DEVELOPMENT of the Fisherman’s Landing Northern Expansion and the Western Basin Dredging projects in Gladstone Harbour will have a major impact on the seafood industry through destruction of habitat and loss of fishing access.
“Development of these projects at Gladstone provides infrastructure to expand the operations of the Gladstone Ports Corporation and the local export sector but they will come at significant cost to the natural environment and the seafood sector,” industry spokesman Michael Gardner said today.
“These projects will undoubtedly have impacts on fishing grounds, limiting access to local commercial fishermen and in turn reducing the commercial catch available to seafood consumers,” he said.
“The reclamation area to be filled in with dredged spoil from the harbour is an important habitat for a range of wildlife species, including dugong, and its destruction will have a significant environmental impact.
“Our industry provides a local wild-caught product for seafood consumers but will be severely curtailed from doing so,” he said.
Mr Gardner, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA), said fishermen, processors and retailers were all concerned about the impacts of the planned Gladstone Ports Corporation projects.
“The impacts involve loss of access during the construction phase, during ship movements and a significant permanent reduction of fishable areas in the harbour. This comes at a cost to local seafood consumers and the marine ecosystem.
“The QSIA is continuing its advocacy efforts on behalf of industry and the harbour marine environment. I urge all fishers to be involved in assessing the impacts and the effect that they have on their operations and the marine environment.”
