SAVE OUR SEAFOOD
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur has expressed her alarm that the State Government is failing to react to the potential disappearance of the Victorian Seafood Industry.
She highlighted not just the collapse in domestic sales in recent days, to restaurants and individuals, but the overnight failure of the Chinese market which occurred in January, at the beginning of the Corona Virus crisis.
In an Adjournment Debate in Parliament this week, addressed to the Minister for Fishing Jaala Pulford, she said:
“Wild catch, farmed fishing, and processing are now in near total shutdown. Fishermen and their employees including deckhands face zero cash-flow and financial ruin.”
Describing the business model of many fishermen she noted:
“…Operators, forced to pay up-front for their quotas, have to borrow in advance and repay the loans with the sales of each season’s catch. They now cannot make the return required to repay the loans, let alone profit for their effort or to support their families and employees.”
Mrs McArthur has previously fiercely criticised the current Government’s ban on commercial net fishing in Port Phillip Bay, and the upcoming phase-out of all commercial fishing in the Gippsland Lakes.
She added: “This is an industry which has already suffered from the Government’s obsession with recreational fishing at the expense of commercial businesses. Those who remain work incredibly hard to keep our local seafood industry alive. In an age where we look for environmentally sound, low food-miles solutions, it makes no sense at all to destroy our native fishing industry. People want Victorian seafood, they want it fresh not frozen, they want to support our local fishing businesses.”
Mrs McArthur proposed a number of solutions, and asked the Minister to act quickly, and explore all avenues:
“Now, on top of this, we have the disastrous collapse in trade the Corona virus has caused. I ask the Minister to act now – to consider extending the permitted seasons, waiving licence fees due to Government, and making bridging loans available. I ask her to work with the industry to find other solutions too, for individuals’ livelihoods and the very future of the Victorian Seafood Industry is at stake.”
Although the collapse in the local market has been recent, the overnight failure of Chinese sales occurred some weeks ago now. I urge the Minister to explain what has been done in this time, and to act immediately to implement measures which prevent the complete destruction of an entire historic industry. Victorians have enjoyed local seafood throughout our history. It would be a desperate failure of Government if we denied that pleasure to generations to come. “
In further quotes attributable, Mrs McArthur noted:
“I worry that commercial fishing could be the first economic casualty of the Corona Virus. They were hit by this crisis weeks ago now, and without rapid action by Government, I fear this could sink the industry.”
23 March 2020