“Catches of reef fish have already been down 30% because the on going impacts
of Cyclone Hamish last year.” Now Cyclone Ului means a double whammy for
fisherman in the Whitsunday’s region,” Mr. Gardner said.
“At a time when incomes were seriously impacted already, they have suffered a
second blow by not being able to work for weeks with the extreme weather
associated with the Cyclone.
“While the physical damage to fishing vessels and facilities thankfully is minimal,
the financial damage from lost fishing time will be substantial.
“We understand the Government has announced that assistance is available for
Primary Producers (including fisheries) affected by Cyclone Ului as defined under
the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
“When fisherman can’t catch fish it hurts seafood processors and marketers and
suppliers of relation goods and services, so there are wide ranging economic
impacts to regional communities.
We are already in discussions with Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
about this and we will work with the Qld Government to insure Fisherman and
other Seafood Businesses receive assistance where ever possible.”
