Snapper fee waived but ban stands
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AUTUMN 2011 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 15 NEWS A n interim ban on catching snap- per, pearl perch and teraglin fish- ing was issued by Fisheries Queensland after a recent study found that snapper fish stocks were “overfished”. The department is also aiming to limit the annual snapper catch to 400 tonnes per year for the recreational, charter and commercial fishing industries within the Rocky Reef Fin Fishery, which stretches from the NSW bor- der to as far north as Mackay. The new minister for Fisheries and Marine Infrastructure, Craig Wallace, said the $90 fee was scrapped because “it was really ham- pering the consultation effort”. “I’ve been speaking to many involved in fishing in south-east Queensland who love to target snapper and they thought it was unfair to have a fee in place for recreational anglers to catch snapper,” Mr Wallace said. “Since 1957 we’ve placed various regulations in place to keep snapper at sustainable levels. Everyone I’ve spoken to, whether they be recreational, charter or commercial fishers, say that there are less snapper around and that snapper have reduced in numbers in the last number of years.” The government has held a number of port meetings across the state, including in S tradbroke Ferries Ltd will merge with the operators of the Big Red Cat, but services will be main- tained and costs efficiencies will be to the benefit of customers, according to the new owners, Transit Sys- tems Pty Ltd. The early closure of sand mining as well as a sharp downturn in travel to North Strad- broke Island and the decline in tourism state wide were cited as reasons for the merger. The merger is scheduled to be complete by July 2011, at which times Stradbroke Ferries Ltd will become a wholly owned subsidiary in the Transit Systems group of companies. Transit Systems own and operate metro- politan bus services in Perth and Adelaide as well as passenger ferries to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands and Straddie, “trans- porting about 65 million passengers in 90,000 vehicles each year”, according to its website. In a statement announcing the merger, CEO of Transit Systems, Clint Feuerherdt said: “We are determined to position our business for the long term in Moreton Bay and once this is achieved we undertake to be a leader in the promotion of Strad- broke Island as a destination … This will complement the state government’s com- mitment to grow tourism as a viable alter- native to mining.” David Thomson, CEO of Stradbroke Fer- ries said: “Merging the two ferry businesses is the best way to ensure that a high quality ferry service to the Island is maintained.” Both the Big Red Cat and Stradbroke Fer- ries brands will be maintained for now, as will hourly departures from Cleveland and Dun- wich. However, “vessel rationalisation and reinvestment” is expected at a later date if the merger is successful. According to Transit Systems this could mean changes to vessel combinations and the replacement of older vessels. The ferry operators say they hope the merger will accelerate the redevelopment of embarkation points at Toondah Harbour in Cleveland and at Dunwich on Straddie. Prior to the merger announcement Strad Ferries had already taken the Quandamooka car ferry off the Straddie to Cleveland route, citing a “shrinking market on Straddie”. The Quandamooka has been moved to Glad- stone and put into service on the Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. “It’s a combination of a drop in capacity and the current market, and an opportunity to re-deploy her into Gladstone to get a bet- ter use out of the assets,” Mr. Thomson told SIN at the time. “It’s coincided with the win- ter period as well, …. so the Minjerribah will work an extra voyage every day and we’ve ad- justed the timetable to suit.” Mr. Thomson predicted a “very soft” eco- nomic outlook for Straddie’s winter season. Stradbroke Ferries was established in 1963 when it began operating a barge service from Redland Bay to North Stradbroke Island. Today it operates vehicle ferry services to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) and the Moggill Ferry and employs approxi- mately 70 people. No changes to the SMBI or Moggill services are expected. — Katie Johnston Snapper fee waived but ban stands The Queensland government scrapped the $90 fee on recreational snapper fishing after the Opposition moved a disallowance motion against the snapper ban in state parliament, Maria Tan reports. Ferry merger due to tourism downturn “ Victoria Point, Wynnum and Redcliffe, to engage with the community on the issue. These sparked heated debate around the va- lidity of the scientific findings used by Fish- eries Queensland to enforce the interim ban, with anglers questioning the depart- ment’s long-term strategy for managing the snapper fishery. The interim ban has also been met with resistance from recreational fishing enthusi- asts, including the chairman of Sunfish Queensland, Dr Barry Pollock. Before the in- terim ban came into effect Dr Pollock re- leased a statement saying that “snapper anglers had provided advice at public meet- ings and to Sunfish that their snapper catches were not in decline and large snap- per in the 7-9kg range were common”. However, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Michael Gard- ner, supports the decision to enforce the snapper ban: “We recognise that we need to rebuild the snapper stock, and we agree that the evidence is sufficient to warrant that approach,” he told SIN. “At the end of the day we want to have a healthy fishery. So if we believe that there do need to be some controls in place, then everybody’s going to have to play their part,” he said.
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The Queensland government scrapped the $90 fee on recreational snapper fishing after the Opposition moved a disallowance motion against the snapper ban in state parliament, Maria Tan reports.
