Western Australia will be benefited from fisheries makeover which will further modernize the management system. Fisheries Minister Norman Moore has welcomed an initiative made in the State Budget 2011-12 to further modernise Western Australia’s fisheries management, with technology designed to deliver more robust information and interaction with the commercial fishing sector.
According to Moore the State Government is including capital funding for new technology to support commercial fishers. He said that this funding includes $10.9million to enable the development of an Entitlement Management System (EMS), ahead of industry contributions. He added that this system will provide a centralised data store to facilitate better decision-making and allow users to share information and trade entitlements.
The Minister opined that the Budget recognised the need to boost marine security – an issue driven by strong growth in shipping and the expansion of WA’s resources sector. He informed that the budget has allocated $9.4million in the next two years to administer the State’s aquatic biosecurity obligations and mitigate the risk of feral marine pest incursions.
The existing funding is further added up with $2.3million over the Budget and forward estimates for the 80 Mile Beach Marine Park. The Minister noted the development of fishing initiatives in the Kimberley which will attract $1.8million in funding during the next four years.
