Kingfish Escape - ABC Radio Precis 13/08/03
Submitted by SARFAC Wed 13/08/2003 5:38 PM

Thousands more Yellow Tailed Kingfish escape

Radio Precis

There are fresh calls for South Australia's fish farming industry to be more accountable after news of the latest escape of Yellow Tailed Kingfish. It's just been revealed that thousands more fish escaped from Fitzgerald Bay near Whyalla 12 days ago. State's Marine Fin Fish Farmers' Association, Martin Hernen [phonetic] says the exact cause is still being investigated:

(891ABC 6.30am/639ABC 6.30am & 8.30am) "The company had divers out the day before the 31st July and on the 31st July the divers noticed that there was a hole in the net and basically it would appear that there was a net failure. The company when it established the cages, had a net maker to test the strength of the nets and they were fully examined, it's just that the nets just appeared to fail."

(639ABC 7.30am/891ABC 8am) "Obviously we don't want to lose any fish because first of all it affects the environment and obviously it's not really cost effective for the company. So we want to find out what the problem was and make sure it doesn't happen again."

SA Recreational Fishers Association Council's Trevor Watts says he's disappointed he wasn't informed:

(891ABC 6.30am/639ABC 6.30am & 8.30am) "It's very disappointing to hear this from the ABC once more, like it was in the early days when we were castigated for spreading malicious rumours on this issue and we turned out to be correct in the end. So, it's certainly disappointing to hear that there's been another escape at the end of July."

(639ABC 7.30am/891ABC 8am) "Why do we have to find out from other people about these escapes which suggests of cover ups all the time?"

Dept of Primary Industries plays down news of latest escape of Kingfish

It's been revealed that about 2,500 Kingfish escaped 12 days ago from a farm owned by SA Aquaculture Management on Fitzgerald Bay near Whyalla. The SA Recreational Fishers Association Council is angry at the delay in making the news public but Primary Industries' Michael Dearing says there's been no cover up:

(891ABC 12noon) "It's been on our web page for certainly at least the last week. It may well have been there for a little bit longer but certainly that was the process that we agreed. We've advised all of the recreational and commercial fishers that the process we'll be following be to notify on our web page."

(639ABC 12.30pm) "This escape was notified more than a week ago. It's fairly old news actually; it's been on our web page for certainly at least the last week, it may well have been there for a little bit longer - I haven't actually got the date in front of me, but certainly that was the process that we agreed with; advised all of the recreational and commercial fishers that the process we'll be following will be to notify on our web page."

Shadow Primary Industries Minister, Caroline Schaeffer is also concerned at the way she found out about the fish escape:

(891ABC 12noon/639ABC 12.30pm) "I'm a bit disappointed. I learnt of this from the ABC. I am the Shadow Minister, when we had the wheat streak mosaic virus problem the Minister sent someone in to brief me and we were able to take a bipartisan attack on that particular problem. I would like to have been given the same courtesy on this occasion."

Martin Hernon [phonetic], Executive Officer, SA Aquaculture Management The latest escape of Yellow Tailed Kingfish

(Homer: It's been revealed there's been another major escape of Yellow Tailed Kingfish, this time at Fitzgerald Bay near Whyalla. The South Australian Marine Fin Fish Farmers' Association has confirmed nearly 2,500 fish escaped from a farm owned by SA Aquaculture Management 12 days ago ... it appears the fish escaped from a hole in a cage.)

The company had divers out the day before, the 31st of July ... on the 31st of July the divers noticed that there was a hole in the net and basically it would appear that there was a net failure. The company, when it established the cages, had a net maker to test the strength of the nets and they were fully examined, it's just that the nets just appear to fail. They've actually flown over the Tasmania net maker again to make the appropriate repairs to make sure they're strong enough for the site conditions.

(Reporter: Are they investigating the cause of the net failure?)

Yes, they're trying to find out why those particular nets failed ... I'm actually in the process of trying to write a code of practice on behalf of the industry and one of the things we're actually putting in there is to make sure that the sea cages, the anchors, the nets, the cages themselves are appropriate for the site conditions and it would appear to me that the company made its best endeavours to get appropriate advice prior to establishing those cages but obviously once you find out something happens, we don't want it to happen again ... this amount of fish is something which the company's lost money on now ... we don't want to lose any fish because first of all it affects the environment and obviously it's not really cost effective for the company ... we want to find out what the problem was and make sure it doesn't happen again.

