KC - There is a fish market/processing shop at the marina - Urangan Fisheries - but I do not believe they auction there ?...Some right and wrong in your response Scott. Yellow zones in the GBR allow bait netting. Incidental catch, typically whiting, flathead and bream are caught and sold off the back of this anomoly.
That said the GGS zoning is complimentary zoning abutting a federal marine park with federal rules. GSS is state Government marine park and can, and does, have different rules to a federal marine park. A lot of detail around this point in the old TFPQ submission which pointed this out and strongly lobbied for a different colour to yellow..
You are right that the bulk of the fishery is sold straight to southern markets, not so much because it is a higher price, but because it is easier and the pros can sell the whole lot to a single buyer rather than have to sell it in small lots. Correct me if I am wrong but there is not a fish market in Hervey Bay where locals and local restaurants can purchase fish at auction??
Supermarkets are appalling in terms of local product, just as they are with meat and fruit and veg, and yet, consumers choose convenience and price over quality which has sent many butchers, green grocers and wet fish shops to the wall over the years. The "fresh fish for everyone" line is BS. It is fresh fish for Sydney, coming from Hervey Bay in perhaps unsustainable numbers.
Part of the reason for a suggestion that a certain % be mandated for local supply. That said do Hervey bay residents "own" the fishery or do the people in Australia in general? Clearly the Sydney fishery could never support the total Sydney demand.
The restaurant industry has been a bit slow on the uptake but should and can lead the way in driving food based tourism and a big part of this is providence of raw product. It is becoming a really big deal and ultimately this will drive better fishery management, better care of product and add value, both to the pros and to the value governments place on the fishery. Net free zones, as policy, is about politics, not about best fisheries outcomes. Like I said, no right or wrong answers and having spent years on this in my last life, I certainly don't have them, but do think workable compromise is possible.
The rest will now come down to public support and numbers ...
Regards Scotto