Transcript of Snapper fee waived but ban stands
AUTUMN 2011 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 15
NEWS
An interim ban on catching snap-per, pearl perch and teraglin fish-ing was issued by FisheriesQueensland after a recent studyfound that snapper fish stocks
were “overfished”. The department is also aiming to limit the
annual snapper catch to 400 tonnes per yearfor the recreational, charter and commercialfishing industries within the Rocky Reef FinFishery, which stretches from the NSW bor-der to as far north as Mackay.
The new minister for Fisheries and MarineInfrastructure, Craig Wallace, said the $90fee was scrapped because “it was really ham-pering the consultation effort”.
“I’ve been speaking to many involved infishing in south-east Queensland who love totarget snapper and they thought it was unfairto have a fee in place for recreational anglersto catch snapper,” Mr Wallace said. “Since1957 we’ve placed various regulations inplace to keep snapper at sustainable levels.Everyone I’ve spoken to, whether they berecreational, charter or commercial fishers,say that there are less snapper around andthat snapper have reduced in numbers in thelast number of years.”
The government has held a number ofport meetings across the state, including in
Stradbroke Ferries Ltd will mergewith the operators of the Big RedCat, but services will be main-tained and costs efficiencies willbe to the benefit of customers,
according to the new owners, Transit Sys-tems Pty Ltd.
The early closure of sand mining as well asa sharp downturn in travel to North Strad-broke Island and the decline in tourism statewide were cited as reasons for the merger.The merger is scheduled to be complete byJuly 2011, at which times Stradbroke FerriesLtd will become a wholly owned subsidiaryin the Transit Systems group of companies.
Transit Systems own and operate metro-politan bus services in Perth and Adelaide aswell as passenger ferries to the SouthernMoreton Bay Islands and Straddie, “trans-porting about 65 million passengers in90,000 vehicles each year”, according to itswebsite.
In a statement announcing the merger,CEO of Transit Systems, Clint Feuerherdtsaid: “We are determined to position our
business for the long term in Moreton Bayand once this is achieved we undertake tobe a leader in the promotion of Strad-broke Island as a destination … This willcomplement the state government’s com-mitment to grow tourism as a viable alter-native to mining.”
David Thomson, CEO of Stradbroke Fer-ries said: “Merging the two ferry businessesis the best way to ensure that a high qualityferry service to the Island is maintained.”
Both the Big Red Cat and Stradbroke Fer-ries brands will be maintained for now, as willhourly departures from Cleveland and Dun-wich. However, “vessel rationalisation andreinvestment” is expected at a later date ifthe merger is successful. According to TransitSystems this could mean changes to vesselcombinations and the replacement of oldervessels.
The ferry operators say they hope themerger will accelerate the redevelopment ofembarkation points at Toondah Harbour inCleveland and at Dunwich on Straddie.
Prior to the merger announcement Strad
Ferries had already taken the Quandamookacar ferry off the Straddie to Cleveland route,citing a “shrinking market on Straddie”. TheQuandamooka has been moved to Glad-stone and put into service on the AustraliaPacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.
“It’s a combination of a drop in capacityand the current market, and an opportunityto re-deploy her into Gladstone to get a bet-ter use out of the assets,” Mr. Thomson toldSIN at the time. “It’s coincided with the win-ter period as well, …. so the Minjerribah willwork an extra voyage every day and we’ve ad-justed the timetable to suit.”
Mr. Thomson predicted a “very soft” eco-nomic outlook for Straddie’s winter season.
Stradbroke Ferries was established in 1963when it began operating a barge service fromRedland Bay to North Stradbroke Island.Today it operates vehicle ferry services to theSouthern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) andthe Moggill Ferry and employs approxi-mately 70 people. No changes to the SMBIor Moggill services are expected.— Katie Johnston
Snapper fee waived but ban standsThe Queensland government scrapped the $90 fee on recreational snapper fishingafter the Opposition moved a disallowance motion against the snapper ban in state parliament, Maria Tan reports.
Ferry merger due to tourism downturn
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Victoria Point, Wynnum and Redcliffe, toengage with the community on the issue.These sparked heated debate around the va-lidity of the scientific findings used by Fish-eries Queensland to enforce the interimban, with anglers questioning the depart-ment’s long-term strategy for managing thesnapper fishery.
The interim ban has also been met withresistance from recreational fishing enthusi-asts, including the chairman of SunfishQueensland, Dr Barry Pollock. Before the in-terim ban came into effect Dr Pollock re-leased a statement saying that “snapperanglers had provided advice at public meet-
ings and to Sunfish that their snappercatches were not in decline and large snap-per in the 7-9kg range were common”.
However, President of the QueenslandSeafood Industry Association, Michael Gard-ner, supports the decision to enforce thesnapper ban: “We recognise that we need torebuild the snapper stock, and we agree thatthe evidence is sufficient to warrant that approach,” he told SIN.
“At the end of the day we want to have ahealthy fishery. So if we believe that there doneed to be some controls in place, theneverybody’s going to have to play their part,”he said.
