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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-11-17 Daily Xml
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Commercial Fishing Sector

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:10): My question is for the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the Minister please update the chamber about PIRSA's eCDR project and the modernisation of our commercial fisheries?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:10): I thank the member for this question. Since the Malinauskas Labor government came to office, we have been working with the commercial fishing sector to find ways to reduce red tape and create efficiencies that will help the sector after a challenging period of reform to the marine scalefish fishery undertaken by the previous state government on top of pressures from the pandemic, rising costs of doing business and for some sectors, such as rock lobster, market pressures from trade tension with China.

An important component in the work government is doing to improve efficiency and assist in responding to changing markets and environments has been a focus on reducing the paper-based process for recording commercial catches. The paper-based process causes inefficiencies for the industry but also for government in manually inputting such large amounts of data, which leaves the possibility for human error and other issues to occur.

Annually, PIRSA receives around 50,000 catch and disposal records (CDRs) from commercial fishers spread throughout South Australia. Most of these, up until now, have been paper based. Digital transformation of the fishing and aquaculture sectors is a critical component to improving the management and monitoring of South Australia's aquatic resources.

I am pleased to advise that PIRSA is about to commence the rollout of the new electronic catch and disposal records into the state's largest commercial fishery, the marine scalefish fishery. Information and education sessions will be held at numerous ports throughout the state during November to provide fishers with instructions on how to submit CDRs electronically. This will coincide with a transitional period to allow fishers to adjust to the new electronic reporting arrangements.

This is important because the new electronic reporting arrangements will give commercial operators a number of important pieces of information: real-time access to quota information; it will remove paper-based CDRs and the records management of these documents; removal of time delays from submission of CDRs to deduction from quota balances; improved data integrity; removal of data entry errors; more effective management of industry quotas; and improved time frames for quota setting.

Undeniably, most aspects of modern life are influenced by the digital age. The way we work, the way we rest, the way we play have all changed, and quickly, over the past decades. With the commercial fishing sector moving to a more modern approach, it gives them the best opportunity to keep doing what they do best, which is providing incredible fresh seafood to South Australians and people all over the world. In turn, this helps maintain and grow local jobs and the supply chain of business that relies upon a healthy and productive commercial fishing sector.

I look forward to the rollout continuing across not only the marine scalefish fishery but also the other quota fisheries into the future.

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