THE following statement has been supplied by Mark Banasiak MLC.
The NSW Government has today announced an unjustified three-year extension of the ban on
catching Blue Groper, despite clear evidence that stocks are stable.
This decision directly contradicts statements made just two days ago by the Deputy Secretary of
Fisheries and Forestry, Sean Sloane, in Budget Estimates, where he confirmed that “Overall, our
assessment is that the numbers are in a stable condition when you look statewide, and overall,
our assessment is that the fishery is in a sustainable position.”
Independent research from CSIRO’s recent study further undermines the Government’s position,
revealing: Only 0.2% of surveyed households reported any interaction with Blue Groper, proving that recreational fishing pressure is virtually non-existent.
Stable populations of Blue Groper in deeper waters, showing no evidence of species-wide
decline.
Blue Groper is a temperate, cold-water species, meaning when the water warms due to
natural climate variations such as El Niño and La Niña, the fish tend to move to cooler, deeper
areas.
There is zero correlation between warming waters and line fishing, yet the Government is
using this as an excuse to extend the ban.
Mark Banasiak MLC has slammed the Minister’s decision, calling it an ideological attack on
responsible recreational fishers.
“The Minister had clear evidence that Blue Groper stocks are stable and sustainable. Instead of
listening to the experts, the Government has caved to activists and locked up another fishery
without cause.”
The Minister must explain:
1.Why extend a ban when scientific evidence shows no need for it?
2.Why punish law-abiding fishers for an issue caused by illegal spearfishing?
3. Why cherry pick information from a CSIRO report that was suppressed for months instead of
being transparent with the public?
The Government must reverse this unjustified ban immediately and start managing
fisheries based on evidence, not ideology.
