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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-28 Daily Xml
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Algal Bloom

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of the algal bloom fish recovery plan. When did the government consult RecFish SA and, indeed, the Marine Scalefish Fishery Management Advisory Committee regarding the fishing restrictions announced on 23 October this year?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:35): I find it quite remarkable that those opposite ask a question in regard to RecFish SA, which they removed from being the peak body—removed from being the peak body—when they were in government. They instead set up an alternative, which itself fell apart.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Girolamo!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: The Leader of the Opposition in this place is getting confused between the various committees, so she might like to go back and just check her acronyms. They got rid of RecFish SA as the peak body. We have reinstated them and we have had numerous discussions over many, many matters. In regard to the recent changes to the bag and boat limits, we needed to work on the best available science that we had, the best data that we have.

It's clear that that data continues to come in. We have an unprecedented harmful algal bloom here in South Australia. We have been doing rapid stock assessments. That work is continuing, continues to come in, and as I have said in media, as the Premier has said in media and in other forums, we are keen to adapt as we can as new data comes in or as further data becomes available to us. We will continue to do that.

The important part of the reforms that we are discussing here—the temporary restrictions on four species in the Spencer Gulf for recreational fishing, which is a 50 per cent reduction in the bag and boat limits of four species and a 50 per cent reduction in all other species in Gulf St Vincent, as well as the closing of Gulf St Vincent to commercial fishing—is this is all about sustainability of the fisheries going forward. None of this is an exact science, and anyone who pretends it is is not being honest and not being transparent. We are continuing to get new information in. We will work on that information and we will make decisions accordingly.

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