Fishing industry concern over aquaculture effects
Submitted by SARFAC Thursday, 6th February 2003

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Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 5:49 PM
Subject: Fishing industry concern over aquaculture effects

Fishing industry concern over aquaculture effects
Reference : ABC News Online - The World Today
Media Transcript - Nance Haxton
Wednesday, 5 February 2003

JOHN HIGHFIELD : Well, you may recall our story a few days ago when we heard how a South Australian farmer, hard pressed by soil degradation and drought, had saved his business by turning his salt-burdened property over to fish farming rather than crop farming.

Aquaculture in its purest form, though, has become a booming sector for parts of regional Australia.

But the environmental cost is starting to be tallied in South Australia.

Local fisherman say the escape of Kingfish from the feedlots into the open waters of Spencer Gulf is having a devastating effect on local whiting and squid stocks.

As Nance Haxton reports, so serious is the claim and counter-claim over this, that the South Australian Government has ordered an extensive assessment of the environmental impact of aquaculture.

NANCE HAXTON : The contentious issue of Kingfish farming in Spencer Gulf has come to a head this week with a number of public meetings convened by the South Australian Primary Industries Minister, Paul Holloway in an effort to assess the extent of concerns.

Recreational fishermen claim huge numbers of escaped fish from Kingfish feedlots are causing an environmental disaster by eating other species such as whiting and squid. While Kingfish are a native fish of the area, fishermen are saying they have never seen them in such large numbers before the aquaculture developments began.

President of the West Coast Professional Fisherman's Association, Alan Suter, says they believe the Kingfish explosion is due to escapes from the aquaculture feedlots because the fish are showing different behaviours to the wild variety.

ALAN SUTER : Well in 50 years of history, there have been no incidence of Kingfish smaller than 60 centimetres seen in The Gulf until these farms appeared. Now we have the industry claiming that it's, it's a miraculous increase in the natural population.

But even if there were, that would not result in juvenile fish taking up residence in in-shore waters. So we don't believe them.

NANCE HAXTON : Primary Industries Minister, Paul Holloway admits there have been confirmed escapes of Kingfish from the aquaculture farms, both last year and in January this year because of net failures in one case caused by a shark attack. However, he says the impact of the fish on native stocks is being exaggerated and he has set up the Aquaculture Advisory Committee to coordinate research into establishing if the escaped fish have impacted on stocks, and to draw up tighter guidelines for the industry.

PAUL HOLLOWAY : I think it's important that we get the whole issue into, into perspective. The sort of numbers that we're talking here are, are certainly relatively small. And given that these fish are bred from, from [inaudible] stock, we don't believe that, or certainly the advice I have is that they shouldn't have a significant impact upon the, the native fish stocks in the wild.

NANCE HAXTON : Have concerns been raised about the nets possibly attracting more sharks to The Gulf?

PAUL HOLLOWAY : That was one of the issues that was raised. This is an issue that does need to be managed with good practice. Fish farm technology's been around for a long time. We believe that the basics are sound. I mean there is rigorous monitoring that's undertaken by the EPA.

The escapes really are the, are the major issue that we have at the moment. And obviously we want to make sure that, you know, the industry improves its practices so that they can be reduced down to zero.

JOHN HIGHFIELD : Paul Holloway is the South Australian Minister for Primary Industries. Nance Haxton with our story.