(Reporter: ... last time there was a spate of Kingfish escapes there was calls for ... more accountability in the industry ... how soon after this escape was the Minister notified?)

Within 24 hours.

Martin Hernan [phonetic], SA Marine Finfish Farms Association The latest escape of yellow tailed Kingfish

(Male: Tens of thousands ...yellow tailed kingfish have escaped from aquaculture operations into the waters off the SA coast in the last 18 months ...these fish need to consume large amounts of food simply to survive ...we know for sure they have no respect for size limits when it comes to cleaning out the breeding grounds of other species like King George Whiting ...Garfish and Snapper...the last time a major escape was reported ..the State Govt assured those concerned that new regulations and standards would be put in place ..that it would be much harder to gain approval to set up fish farms in our waters ...that reporting systems would be in place to ensure that when major events like this did actually happen, the public would be told about it ...this morning ...what we didn't know ...was that on the 31st July more than 10 days ago ...another 2,500 fish ...average weight of somewhere around 2 kilos ...swam through a hole in a poorly maintained net ...the Minister for Fisheries, Paul Holloway, has declined to come on the program this morning ...a spokesman has referred all of our queries to the hapless bureaucrats at Primary Industries and Resources SA ...the old Fisheries Dept ...The Minister and his advisors might not see it as his job to keep the public informed of incidents like this ...but I for one do ...let's go to Martin Hernan [phonetic] from the Finfish Association ...Martin, not a good morning for you)

Well not really I suppose no ...I'm a bit concerned about the way that you've explained the problem to people ...

(Well you explain it to them)

Yeah ...basically...the problem arose basically because there was a fault in a particular net ...wasn't that the net wasn't maintained appropriately ...

(...a hole in a net...wouldn't you think that maybe a net's supposed to sort of work? )

Quite right yeah ...these people ...when they actually establish these sea cages ...they actually look at the environment ...they get advice from net manufacturers ...and cage manufacturers ...about appropriateness of the nets ...strength ...ply ...where it's going to be ...the water currents and all the rest of it ...

(So will they be taking legal action against these people?)

We don't know yet ...I can't say ...

(Who are the owners of this particular net?)

The actual company was up from Shell Bay ...SA Aquaculture Management ...

(And who are they?) ..

organisation which manages sea farms ...in Fitzgerald Bay ...

(And who are the people involved in it?)

[unclear] people ...plethora of organisations ...conglomerate of organisations that manage farms ...about 5 licenses up there ...

(Are they based in Whyalla?)

They're based in Whyalla yeah ...

(We'll be going to Jim Pollock who's the Mayor of Whyalla in a moment ...see if he can give us a bit more information on that ...so Martin what went wrong?)

As I say ...divers go out regularly ...they were out there on the 31st ...matter of fact they were out the day before actually checking for nets ...they go down when the fish are fed ...there was no problem at the time ...the following day though the divers....found out there was an actual hole in the net...there were actually fisheries officers out there at the same time ...just appears to be a net failure ...in a previous case when the escapes happened ...the police were brought in because it appeared that there were suspicious circumstances ...

(So when did PIRSA become aware of this?)

Within 24 hours ...fisheries officers out in boats on the same day that the divers were going down ...the protocol you mentioned before ...was that the companies were to notify Primary Industries within 24 hours of any escapes happening ...which is exactly what they did ...my understanding is that Primary Industries will actually put reports of any escapes ...goes on a website ...the thing about the escapes is that obviously no organisation wants to lose nearly 25,000 fish ...it's unfortunate that this net failed ...we don't think it was a shark attack ..the usual cases of any escapes previously were things like shark attacks ...stock splits ...we have to transfer stock from one cage to another because of the welfare of the animals ...sometimes when that happens sometimes a spill occurs ...what we agreed with Primary Industries was that a code of practice would be established ...I've been down to places like Tasmania to see the salmon industry have got one...to write a code of practice to explain that like say ..nets should be checked regularly ...there should be proper advice given ...depending on suitability of ..in terms of local environment ...example ...the steer group ...when they lost their [unclear] and did R&D project to establish a steel cage ...which is much more secure ...much more expensive though ...however it may not be the answer for everybody because a steel cage...more difficult to actually manage ...you can't split your fishes easily ...issues around steel cages ...

