MURRAY RIVER CATFISH

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:56): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about the survey of catfish numbers in the River Murray.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: There appears to be a consensus among locals who fish in the Upper Murray of South Australia to the effect that catfish numbers are sufficiently high enough that the existing ban on catfish could be changed in order to allow numbers of catfish to be taken from the river; certainly, that has been feedback to me. Indeed, ABC News has aired a report recently, and I quote directly, saying, 'Following the last two wet seasons, catfish numbers have really exploded.' I understand that the government is presently conducting, or is about to conduct, a survey to ascertain the extent to which catfish numbers have recovered. My questions to the minister are:

1. Has the survey actually commenced at this time and, if not, when will it commence?

2. When are sufficient results expected such that a decision can be made on whether fishing of catfish will be allowed in the region?

3. Since the warmer months are the primary tourism season in the Upper Murray, will the survey be completed and changes made to fishing regulations, if changes are justified by the survey, by the end of September this year, thus giving the region this added tourism potential throughout that period?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. I know that he has had a very keen interest in this issue in this place and that he has asked questions on it previously. In response to the issues the honourable member has raised, and in response to advice I have received as a result of the high river flows in the River Murray, recreational fishers are reporting to PIRSA (and also the sorts of reports that the Hon. Dennis Hood has passed on) that there is an increase in the number of River Murray freshwater catfish being caught.

I understand that, since 1997, the South Australian River Murray freshwater catfish have been protected under fisheries legislation as a result of scientific data which had previously indicated that the species had experienced a significant decline in both distribution and abundance. I am advised that Primary Industries and Regions SA has established a catfish working group to understand the current stock status and to provide advice on the future management of catfish.

I recently announced that a new Fisheries Research and Development Corporation project has been funded, which is aimed at improving the understanding of the River Murray freshwater catfish population. This study will promote a comanagement approach to the issue, involving recreational fishers in the collection of fishing data. I believe that only preliminary work has commenced so far on that, so that work substantially still needs to be undertaken.

While I am aware that there have been calls for the catfish ban to be lifted, I think it is really important that such a significant change to the management of that species be not simply based on anecdotal evidence; I think it is important that we ensure that robust scientific evidence is provided that supports the anecdotal evidence about population recovery before we lift the ban. I think we should wait for that. I know that for enthusiastic recreational fishers it is very frustrating to have the sense that there is an abundance of a species yet bans still remain in place, but time and time again we have seen how easy it is for pressure to be placed on a particular species, and it can take many, many decades for that species to recover from overfishing.

I know it can be very frustrating for fishers who are keen to get out there and fish for catfish, but I believe we should wait for the science to come in. I can assure members that the survey will be conducted as expeditiously as possible and the findings then quickly incorporated into a management plan.