Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
The state opposition has called for the release of an independent review into the cost recovery model for commercial fishing, following the announcement of new fees.
Yorke Peninsula fishers have said their fees could go up by 400 per cent under new Individual Transferrable Quota fees to be imposed by Primary Industries and Regions SA from 2024-25.
The fees will apply to King George whiting, garfish and calamari in the Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf Marine Scale Fisheries.
Opposition spokesperson Nicola Centofanti said Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven had left the industry in the dark over reforms which could have huge impacts on fishers’ livelihoods.
“It’s unacceptable for the government to sit on this cost recovery review for three months, without any decision making, then suddenly hit fishers with this new fee structure out of the blue,” Dr Centofanti said.
Under the model, fees are structured to cover the costs of administering the fishery, including compliance, administration and scientific research.
Ms Scriven said the fees were not new, but part of restructuring the changed operations of the fishery, as planned by the previous state government.
“Licence fees are a crucial part of cost recovery for access to our state’s marine resources,” she said.
“The proposed changes would see those with greater quota, and therefore greater access to the resource, pay more than those with minimal or no quota entitlements for tier one species.”
Ms Scriven said industry representatives were part of a working group which developed the new structure.
“We will continue to work with industry to identify ways in which efficiencies can be implemented to assist industry with the costs of managing the fishery,” she said.
Ms Scriven said the review would be released once it was finalised, and would be worked through with industry.
Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis said it was time for the government to stop kicking commercial fishers and move away from cost recovery.
Speaking in parliament last week, he said SA was the only state which imposed the cost recovery model but it did not have the critical mass of fishers to fund it.
Mr Ellis said an option could be for fishers to instead be charged a percentage of their gross value of production, as was done in Western Australia.
He said this would be more equitable and would enable fishers to keep contributing to their communities, including assisting in marine rescues, and to supply fish markets, hotels and restaurants with fresh fish.
Mr Ellis said one licence holder he spoke to currently paid fees of $7000, which would climb to $30,000 next financial year, yet he only had a taxable income of $50,000.
Marine Fishers Association executive officer Pat Tripodi said the Marine Scale Fishery was a community-owned asset and commercial fishers have an obligation to supply the non-fishing community with fish.
“Presently, the fishery is being managed in isolation to all of the state’s users, with the commercial sector essentially funding the management of the state’s aquatic resources,” he said.
“The state government needs to put their hand in the coffers and fund the management of the state’s aquatic resources for the common good of the community.”
Curramulka commercial fisher David Short said if fishing businesses collapsed, it would further limit consumer access to fresh local fish.
“This large increase in costs suggests the fishery since reform is being poorly managed because the new system is not cost effective as promised,” Mr Short said.
Related story: New fees could force YP fishers to bail out
This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 24 October 2023.
