As the fishing sector in South Australia enters the later stages of the Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) reform, licence holders are set top beenefit from a relief fee.
The MSF reform process commenced under the former government, and this included a voluntary licence surrender programme which removed 100 licences from the fishery. As part of this process, ITQs based on catch histories were also implemented for the four primary species – King George whiting, calamari, southern garfish and snapper.
South Australia’s Marine Scalefish Fishery employs 275 people and is worth $32.8 million to the state’s economy, largely benefiting coastal regional communities.
With the large-scale changes to the industry, and with the former government’s licence fee offset ending in 2024-25, the Malinauskas Labor Government aims to extend support for the industry as it continues its period of adjustment, with $1.55 million over the next three years going to support South Australian MSF quota licence holders.
The fee relief is to be introduced alongside a new licence fee structure, made up of a base fee of 30% and a quota fee of 70%, resulting in those with greater access to the state’s marine resources paying more than those operators with little to no quota.