(Wouldn't there be an argument there to have a moratorium on this whole industry until those issues are sorted out?)

I don't think so ...lots of industries in other states as well have got fish escapes ..this is a growing industry ...we are obviously concerned about fish escapes ...I don't think a moratorium is the way to go at all ...

(Well we're only getting $7 a kilo ...for Kingfish?)

No no ...there's more money than that coming in for Kingfish ....other international buyers ...pay a lot more than that depending on quality of the fish ...

(So what would a typical kilo of Kingfish that has just swum out into the gulf be worth?)

Depends where you sell it ...supply and demand thing ...sometimes you can quote $7 a kilo ...you might be able to get $9 a kilo...depends if you're talking about farm gate prices ..value added prices ...this is a valuable commodity ...

(How big were the fish? We've heard average weight of about 2 kilos)

Yeah that's what I was informed yeah ...about 2 kilos ...that's not quite at saleable size you see ...the company's put a lot of money into these things ...thing called food conversion ratio ..you've gotta put a lot of money into feeding the fish ...they've lost lots of money now because of an accident basically ....

( I guess the other side of it would be that the other fishing interests that rely on the gulf ...recreational fishing ...have also perhaps lost quite a bit of whatever stocks would have come out of the fingerlings)

We don't know that ...you mentioned before ...you thought the fish were voracious ...no evidence to that at all ...no evidence at all that any finfish farm in operation has got any impact on the environment whatever ...these fish ...pellet fed ...like feeding something [unclear] on a farm basically ...the fish don't actually know how to catch their own fish anyway ...

(So we'll find them washing up on the beach dead?)

Well they might be eaten by other fish anyway ...no evidence that these fish actually go and take out numbers of other commercially or recreational fish that are caught by other people ...(Martin thanks very much for coming onto the program ...I quite feel for you that you're the person that's gotta make the public announcement on this ...would have thought that somebody else might have actually done it ...from the Govt or the Dept)

It will improve ...please ...we're writing a code of practice ...the industry doesn't want to lose any money ...we want to do the right thing ...trying to become clean and green ...this was an accident ...we're trying to create jobs and economic benefit for the region ...

Jim Pollock, Mayor of Whyalla Whyalla Council trying to get recreational fishers in to Whyalla / latest escape of yellow tailed Kingfish

(Male: ... my next guest this morning is somebody who's presiding over a budget and a township that actually spends quite a bit of money trying to attract fishing people from all over the country to fish for snapper, the Whyalla Snapper Fishing Competition is a mainstay of Upper Spencer Gulf fisheries and the recreational fisheries ... you might have heard yesterday that a couple of the main players in the fishing tackle industry are saying that this project in Whyalla for snapper fishing ... is one of the big success stories of Australian fishing ... Jim, now you can't be the happiest chap in the world this morning considering that you've spent goodness knows how much money trying to get recreational fishing people in here, what sort of impact does a story like this have on your job?) ...

it doesn't have a good impact at all ... it is of great concern to the Whyalla Council and indeed the whole broader community, it's very unfortunate this has happened once again and it's detrimental to tourism and fishers that may come here ... what we have to look at is why that net failed before we can make any comment to who is to blame or what have you, council's unaware of that at this stage, but I'm sure we'll find out in due course ...

(Male: If I was catching blue swimmer crab and I was using a certain sort of net and every four times I pulled the net up there was a hole in the bottom of it, I reckon I might start looking at the sort of net I was using ... )

... you're on the right track there ... and I do believe that there are some other aquaculture people testing steel mesh in lure of the ordinary ... type net, but I understand that the mesh also failed ... so where too from here? I as a ... local Mayor really have no idea, but it is of really great concern, we were a bit disappointed as a council that we weren't notified immediately of the net failure, so we'll be in touch with ... PIRSA and Paul Holloway to instruct us to instruct them to let us know as a council immediately if something like this happens, I mean we need to be advised of what's going on out there, we're very supportive of the aquaculture industry and we will continue to do so, but we need some cooperation from them so we can address this

