Stop the Trawler Alliance celebrates the departure of the Geelong Star …
The departure of the Geelong Star supertrawler for good from Australian waters is a victory for marine life, our recreational and commercial fisheries and tourism-dependent coastal communities, according to the Stop the Trawler Alliance.
The Alliance, which has successfully campaigned against supertrawlers since 2012, today takes the opportunity to recognise the success of an unprecedented alliance of conservation groups, recreational fishers and tourism businesses in ensuring the halt – if only temporarily – of industrial factory freezer trawling in Australia’s Small Pelagic Fishery.
“Many years of campaigning by many thousands of ocean lovers has already seen off supertrawlers like the Veronica, the Margiris, and now the Geelong Star from Australian waters,” said Ginny Gerlach, of Environment Tasmania.
The Senate inquiry into factory freezer trawlers in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery released its report yesterday. It highlighted broad and serious concerns over the operation of the fishery and its management, and recommended a comprehensive ban:
“The committee recommends that the Australian government ban all factory freezer mid-water trawlers from operating in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery.”
“We welcome all the findings of the Senate inquiry. Now is finally the time for our Government to recognize Australians don’t want these overseas interests industrializing our marine environment in this way, and introduce a permanent ban on the operation of factory freezer trawlers in the Small Pelagic Fishery,” said Nobby Clark, recreational fishing spokesman for the Stop the Trawler Alliance.
“Australians love our oceans, and this form of fishing is unacceptable, so the departure of the Geelong Star must not be a temporary reprieve,” said Mr Clark.”
“Government must now act to permanently protect our oceans with a permanent ban on supertrawlers. The Geelong Star has shown that this kind of fishing impacts our marine life, kills threatened species and threatens our coastal tourism and recreational fishing industries, all without being able to turn a profit,” said Adrian Meder of the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS).
The Stop the Trawler Alliance consists of environment groups, recreational fishing bodies and clubs and tourism businesses. They have worked for many years to protect our marine environment and fisheries from the impacts of supertrawlers; staging rallies around the nation, and delivering over a hundred thousand petition signatures to governments. The operation of the Geelong Star was a key issue in Tasmania at the recent Federal election.
Ginny Gerlach Marine Campaigner, Environment Tasmania, Coordinator, Stop the Trawler Alliance
