may set some precedents that will be worth watching closely. A careful selection and design of Commonwealth water MPAs should ideally avoid significant displacement of fishing activities and this is certainly our objective at this time.
Like all these issues the onus is always on the fishermen to prove at great time and expense that he has been adversely impacted by the political process with no guarantee of any recompense after what is always a long and costly process.
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New Stanley marina being considered
There are moves underway to develop a new marina at Stanley with a planned capacity of up to 62 floating pontoon berths. The intention is to provide a secure modern facility for fishing vessels, recreational motor cruisers and yachts with power and water, showers etc. The proposal is to incorporate the current boat ramp and dual slipway thereby increasing the ease of use and safety for all vessels.
The Stanley Development Committee are currently seeking expressions of support for this project and contact can be made via the Secretary Yvonne Tierney on 03 6458 1271.
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Tell us your email address
Over two years ago we introduced a TFIC email broadcast system to keep members informed about important matters on a timely basis. The system seems to work exceptionally well but please remember if email addresses are changed we need to be told so that our address system can be updated.
If members would like to be included in the broadcast system please ring the TFIC office and nominate your area of interest i.e. Tasmania wild fishing, Tasmania aquaculture, Tasmania fish processing, Commonwealth fisheries or all of the above.
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New AFMA Managing Director appointed
The AFMA Board has recently announced the appointment of Richard McLoughlin as its new Managing Director. He was selected from an outstanding field of candidates after an extensive search to replace Frank Meere who left the Authority in November last year.
Richard is well known to many in the Tasmanian fishing community as he worked as a senior fisheries manager with the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries for many years and previous to that with the CSIRO conducting research and assessment work on many fisheries.
In the last six years Richard has been the Executive Director of Fisheries Victoria so he has a substantial background in our industry which should be of immense value in his new challenge.
We wish him well.
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TFIC Board deliberations
At the last TFIC Board meeting Directors again considered a range of issues on behalf of all members.
Issues discussed included:
- the TFIC Leadership Development Program,
- MPAs in Tasmania and within the South East Regional Marine Plan,
- National Standard for Commercial Vessels,
- MAST matters,
- slipway management,
- flood impacts on north east oyster growers,
- the scallop fishery,
- strategic plans,
- review of Fishing Today ,
- the scalefish management plan review,
- threatened species,
- giant kelp report,
- Story of Seafood in Australia promotion,
- safety induction check list
- ...and a whole lot more.
If you would like any information on these matters please give me a call at TFIC.