(Male: Maybe what you need is an emergency squad of recreational fishers ready to go out there in a Kingfishing competition in about 48 hours notice)

... apparently these fish that are bred on pellets won't take the bait, so what do you do? I do understand though that out of the 2,423 2kg Kingfish that have escaped, they are being recaptured, now how they do that is beyond me, I can't work that out ... it's a fair loss, but they're recover some of that

(Male: ...the feedback that we're getting at the moment is okay, 2,500 fish there, 80,000 fish in the last 18 months ... have we actually got a system in place that can control this or is it just being allowed to grow willy-nilly?) ...

we'll have to find out what caused that failure, was it a Bronze Whaler, was it a White Pointer shark and indeed if that was the case ... I mean it's going to take a very, very strong net to stop a repercussion of that ... we really need to find out and that's one of the council's priorities to find out why that net failed

(Male: ...how much has the council kicked in to aquaculture in the last 18 months?...)

It's a considerable amount of money ... many, many thousands, it's a major industry to Whyalla and I think it's going to continue to grow

(Male: ...is it $600,000? ...)

It would be close to that ...

(Male: ...so the council has obviously got quite a strong interest in seeing this thing work as well)

Oh absolutely and that's why we need to be informed and in a very strong partnership with PIRSA ... and the Primary Industries because we're a financial partner if you like to some extent, in fact the whole community would be

(Male: ...are you sure that no-one in council knew about the escape before it was reported? ...)

Well I certainly wasn't ... the rumour was confirmed to me yesterday ... I heard on Monday night a slight rumour from someone completely independent of council and I asked the question yesterday and that was confirmed, but I really can't say ... whether council were officially notified prior to this being released

(Male: ...thanks very much ...) ...

Michael Deering, Director, PIRSA Aquaculture The latest escape of yellow tailed Kingfish

(Male: ... lets go to Michael Deering ... the Manager of Policy and Planning at PIRSA Aquaculture ... he's the person whose actually been offered up to us this morning to talk about this ... how big is this problem? It seems at this stage that this becoming almost a perennial story that we're hearing ... thousands of Kingfish escaping and often not hearing about it for up to two weeks after the event ... is there a reporting system in place or is this just something the Government and the Department are hoping will go away?)

... no look I think that's certainly something I would correct ... this escape was notified more than a week ago ... its fairly old news actually. Its been on our web page for certainly at least the last week ... that was the processes we agreed ... we've advised all of the recreational and commercial fishers that the process will be following ... notify on our web page all of the escapes ... we have them there right up from the 1st of June 2001 ... you can very accurately see the number of animals that have escaped ... whether some have been recovered ... so certainly I don't think its an issue of non reporting ...

(Male: ...so if its not a big deal, why won't your Minister talk about it?)

... well that's certainly something I'd pick you up on as well ... clearly the responsibility for day to day management ...

(Male: ...well he's not available this morning?)

... no ...

(Male: ...he's put you up and you're a bureaucrat and you've been left here to cover what I think and judging by our phone calls ... are a pretty angry group of people)

... yeah I think that's something I would pick up again as well ... my role here as a technical specialist in the area ... I'm an expert in this area. That's what my role is to do ...

(Male: ...so can you guarantee ... is there a way to stop this happening again or is this just something we're going to have to deal with and get used to not having Whiting and Garfish ... that's the common logic that's out there ... it might not be right but if you can convince me that these fish, or anyone else that these fish don't actually eat fingerlings ... I'd be very happy to hear what you've got to say ...)

... I think there's two issues there ... one is addressing the escapes ... clearly the Government has made it clear that any escape is unacceptable ... we don't want fish getting out of fin fish cages for two reasons ... clearly it has an economic impact on the operators ... they don't want to be losing money in terms of the food they've given to fish ... but also in terms of public confident ... fish getting out of cages doesn't inspire confidence in the public ... that's something we're clearly aware of ... we don't want any fish getting out of cages ... I think certainly the industry have demonstrated with obviously appropriate regulatory pressure that they're prepared to deal with those issues and they've been progressively working through ... dealing with the issue of escapes associated with predators ...

(Male: ...wouldn't it be smarter Michael to actually just apply a moratorium until we've got this worked out ... if we do have mesh cages things are going to be a lot easier and possibly a lot safer ...)

