Supertrawler Margiris, which was renamed Abel Tasman. (Photo Credit: Greenpeace Australia)
The ban preventing 'supertrawlers' from fishing in Australian waters comes to an end this week amid conservationists and recreational fishers’ demands for a permanent stop.
The measure, which was imposed on the factory trawler Abel Tasman (previously calledMargiris) by Australian authorities two years ago, is considered insufficient by the Stop the Trawler Alliance, Fairfax Media reported.
"We are calling on Mr [Prime Minister] Abbott to legislate a permanent ban for the good of both the marine environment and the recreational fishery," stated alliance spokeswoman, Rebecca Hubbard.
For its part, the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) reconfirmed its support for the ban, SBS informed.
"We are not convinced that there is sufficient new information to change our position on the industrial exploitation of this fishery," the foundation's managing director Allan Hansard pointed out.
On the other hand, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Richard Colbeck, said “the foundation's opposition was premature.”
"It appears ARFF is attacking access to the fishery, and positioning itself to lobby for the fishery to be closed, rather than dealing with the issues based on sound science," Senator Colbeck said.
And the Commonwealth Fisheries Association remarked it supported the use of all processing vessels, large or small, in Commonwealth waters.
The legislator, who represents Tasmania, claimed a report is expected to be made public within a fortnight.
Those areas of concern are: where the fish in the small pelagic fishery move, how quickly populations regenerate and details about the jack mackerel population off Tasmania’s east coast.
Meanwhile, the supertrawler's original proponent, Seafish Tasmania, has put the small pelagic fishery forward for assessment under the sustainable fishing benchmark of theMarine Stewardship Council.
This firm's attempts to have the restrictions imposed on its factory vessel lifted have failed this year at the Federal Court.
Australian authorities have received no new applications for another large trawler in the small pelagic fishery.