IF YOU THOUGHT KILLING 
BABY SNAPPER WAS BAD…
Buried within 70 pages of legal 
jargon are further changes to the 
Fisheries Act that seek to take fish 
from the public and hand more 
control to commercial interests.
The Bill opens the door to 
more waste. It legalises more 
dumping of unwanted dead fish 
overboard on commercial bottom 
trawlers. Fish that could’ve been 
left swimming in our waters will 
instead be wasted, all in the name 
of reducing "unnecessary costs” 
for commercial operators.
Legalising dumping and 
discarding undermines any 
incentive for fishers to transition 
to more selective fishing methods. 
Transitioning is a sensible 
move to sustaining our fish 
populations over the long-term.
The Minister also wants to shut 
us out from having a say in changes 
to commercial catch limits for 
up to five years. We only get a 
say in year one. This means less 
oversight and less accountability.
A lot can change in five years. The 
marine environment is dynamic 
and doesn’t operate on political 
timelines. Depletion creeps up on 
you. You don't realise things have 
changed until they are much worse 
and there’s not even enough fish to 
Feature
12  FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE

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