fishingjew
18-10-2007, 01:52 PM
vanishing tiger prawns
The head of a large seafood company in the Bowen district of north Queensland says tiger prawns have virtually disappeared from the region and he is calling for an inquiry into the matter.
Terry Must from Arabon Seafoods in Bowen says this season has been so bad that some fishermen have tied up their boats and decided not to bother.
He is urging the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to do a stock assessment and work out why prawn numbers are so low.
Mr Must says authorities must consider what has changed in recent years.
"The only thing that's happened since 2004 is the green zones, so when the green zones came in we were led to believe that there would be a flow-on effect from out of the protected areas, that there would be more product there in three or four years time, which is the total opposite of what's happened," he said.
Mr Must says the green zones have forced certain areas to be over-fished and local fishermen are worried for their future.
"Disheartened, I'd say the word's desperate at the moment because they've still got to make a livelihood and it's not happening," he said.
"The fishery is finished, you know it's not just in trouble, the tiger prawn fishery is finished and someone's got to be held accountable for that."
The head of a large seafood company in the Bowen district of north Queensland says tiger prawns have virtually disappeared from the region and he is calling for an inquiry into the matter.
Terry Must from Arabon Seafoods in Bowen says this season has been so bad that some fishermen have tied up their boats and decided not to bother.
He is urging the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to do a stock assessment and work out why prawn numbers are so low.
Mr Must says authorities must consider what has changed in recent years.
"The only thing that's happened since 2004 is the green zones, so when the green zones came in we were led to believe that there would be a flow-on effect from out of the protected areas, that there would be more product there in three or four years time, which is the total opposite of what's happened," he said.
Mr Must says the green zones have forced certain areas to be over-fished and local fishermen are worried for their future.
"Disheartened, I'd say the word's desperate at the moment because they've still got to make a livelihood and it's not happening," he said.
"The fishery is finished, you know it's not just in trouble, the tiger prawn fishery is finished and someone's got to be held accountable for that."