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Consumers are being warned that the price of fish could go "through the roof" as a "completely blindsided" industry grapples with a ban on a major form of fishing.
Key points:
- Gillnets are placed at the mouths of creeks to catch seafood
- Conservationists say the nets are killing endangered animals
- The fishing industry fears fish prices will rise as thousands of tonnes of fish are taken off the market due to the ban
For decades, fishers in Queensland have used large rectangular gillnets in creek mouths to catch barramundi, threadfin, and other popular table fish.
But this week the Queensland and federal governments announced a ban on the practice by 2027, after conservationists raised concerns about the impact of the nets on dugongs, turtles, and sharks.
The move has infuriated the fishing industry, which warns fresh Australian fish will be taken off the market and replaced with overseas farmed products.
Fisheries scientist and commercial fisher Andrew Tobin said the industry was "completely blindsided" by the ban.
Dr Tobin, who also runs a fish and chip shop in Townsville, said the nets were not used on the Great Barrier Reef, but rather in the mouths of creeks.
"It's going to have a huge impact and not just on fish and chip shops; it's all the businesses including restaurants up and down the east coast," Dr Tobin said.
"The general community wants to support local, wild-caught seafood and you have these non-government organisations informing federal and state ministers that a ban on nets is what people want.
"We operate inshore, in shallow, dirty waters, in creeks and foreshores."
Dr Tobin said the types of ocean fish caught were affordable for consumers and unlikely to be replaced by aquaculture.
"It will end up being a handful of fishermen selling product to a very high-end market and the price [of fish] will go through the roof."
The Queensland Seafood Industry Association's David Bobberman said the announcement came "without warning" and a lack of government engagement.
Mr Bobberman also said governments had failed to consider the broader implications, including the removal of 2,000 tonnes of locally wild-caught fish from the market.
"You've got a whole pile of small coastal communities that have their roots in commercial fishing. It's going to be devastating for a lot of those small communities," Mr Bobberman said.
"The tourists want to come and enjoy the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, but when they come into cities like Cairns, Townsville, and Airlie Beach they want seafood on their dinner plate.
"What are they going to eat?"
Green group says farmed fish is the future
There are about 240 gillnet commercial licences on the east coast, with about half of those in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
"The removal of gillnets in net-free zones on the reef has already helped boost local fish populations," federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement.
"We want to see this happen right across the reef."
The World Wildlife Fund's head of oceans Richard Leck said the organisation had commissioned University of Queensland experts to examine the potential benefits of making the reef gillnet free.
"The report, co-authored by the ex-chief scientist of Queensland Professor Hugh Possingham, showed that there are multiple benefits to the reef from this reform," Mr Leck said.
"We presented that to government."
However, Mr Leck agreed that today's current aquaculture production could not replace thousands of tonnes of fish caught in nets.
"This reform is not happening tomorrow. There is that opportunity to get that growth in sustainable aquaculture," he said.