Iluka trawlerman Gordon Farrell said that after 31 years of trawling at sea it is the first time that the industry is under threat of closing down due to ever increasing fuel costs and low price at the wharf for catch. Farrell, the regional representative for the ocean trawl management advisory committee, believes that these reasons are forcing the fishermen to sell-up and get out of the business.
Farrell said that the increasing fuel costs for both the estuary prawn fleet and the ocean trawl fleet are hurting the professional fishing industry to such an extent their viability is being threatened. He informed that 37 percent of his income goes on fuel now and some other blokes are up to 42 percent. He also said that addition to rising fuel costs the rate received for prawns also reduced.
According to Farrell the amount of imported seafood had increased, and due to the high Australian dollar, there was more supply than demand on the domestic market, driving prices down. He opined that it is difficult to continue for too much longer if costs and imports continue to increase and price remains at current levels. It is fact that financial pressure has led to a drop in the number of trawlers working on the Clarence River, which is a major source in the NSW fishing industry.
Farrell informed that there used to be 50-55 boats out there every night that was workable but now it is difficult to see 30 in Iluka. He said that three fishers had pulled the trawling equipment off in three months. He advised that the commercial fishing industry could be saved if people made the conscientious decision to only buy Australian-caught seafood.
