Ayr seafood business fears supply loss ahead of reef gillnet ban
Temporary gillnet licences expire on 30 June 2027, while fishers are seeking a three-year delay to the ban.
Heather and Peter Bradford say their seafood business in Ayr may have to shut if commercial fishers leave the industry when the Great Barrier Reef gillnet ban takes effect. They supply about 150 families a week, with Mr Bradford saying net fishing represents 80 per cent of their business.
The phase-out was agreed by the Queensland and federal governments in 2023, with a deadline of 30 June 2027 for the reef fishing zone. Licensed fishers received financial assistance, and temporary NX licences permitted gillnet use subject to strict monitoring through on-board cameras.
Queensland has been trialling alternatives with fishers, including trapping and line fishing, but none has been rolled out. Neil Green, a commercial fisher at Alva Beach, said the methods tested so far had failed and he would probably retire without a change.
Green and other fishers want the ban postponed for three years. Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Susan McDonald supports their request, saying the deadline would leave Australia more reliant on seafood imports.
Ms Bradford said imported seafood had previously been unviable for the business because it could not compete on price with major supermarkets.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society rejects an extension. Its Great Barrier Reef fisheries campaign manager Simon Miller said thousands of threatened species were still caught annually in the NX fishery. He backed work on alternative gear while calling for the phase-out commitment to be honoured.
Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrrett said gear trials were continuing and he was aware of requests to extend the licences. Discussions about compensation for affected onshore businesses had not yet been reached, he said.
A spokesperson for the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said Marine Park regulatory changes would remove gillnets from 1 July 2027. The spokesperson said the Australian government opposed delaying those changes.
