What a Fishing Story !
Submitted by SARFAC Friday, 6th December 2002

An Adelaide court was told this week that there was little opposition in the Riverland to commercial fishermen using gillnets in the River Murray.

The claim was made by former SARDI inland fisheries scientist Bryan Pierce.

He was called as a witness by the river's commercial fishermen, who have taken civil action to overturn the Government's decision to ban gillnet use in the river.

Mr Pierce claimed that only a "vocal minority" of people were opposed to gillnet fishing. He also told the court that only 82 people signed The Murray Pioneer's petition against gillnet fishing.

Both claims are false.

The Murray Pioneer's gillnet petition was launched on December 21 last year and in three weeks had attracted more than 2370 signatures from along the river.