Supertrawling the spirit of Tasmania. Why is she going round in circles?

The Magiris has spent the last 8 hours doing what you see in the picture at sea off the Canary Islands. Are they lost? Or are they circling because there is something happening politically in Australia that might affect them and means that they won’t be heading towards Tassie?

• Felicity Holmes, Trevallyn: Supertrawling the Spirit of Tasmania

Today (Sunday) in Devonport I attended a public meeting organised by the Australian Greens Party to discuss local implications of the Supertrawler, FV Margiris if it enters Australian waters.

Amongst the attendees were recreational fisherpeople, commercial fisherpeople, tourism operators, concerned members of the public, politicians and marine scientists.

One lady, visiting from Ireland, described the devastation to the local fishing industry following unrestrained trawling by supertrawlers in waters around her homeland, Ireland.

A local game fisherperson spoke of the unsustainable greed that fuels this type of indiscriminate fishing for little or no benefit to Tasmanians.

A member of the public expressed the hypocrisy of government support for such a proposal given the push for a clean, green and clever Australia.

She also expressed the desire to stop the supertrawler by whatever means necessary, a view that many at the meeting supported.

Supertrawler supporter MP Sid Sidebottom said that at this stage, FV Margiris lacks the required federal permits to fish in Australian waters.

Why then, has the KV Magiris already departed its European port bound for Devonport, Tasmania if it has not already been guaranteed permission to fish here?

Surely it would not be economically viable to send the boat all the way to Devonport if there was a chance the trip could be in vain? I smell something very fishy indeed!

• Bob McMahon:

I took this photograph in 2004. It shows the whole of the Valparaiso deep sea fishing fleet in a ‘boat park’ in Valdivia, southern Chile.

You may well ask why all this shipping is stranded onshore. Because there is no fish left to be caught. They hoovered up the lot.. This is the way of all extractive economies.

Funny thing is, that when Tasmanian politicians, some of the very ones who now support the Margilis fishing out our waters, visited Valdivia to look at the pulp mill, they didn’t notice this example of what happens when you put all your fish in the one boat. Another question they failed to ask is why so many pulp mills were in South America and not here, for instance.

Given the inability of our politicians to understand the economics of pulp mills this past eight years it is no surprise that these idiots have no idea when it comes to the economics of anything, including fishing.

First published: 2012-07-09 04:45 AM

• Tuesday: TRAWLER FORUM CONCERNS TO BE CONVEYED TO FEDERAL MINISTER
Overwhelming Opposition to Margiris Arrival

Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Member for Braddon
Tuesday, 10 July 2012

The Tasmanian Greens will be writing to the Federal Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig to formally convey public concerns raised at Sunday’s “Turn Back the Super Trawler” meeting in Devonport.

Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran MP said the public meeting, attended by more than 400 people, voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion to stop the FV Margiris from fishing in Australian waters.

“Considering the level of anger and emotion about this issue, the event on Sunday was one of the most considered, respectful and well informed public meetings I have ever had the pleasure to attend,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“I will be writing to Minister Ludwig to convey the concerns of those at the meeting, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion opposing the super trawler fishing Australian waters.”

“The Minister needs to know that Tasmanians will not stand idly by while our fish stocks are plundered at the expense of future generations.”

“The Greens are standing shoulder to shoulder with the fishing community, and the fact that more than 400 plus people came from all around the state to be at the forum spoke volumes about the level of public opposition.”

“We must keep our eye on the ball, and we must keep up the pressure on the decision makers in Canberra who are responsible for allowing this super trawler to fish in our waters.

The motion was as follows:

That this meeting (Turn Back the Trawler) held at Devonport on 8 July 2012:

expresses grave concern about the proposal to deploy the FV Margiris to fish Australian waters and AFMA’s management of the small pelagic fishery,
and

commits to continued lobbying of Government to stop the FV Margiris from fishing Australian waters and for AFMA to better manage the small pelagic fishery.

• Estelle Ross, in Comments: Check the Margiris’ position at this website here or just google margiris latitude.

• SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Senator for Tasmania

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science

M E D I A R E L E A S E

12 July 2012

Only 59 days left to stop marine lock-outs

The last chance to halt the unnecessary lock-up of great swathes of Commonwealth waters began yesterday with the start of the final 60-day consultation period for a national network of marine parks.

“Tony Burke and Labor continue to be led by the Greens in this process, ignoring calls for any future marine parks to be based on peer-reviewed science and turning stakeholder consultations into a farce,” Coalition Fisheries Spokesman Richard Colbeck said.

“Today marks the start of the last chance for fishing stakeholders and coastal communities to speak up and put a stop to the unnecessary lock-up of more than one-third of our Commonwealth waters.

“Australia’s fisheries are among the best managed in the world but it seems Minister Burke is committed to doing the Greens’ bidding and will push ahead with locking Australians out of Australia, and denying families and fishing businesses access to our abundant fish stocks.

“The annual assessment of our fish stocks shows they are already sustainable, healthy and productive and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority actively monitors and enforces fishery management controls. All of this is based on sound science.

“In contrast, the Government’s proposed network of marine parks lacks any scientific foundation and is based on the demands of the Greens and environment groups.

“The Coalition is urging commercial and recreational fishing sectors and coastal communities to make the most of this 59 day consultation period and tell the Government that they do not want great swathes of Australia’s productive and sustainably managed waters locked up,” Senator Colbeck said.