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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-05-30 Daily Xml
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Fishing Sector Compliance

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister please update the house on what work the state government is doing to enhance compliance efforts in the fishing sector?

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:31): I am very happy to respond to the question from the member for MacKillop. He has some of South Australia's great pristine coastline for both recreational and commercial fishers. The Marshall government is committed to supporting our fishing sector in South Australia. We know the commercial sector generates some $908 million for South Australia's economy. The 277,000 recreational fishers that South Australia currently hosts in the rec sector are reliant on people doing the right thing, so the state government have played many important roles in supporting a vibrant fishing industry, both commercial and recreational.

What I can say is that our commitment to strong compliance in both the commercial and recreational fishing sectors is second to none. My agencies are doing an outstanding job, along with the compliance officers and the Fishcare volunteers, who give out regular information about compliance, allowing particularly the recreational fishers to understand what bag and boat limits are and what species are available, particularly in reference to spatial closures. Last year, fisheries officers interviewed more than 16,000 fishers and had interactions with both boat and land-based anglers.

The work resulted in 500 offenders being fined and 35 prosecutions for very serious breaches. We have had the tough cop on the job. For less serious breaches, officers have also issued a number of fishers with cautions and advice that they need to comply with. There have been some adjustments in the recreational fishing sector with the reduction in bag and boat limits and the spatial closures that were introduced late last year. I can say that fisheries officers now have a new tool to enhance and enforce compliance.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: It is something they have in their tool belt that will address poachers and the people doing the wrong thing, and that is that fisheries officers are now trialling drones to keep compliance one step in front of those people who are doing the wrong thing—the poachers and the people who are exceeding their bag limits. I think it is critical to understand that we don't just target recreational fishers: we target the commercial sector, and we target them from a land base and we target them from boats.

It is important to understand that these officers have undergone training at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to ensure that they comply with the regulations about drone operation. I think it is also critically important that people understand that there is a privacy issue with drones, and they are trained to make sure they do not intervene on private property.

In the member for MacKillop's electorate the use of drones has also proven effective along the Coorong, particularly for the pipi industry. They have seen people being noncompliant, doing the wrong thing. These drones are another way that our great fisheries officers and volunteers will uphold compliance within the fisheries sector here in South Australia.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the next question, the member for Mawson is warned and the member for Reynell is called to order. The member for Elizabeth.

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