... we don't know ... net cages will work ... the question is whether the engineering is appropriate ... that's what we're dealing with at the moment .. we've dealt with accidental escapes associated with transfers and net changes and those sorts of things ... we've dealt with the predator issues ... now we've got the engineering issues that we need to deal with ... we're gradually dealing with the issue and certainly the number of escapes ...

(Male: ...what's the figure on your website?) ...

about 16,000 in total ... over the last two and a bit years ...

(Male: ...thanks for being on the program ...)

Trevor Watts, SA Recreational Fishers Association The latest escape of yellow tailed Kingfish

(Male: ...lets go now to Trevor Watts ... just get a perspective from there ... good morning ... now recreational fishers ... what's the feeling your getting at the moment?)

... well extremely disappointed as we have been over the last year ... those figures that Michael just mentioned aren't quite correct ... I just visited their website too and we've had 10 escapes in the last two years ... which total in round figures to 19,000 fish out there in the wild ... we do not know what genetic variation they carry in their genes ...

(Male: ...at this point ... you've got 19,000 fish ... not quite sure where they've gone ...)

... I do know where some of them have gone ... they're catching them up at Port Augusta ...

(Male: ...there are a fair few up there ... I guess whatever the science of all this is ... what does it do to the perception of South Australia's fisheries for recreational fishers ... is it something where people just say ... we'll go and catch the Kingfish?)

... well its worse than that ... if you care to visit the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation's code ... it says that in the lack of scientific evidence we should adopt a precautionary approach ... this is what's not happening ...

(Male: ...thanks very much for that ... it's a pretty strong issue right across the region ... )

Caroline Schaefer, Shadow Primary Industries Minister The latest escape of yellow tailed Kingfish

(Male: ...we'll go now to the Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Affairs ... good morning ... now what would you be doing if you were in Government?)

... I'm a bit disappointed that I learned of this from the ABC ... I understand its on the website but I am the Shadow Minister ... when we had the Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus problem the Minister sent someone in to brief me and we were able to take a bipartisan attack on that particular problem ... I would like to have been given the same courtesy on this occasion ... I think it's a shame ... I think we shouldn't get too emotive about it because it is an accident ... these people have apparently done all that they could ... they reported it within the 24 hours ... I think we need to obviously have a look at some of the engineering that is being used ... I'm also surprised ... I understood that a code of practice was developed after the escape in May by all key players ... but I now find that's still being developed ... people are still swimming around in the dark trying to work out just what to do ... I think one of the things we do need ... as I understand it those fish are bred in captivity and are used to be fed ... a large number of them are usually recaptured ... so I don't think perhaps there's 19,000 Kingfish still swimming around out there ... nevertheless it is a problem and a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly ...

(Male: ...thanks very much ... lets just hope they don't start farming Great White Sharks ... thanks for being on the program ...the Minister couldn't make himself available this morning ... Paul Holloway which is most unfortunate but he was certainly given the chance to do so...)

Kingfish Escape - ABC Radio Precis 14/08/03
Submitted by SARFAC Thu 14/08/2003 12:26 PM

More kingfish

Radio Precis

Professional fishermen say the State Govt is risking environmental disaster by ignoring impacts of Kingfish farming

Professional fisherman on the west coast say the State Govt is risking an environmental disaster by continuing to ignore the impacts of Kingfish farming on marine species. The President of the West Coast Professional Fisherman's Association, Alan Suter says it's now time the State Govt began to acknowledge the inherent dangers of the industry:

(639ABC 6.30am & 8.30am) "This industry's a disaster and I think it's a little bit too late. They've had multiple chances and the situation doesn't seem to be improving. In fact, it may even be getting worse. We've just had too much damage to our environment."

(639ABC 7.30am) "Every time there's one of these mass escapes, the local fish stocks take a pounding from these escaped fish. The message to the Minister is how many times Minister do we have to say, 'we told you so' and when are you going to acknowledge that we have a huge problem with this industry?"

Fisheries Minister Paul Holloway has rejected the claim saying the number of Kingfish escapes need to be kept in perspective:

(639ABC 6.30am) "It's a day factor moratorium if you like that we have in the current situation anyway and I'm sure the industry itself is trying to resolve these problems. But we have no applications and we don't expect that we'd be approving them until, or any further expansion until some of these issues are resolved."

