Government Silent on Factory Trawler Geelong Star Killing Another Dolphin

On Thursday last week as the Stop the Trawler Alliance were launching their Small Pelagic Fishery Pledge to help prevent the destruction of factory freezer trawlers, another dolphin death was being reported in this very fishery by the factory freezer trawler Geelong Star, yet the responsible Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Senator Colbeck, didn’t tell anyone about it.

The Abbott Government is failing to protect our threatened species or respond to public concerns, while the factory trawler Geelong Star is gouging a deeper wound into Australia’s oceans each week.

“Another dolphin death by the factory freezer trawler Geelong Star is more devastating news for our iconic and protected dolphins. How many of these protected species is the Geelong Star going to be allowed to kill before it is stopped from fishing?” asked Tooni Mahto of Australian Marine Conservation Society. “Given the significant public interest in the activities of the Geelong Star, we’re concerned by the lack of communication to stakeholders on the issue.”

“The news of another dolphin death has been buried deep on the Australian Fisheries Management Authority website, with no media or update to concerned stakeholders. They are failing to eliminate the unparalleled threat of factory trawlers in Australia’s small pelagic fishery, and now they are also failing to communicate to the public about this issue of very high concern,” said Rebecca Hubbard of Environment Tasmania.

“It is incredibly important that the reputation of Australia’s fisheries and public trust in our fisheries management is not further damaged by the ongoing operation of factory trawlers in the small pelagic fishery”.

“Not only has the dolphin deaths risen to nine mammals, but we have discovered that the AFMA are now only reporting seal deaths each quarter. With increasing concerns that freezer factory trawlers cause unparalleled, unnecessary and unwanted harm to protected marine life, we are calling for a ban on this type of fishing in the Small Pelagic Fishery,” said Ms Mahto.

“It is clear that dolphins and seals are going to continue dying, the Australian Government is going to continue to hide the evidence, and the environment and the community is going to continue to bear the brunt of the damage that factory freezer trawlers are doing to Australia’s oceans and marine life,” said Ms Hubbard.

“If Federal Politicians need any more evidence to encourage them to support the Small Pelagic Fishery Pledge launched by fishers and conservationists last week, they now have it with this new dolphin death,” she concluded.

All Federal Politicians have been requested by the Stop the Trawler Alliance to give their support to the Small Pelagic Fishery Pledge. The pledge and a list of supporting politicians is at http://www.stopthetrawler.net/spf_pledge

Rebecca Hubbard Environment Tasmania,
Tooni Mahto, Australian Marine Conservation Society.

• Peter Whish-Wilson: Another Geelong Star dolphin death. Time to end this deadly farce “Three times AFMA has signed off on the Geelong Star’s fishing techniques, and three times dolphins have died. “This is an absolute failure by the regulator and by the Government. Every time the Geelong Star has gone fishing it is has killed dolphins. “These three high-profile regulatory failures combined with the resignation of the independent scientist who was head of the Small-Pelagic Fisheries Resource Advisory Group shows that the whole system is in disarray. “The Government’s so-called ‘ban on super-trawlers’ has failed. It’s time to revisit the legislation to see what can be done permanently. The Greens will be working with Labor and the cross-bench to develop legislation that will provide a permanent solution to this debacle.

• Andrew Wilkie: Three strikes and you should be out … “The Geelong Star will just pack up and move to another zone and continue fishing and killing dolphins and seals,’’ Mr Wilkie said. “The only way to guarantee no more dolphin and seal deaths is to ban the Geelong Star once and for all.’’ Mr Wilkie said questions surrounding conflicts of interest in the setting of the quota for the Geelong Star remained unanswered – adding to the need for an immediate fishing ban on the factory freezer ship. Mr Wilkie has a complaint currently before the Commonwealth Ombudsman regarding the setting of the quota.

• Andrea Dawkins: Liberal Government must turn back this boat …

• SETFIA: What did the skipper do … ?

• Richard Colbeck: Showing support for sustainable fisheries at international forum