Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning I attended a presentation by Dr Daniel Pauly, a world-renowned professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia, on the effects of fishing on the world's oceans. Dr Pauly's presentation should ring alarm bells about depletion, the state of fish stocks and degradation to the seabed in so many parts of the world. In particular, Dr Pauly highlighted, through careful research and analysis, that the tonnes of fish caught throughout the world over the past 60 years have been grossly underestimated. He notes that serious damage has been done by the intrusion of supertrawlers that leave a trail of destruction wherever they are used, and then they move on to a new region.

Dr Pauly notes that Australian sea waters are still in relatively good condition, but we also know that fishing trawler operators are eyeing off Australian fishing waters. Those fishing trawlers should not be allowed into Australian waters, because the long-term damage they cause is never worth the short-term gains. Australia should heed the advice of Dr Pauly, take note of his research and his expertise, learn from what has happened in other parts of the world where supertrawlers have been used and not allow the same mistakes and the same destruction to occur here in Australia.