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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-30 Daily Xml
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ILLEGAL FISHING

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:32): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Can he advise the house of what action is being taken to protect South Australia's aquatic environment from illegal fishing?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (14:33): I thank the member for Torrens for this question.

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Finniss, that's a long way from your electorate.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Yes, I will get there, but I will be talking about the Western Australians. We have a number of competing demands on our fishing resources between the commercial and recreational sectors in terms of conservation requirements which have instigated the move to create marine parks in our state waters. The manner in which this balance is maintained and fishing stocks are conserved, as far as recreational fishers are concerned—and there are around 236,000 in South Australia, a very large number—is through bag limits, minimum sizing and seasonal closures.

With the onset of spring and favourable fishing conditions, PIRSA Fisheries officers will be ensuring that our fisheries are protected through thorough monitoring of fishing activity around our state. Fisheries officers are extremely good at their job. In the last financial year alone, Fisheries officers across the state's waterways issued a total of 392 expiations and 535 written cautions—written cautions were significantly up on the previous year.

During the 2009-10 financial year, PIRSA Fisheries recorded 10 successful court outcomes and more than 25 other issues are currently pending. One of the successful prosecutions from 2009-10 was the result of a 12-month investigation which resulted in two men being arrested at Whyalla for allegedly killing great white sharks and selling their teeth and jaws for profit. Last year, officers aboard PIRSA Fisheries' main patrol vessel, Southern Ranger, also successfully intercepted a Western Australian rock lobster vessel found fishing within South Australian waters. Officers seized 77 rock lobster pots and 119 rock lobsters, valued at $5,000—

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: Who got the lobsters?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: Yes, I didn't. Moving from the coast, on our inland waterways recently, two Victorian men—we are getting the Victorians—were fined more than $33,000 combined after pleading guilty to five charges relating to illegal fishing in South Australia's Cooper Creek section of Lake Eyre basin. Potential fishing offenders should be aware of the consequences of fisheries offences and the high likelihood of detection.

Later this year, the government will be launching a new fisheries vessel to support surveillance operations in the South-East. Not only is it our fishery officers who police our waterways but the government also appreciates the extensive information we receive from the community through calls to the Fishwatch number (and I will not give it). In the first six months of this year alone, Fishwatch received 7,699 calls—and that is only in the first six months—which shows what a significant tool this is in terms of the community assisting the officers of PIRSA Fisheries in doing this splendid work.

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