(639ABC 7.30am) "Well you've got to look at the total number of fish farms I guess and the number that have escaped. We would prefer that there were no escapes at all of course, but given the numbers that have escaped, it would be drawing a very long boat to say that, you know, the ecosystems are at threat with those numbers. I mean there's a lot more than 2,000 fish out there in the sea."

Kingfish Escape - ABC Radio Precis 13/08/03
Submitted by SARFAC Thu 14/08/2003 1:13 PM

Paul Holloway, Minister for Fisheries Escape of Kingfish

(Thomsen: ... well the latest escape of farmed Kingfish from Fitzgerald Bay just near Whyalla has again sparked criticism of the aquaculture industry and the State Government. Minister for Fisheries, Paul Holloway joins us now to respond to some of those criticisms ... thanks for your time ... do we need to bring in legislation to enforce what type of net or cage must be used for Kingfish?)

... not at this stage ... as you would probably be aware, there is trialing at this moment of steel cages in the area ... that's at the Arno Bay Fishery ... there's only one being trialled at the moment ... if that trial is successful ... then I'm sure the industry will be very quick off the mark to try and adopt that ...

(Thomsen: ... if it works though, why wouldn't we legislate to make sure they're used right across the board for farming Kingfish?)

... it's a matter first of all whether in fact it does work or whether or not there are other issues involved ...

(Thomsen: ... if it does work, why not make them use it?)

... there are of course other possible solutions as well ... there are other issues in terms of the nets ... how much algae collects on it ... what it does in terms of cleaning ... there is cost benefits in all of these things ... the bottom line is that its in the industry's interest as well as the Government's interests and everybody else's interests that escapes be minimised ... that's why they're really looking at the technology ... that's only one answer ... there's also better management practices ... we know that most of these escapes come as a result of shark attacks ... it could well be that the location of some of these particular farms are in areas that are more prone to shark attacks than others ...

(Thomsen: ... but we don't ever hear of tuna escapes to the same degree that we hear of Kingfish escapes ...)

... the question is why is that the case? There are different areas but there's obviously a lot more, a lot more interest I guess in Kingfish ... we're also growing these fish from fairly small numbers ... there are different sorts of nets ... obviously those small fish ... require different nets than those when they're 12 months old ... they are a quick growing fish ...

(Thomsen: ... could it be a fair criticism to say that there's more money in tuna ... they can invest in better cages ... should we therefore be using the same cages for Kingfish?)

... well look a lot of the technology developed from the tuna industry ... ask the industry ... the fish given they're caught in the wild are obviously much bigger ...

(Thomsen: ... well I know your saying its within the industry's own interest to make sure that they keep the Kingfish within their farms ... would you say here and now that you'd be prepared to look at legislation to make sure that they're using the very best standard cages that are available ... whether they're the steel cages that are being trialled ... whether they're the same sorts of cages or designs that the tuna farms are using ... there would seen to be a reasonable thing for the Government to look at ...)

... I think that's really the way to go ... through the codes of practice which we began developing earlier this year ... they're in the process of being developed and refined ... what are the sort of cages ... new technologies are coming on the market all the time ... there will be different issues ... different locations ...

(Thomsen: ... Minister, PIRSA and the aquaculture industry like to say that escaped Kingfish just hang around the farm from where they've just escaped but shack owners had earlier contacted Whyalla Council earlier this week ... there was a school of 2,000 or so Kingfish that were devouring cuttlefish in the cuttlefish grounds at Whyalla ... also PIRSA representatives witnessed this ... if that's true ... it's a very serious incident for any Kingfish ever to escape ... can you respond to that?)

... Kingfish escapes are a matter of concern ...

(Thomsen: ...have your representatives made you aware of Kingfish devouring Cuttlefish?)

... I haven't heard of those particular reports ... it's certainly clear that there are Kingfish out there and that some of them have come from farms ...

(Thomsen: ...this is right after an escape from a farm ... suddenly there are reports of thousands of Kingfish in the area devouring Cuttlefish ... if this is proven to be correct that escaped Kingfish have been devouring Cuttlefish on what are precious cuttlefish breeding grounds ... you need to do something don't you?)

