Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Whish-Wilson for his question. Again, one of the challenges is that if you do not do your homework in relation to these questions then they are missing facts.

If I could just inform the Senate about the facts: both AFMA and ABARES advise that small pelagic fisheries are known to be fast moving and wide ranging. The potential for localised depletion has long been recognised as an area of interest in the small pelagic fisheries. I note the recent report from eminent fishery scientists that states that factors in play in the fishery, taken together, 'give confidence that food-web impacts of the small pelagic fishery on predators and the small pelagic fishery species themselves, including through localised depletion, are unlikely'.

In terms of answering the part dealing with rec fishers, I can inform the Senate that I have had good discussions—including a roundtable—with rec fishers in relation to this issue. I attended their conference and spoke to them about this issue— (Time expired)