Southern Calamari Bycatch

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of southern calamari bycatch.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The Allocation Review Committee met in February of this year at the request of industry to investigate concerns that southern calamari licence holders had in regard to the bycatch of southern calamari from other licence holders and diminishing stocks. The committee reported that, although there was a breach of primary trigger 2 level by the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery in 2022-23, the trigger was not exceeded in three consecutive years, or four out of the five years, and hence a review did not take place.

Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery took 49.46 tonnes of southern calamari as a bycatch in 2022-23, at the value of approximately $1.2 million. The total allowable commercial catch for the southern calamari is 212 tonnes, which is a 56 per cent allocation of the Spencer Gulf. My question to the minister is: will the minister give marine scalefishers a guarantee that this bycatch will not have a negative effect on the percentage allocation of the southern calamari in the upcoming financial year?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:41): I thank the honourable member for her question. When it comes to reviews such as have been alluded to, there are a number of trigger points that are required to prompt the sort of review that the honourable member has mentioned. I am happy to take on notice the question and bring back some further detail for the chamber.