... certainly would be concerned if they were having a significant impact on them ... if people are catching these fish after they escape ... we welcome that ... there's no doubt that those stocks are down all over the world ...

(Thomsen: ... just on the Cuttlefish specifically though ... what will the Government do about it if its proven that these escaped Kingfish are going straight to the Cuttlefish breeding grounds?)

... obviously we have to get the facts first ... that would be a matter of concern if it was shown to be true ... we're concerned anyway in relation to any escapes ... we also need to be aware in this whole debate ... there are those who for various reasons are not necessarily ... the best interests of our community ... self interest in many cases ... would like to attack fish farming and aquaculture ...

(Thomsen: This morning the Whyalla Council admitted that they've invested $600,000 or so in the aquaculture industry ... how much has the State Government invested in aquaculture?)

... I wouldn't know the amount ... certainly developing ... aquaculture plans where we ... recover the cost ...

(Thomsen: But there is some definite amount that the State Govt has invested in aquaculture?)

... it depends on which particular branch of aquaculture - in relation to tuna farming we would recover a hundred percent of the costs that it would cost PIRSA ...

(Thomsen: ... is there a conflict of interest here between the Govt policing the aquaculture industry ... specifically Kingfish escapes?)

... I don't see ... why there should be because after all we certainly would like to see a healthy aquaculture industry in the state ... it won't be healthy if there are escapes ... clearly if there are problems with the industry then we won't get the benefits for it ... what we're trying to do is to resolve these problems through a range of measures ... let me say that I think some of the criticism that's gone on is really quite outrageous when people like the Recreational Fishers Association attack us ... this information is put on the PIRSA website ...

(Thomsen: That information was only put on that website a week after the escape though ... is that really acceptable?)

... they're put on there within a reasonable time ... it's put on the website at the earliest opportunity that that information is available ... if people don't read it, particularly when they're given significant subsidies of taxpayers' money ... we also provide subsidies to groups such as SARFAC to provide information in relation to these ... since recreational fishing is their business surely they can go and read the PIRSA websites and make themselves aware of that information

(Thomsen: Do reporting procedures need to be improved then or are they adequate?)

... they did need to be improved ... that was one of the things we did earlier this year ... we required that reporting from the farms to be within a period of 24 hours or so ... it then goes on to the website ... they're the procedures that we've developed to ensure that that information is available

(Thomsen: Minister, we know you've taken time out of a busy schedule of meetings this afternoon to talk to us ... thank you very much for doing so ... we should just note that during that interview we've also had calls from people to say that they - just near Whyalla - have been watching a heap of Kingfish eat Cuttlefish ...)

Kingfish Escape - ABC Radio Precis 15/08/03
Submitted by SARFAC Tue 19/08/2003 11:23 AM

Claims of diseased Kingfish being dumped around the Spencer Gulf

Its claimed thousands of diseased Kingfish from aquaculture farms in Whyalla are being dumped in and around the Spencer Gulf. The Primary Industries Department says since the introduction of the Fin Fish Farms there's been 16,000 Kingfish escape. But President of the Steel City Sports Fishing Club, Allan Slater [phonetic] believes the number is closer to half a million and claims thousands of dead fish have been dumped on land and in the sea:

(639ABC 12.30pm/891ABC 1pm) "Some of the local shack owners photographed the dumpings yesterday but they've noticed the dumpings have been going on regularly. One of the husbands of the shack owners has been a fisherman for 40 years and he said the fish actually had diarrhoea."

Lobster Industry isn't ready to sign off on marine protected areas

The State's Lobster Industry isn't ready to sign off on two potential marine protected areas suggested by Environment Australia off the South Australian coast. One area off the SA Victorian border is considered important to whales, while an area off Kangaroo Island contains huge canyons gouged by the River Murray over thousands of years. SA Rock Lobster Advisory Counci's Roger Edwards says MPs could shift fishing efforts and threaten the sustainability of rock lobster stocks:

(639ABC 12.30pm/891ABC 1pm) "We're going to have difficulty and will not be able to sign off on any marine protected areas until the impacts on sustainability of the lobster stocks are dealt with by Environment Australia. So we're currently in communication with Environment Australia saying well what are you going to do about displaced fishing."