After requesting a buyback offer of up to $20 million for fishermen to exit the industry, the Clarence Prawn Trawl committee say NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty’s offer is embarrassing.

Last Wednesday afternoon, the Clarence Valley Independent was contacted by Minister Moriarty’s office with news that the NSW Government would commit $4.5 million toward buybacks for the prawn trawl industry.

The industry has been on its knees after White Spot disease was detected at three Palmers Island prawn farms in 2022 and 2023, and a Biosecurity Control Order was implemented, preventing the harvesting of green prawns from the Clarence River.

Yamba’s reputation as the home of the best prawns in Australia has spread nationwide and beyond, with top restaurants in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne all promoting dishes using “Yamba prawns”.

The latest news from the NSW Government is Clarence Prawn Trawl Committee Chair, Glen Dawson said the Minister’s offer was insulting.

“I think she would be embarrassed promoting it, the Minister,” he said.

“I have heard exactly what the breakdown of it is, but I have been told that its $150 a share and $1000 compensation.

“To put those numbers out to us is absolutely ridiculous.

“I spoke to five or six fishermen about the offer…they’re devastated, absolutely devastated, especially the young ones with families, who are paying off mortgages.

“We are having a Prawn Trawl Committee meeting on Tuesday (yesterday) to discuss what our further action will be from here on.”

Mr Dawson said the Clarence Prawn Trawl industry has seen very little of the $21.4 million the government has already committed in response to the 2022 outbreak.

“She keeps going on about the $21 million that they have already put towards the industry,” he said.

“The fishermen got very little of that amount of money, the majority of that $21 million went to the prawn farms.”

The new, expanded Biosecurity Control Order, extended until 2030 on the Clarence, Evans, and Richmond Rivers will decimate the current industry, as it prevents the harvest of green prawns across the Northern Rivers region.

The NSW Government said the package will assist impacted fishers to exit the industry and includes funding for voluntary share and business buyouts and business training to support those fishers in the region who decide to exit.

“Over the last two years, the Minns Government has invested $21.4 million to respond to the outbreak, enhance biosecurity controls and support affected prawn fishers in the Clarence, Evans and Richmond Rivers, with act-of-grace payments, business share buyouts, fee waivers, Crown Land rent waivers and mental health support services,” a NSW Government spokesperson said.

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said the Minns Government has provided significant financial support of more than $21 million to the prawn farming and fishing industry in northern NSW during the last few challenging years and this $4.5 million financial transition package demonstrates their continuing commitment.

“With white spot now confirmed as established in wild prawn populations in the affected areas, the NSW Government has developed this funding package to help fishing businesses transition out with financial buybacks, business retraining and other support measures,” she said.

“The NSW Government acknowledges this has been a challenging time for workers and businesses in the industry and I encourage them to utilise the available mental health and financial counselling.

“Consumers are assured that white spot does not pose a threat to human health or food safety.”

White spot is now considered established in wild prawn populations within the existing areas of detection in northern NSW and that has led to a new biosecurity control order enlarging the impacted area being declared and dated till 2030.

Prawn fishers in the control zone have restrictions on how they can move uncooked or unprocessed prawns outside the zone, and this will have considerable impact on their businesses.

Biosecurity control orders have been operating in the Northern Rivers of NSW since 2022.

The objective of potentially being able to stand the control orders down has dissipated due to repeated positive testing for white spot within the coastal sea off those rivers.

The NSW Government has been undertaking testing, assisting industry, and advocating to the Commonwealth Government to determine if the national biosecurity approach could be modified when considering the need for a biosecurity control order for northern NSW region.

However, the impacts on national trade and standing within international trade led to a retaining of the existing requirement to maintain the restrictions within the control order.

This article appeared in Clarence Valley Independent, 17 December 2025.