NEWS
Snapper fee waived but ban stands The Queensland government scrapped the $90 fee on recreational snapper fishing after the Opposition moved a disallowance motion against the snapper ban in state parliament, Maria Tan reports.
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n interim ban on catching snapper, pearl perch and teraglin fishing was issued by Fisheries Queensland after a recent study found that snapper fish stocks were “overfished”. The department is also aiming to limit the annual snapper catch to 400 tonnes per year for the recreational, charter and commercial fishing industries within the Rocky Reef Fin Fishery, which stretches from the NSW border to as far north as Mackay. The new minister for Fisheries and Marine Infrastructure, Craig Wallace, said the $90 fee was scrapped because “it was really hampering the consultation effort”. “I’ve been speaking to many involved in fishing in south-east Queensland who love to target snapper and they thought it was unfair to have a fee in place for recreational anglers to catch snapper,” Mr Wallace said. “Since 1957 we’ve placed various regulations in place to keep snapper at sustainable levels. Everyone I’ve spoken to, whether they be recreational, charter or commercial fishers, say that there are less snapper around and that snapper have reduced in numbers in the last number of years.” The government has held a number of port meetings across the state, including in
Victoria Point, Wynnum and Redcliffe, to engage with the community on the issue. These sparked heated debate around the validity of the scientific findings used by Fisheries Queensland to enforce the interim ban, with anglers questioning the department’s long-term strategy for managing the snapper fishery. The interim ban has also been met with resistance from recreational fishing enthusiasts, including the chairman of Sunfish Queensland, Dr Barry Pollock. Before the interim ban came into effect Dr Pollock released a statement saying that “snapper anglers had provided advice at public meet-
ings and to Sunfish that their snapper catches were not in decline and large snapper in the 7-9kg range were common”. However, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Michael Gardner, supports the decision to enforce the snapper ban: “We recognise that we need to rebuild the snapper stock, and we agree that the evidence is sufficient to warrant that approach,” he told SIN. “At the end of the day we want to have a healthy fishery. So if we believe that there do need to be some controls in place, then everybody’s going to have to play their part,” he said.
Ferry merger due to tourism downturn
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tradbroke Ferries Ltd will merge with the operators of the Big Red Cat, but services will be maintained and costs efficiencies will be to the benefit of customers, according to the new owners, Transit Systems Pty Ltd. The early closure of sand mining as well as a sharp downturn in travel to North Stradbroke Island and the decline in tourism state wide were cited as reasons for the merger. The merger is scheduled to be complete by July 2011, at which times Stradbroke Ferries Ltd will become a wholly owned subsidiary in the Transit Systems group of companies. Transit Systems own and operate metropolitan bus services in Perth and Adelaide as well as passenger ferries to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands and Straddie, “transporting about 65 million passengers in 90,000 vehicles each year”, according to its website. In a statement announcing the merger, CEO of Transit Systems, Clint Feuerherdt said: “We are determined to position our
AUTUMN 2011
business for the long term in Moreton Bay and once this is achieved we undertake to be a leader in the promotion of Stradbroke Island as a destination … This will complement the state government’s commitment to grow tourism as a viable alternative to mining.” David Thomson, CEO of Stradbroke Ferries said: “Merging the two ferry businesses is the best way to ensure that a high quality ferry service to the Island is maintained.” Both the Big Red Cat and Stradbroke Ferries brands will be maintained for now, as will hourly departures from Cleveland and Dunwich. However, “vessel rationalisation and reinvestment” is expected at a later date if the merger is successful. According to Transit Systems this could mean changes to vessel combinations and the replacement of older vessels. The ferry operators say they hope the merger will accelerate the redevelopment of embarkation points at Toondah Harbour in Cleveland and at Dunwich on Straddie. Prior to the merger announcement Strad
Ferries had already taken the Quandamooka car ferry off the Straddie to Cleveland route, citing a “shrinking market on Straddie”. The Quandamooka has been moved to Gladstone and put into service on the Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. “It’s a combination of a drop in capacity and the current market, and an opportunity to re-deploy her into Gladstone to get a better use out of the assets,” Mr. Thomson told SIN at the time. “It’s coincided with the winter period as well, …. so the Minjerribah will work an extra voyage every day and we’ve adjusted the timetable to suit.” Mr. Thomson predicted a “very soft” economic outlook for Straddie’s winter season. Stradbroke Ferries was established in 1963 when it began operating a barge service from Redland Bay to North Stradbroke Island. Today it operates vehicle ferry services to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) and the Moggill Ferry and employs approximately 70 people. No changes to the SMBI or Moggill services are expected. — Katie Johnston
10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 15