Securing our fishing future - election priorities

TARFish has delivered its election priorities Securing Our Fishing Future to Tasmania’s political parties and key independents seeking their commitment support Tasmania’s 100,000 recreational fishers.

TARFish CEO, Jane Gallichan said, “We represent over 100,000 Tasmanian recreational fishers who want to know who values them and the Tasmanian way of life.”

“We’ve kept our requests modest knowing that times are tight with the Tasmanian budget and some of our requests don’t cost a cent.

“Times are tight for household budgets too and we know some families are supplementing their weekly grocery shop with fish they’re catching.

“Whether fishers are heading out because they need to, or because they want to spend time with family and friends, or just be out on the water for a few hours, the reason doesn’t really matter, what matters is making sure we can keep doing it.

The Securing Our Fishing Future priority statement seeks commitments to return access to the iconic sand flathead and fast-track its recovery through a selective breeding and stock enhancement program.

It also proposes the establishment of a Recreational Fishing Trust Account administered by an independent Board with funds to be used for; research, improving sustainability and promoting policies and programs that support recreational fishing and to provide base funding for the peak body and ensure its independence.

Funding for the Recreational Fishing Trust Account would come from current recreational fishing licence fees and boosted by new or existing commercial resource royalties and from an aquaculture expansion offset levy. A proportion of those are then guaranteed to support recreational fishing - effectively recreational fishers become shareholders in our shared marine estate.

“Every politician gets wobbly knees when anyone says the word tax, so I won’t use it, I’ll use the words royalty and levy.

“It is time that Tasmania’s marine resources provide value back to Tasmanians. Not just in terms of the jobs that exist from commercial fishing or fish farming but real, cold, hard cash that goes back to Tasmania to be spent on what matters to them.

“And I repeat the same comments I made when delivering our priorities prior to the 2021 State election because they are as true today as they were then -

“Not many Tasmanians know that the Government currently subsidises the lucrative commercial rock lobster and abalone fisheries to the tune of around $1 million a year. That money could be spent on better access, better management and better fishing for Tasmanians.”

“At the same time they are subsidised, for example, commercial rock lobster quota owners pay no royalties on the profits they make. Forestry pays royalties, mining pays royalties but not the commercial fishing quota owners and not the aquaculture industry.

“We invite candidates and parties of every colour and stripe to back Tasmania’s recreational fishers and secure our fishing future,” she concluded.

TARFish will be publishing the responses of Tasmania’s political parties and independents on social media as they arrive.