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SENATOR THE
HON. IAN MACDONALD - Minister for Forestry and Conservation
The amended
management plan for the $165 million a year Northern Prawn Fishery has
resulted not only in more sustainable fishing controls, but also
improved the economic efficiency for commercial fishing operators.
Federal Fisheries Minister Senator Ian Macdonald, today released two
scientific research reports from the highly respected Australian Bureau
of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) into the impact of
amendments made to the Northern Prawn Fishery Management Plan in
November 1999. He said the reports had found that the new arrangements
to protect the sustainability of tiger prawn stocks are also expected to
reduce costs to operators and improve the net commercial return of the
fishery.
“ABARE conducted a baseline study of the fishery, and its economic
performance, which will be a useful tool for ongoing monitoring and
assessment of amended management arrangements for the Northern Prawn
Fishery,” Senator Macdonald said
“Advances in technology were increasing the catch of prawns beyond
that originally envisaged by the old controls and new arrangements had
to be put in place to protect the fishery, and the brown tiger prawn
stocks in particular.
“ABARE found the replacement of restrictions on engine power and boat
size with gear based management, that is, controls on the fishing gear
itself, is expected to generate efficiency gains and improve operator
returns by allowing operators to lower the costs of fishing.
“ABARE has estimated that, in the case of the switch to gear-based
management, and a 15 percent reduction in headrope length, the effective
fishing effort (take) would be reduced by 6 per cent, 2.6 per cent and
0.1 per cent respectively for small, medium and large boats, and would
also reduce fishing costs by 7.4 per cent, 6.8 per cent and 0.7 per cent
respectively.
“The report also says the amended management plan is not expected to
have a significant economic impact on the ports of Fremantle, Darwin and
Cairns, which are major providers of port services to the Northern Prawn
Fishery fleet.
“The new management plan is a win-win for industry and the
environment, demonstrating that by commonsense regulatory changes we can
put in place more effective controls on the fishery and cater for
commercial demands as well,” Senator Macdonald said.
Further inquiries:
Senator Macdonald's office:
David Moore 0417 774 724 or (07) 4771 3066 |
