THE fishing industry is up in arms over claims it is reducing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to a slime-filled underwater wasteland.
Commercial fishers, the Queensland Seafood Industry Association and the Department of Primary Industries have blasted Canberra academic Prof Roger Bradbury’s predictions that continued commercial fishing on the Reef may eventually turn it to a slime and jellyfish infested dead-zone.
Commercial fisher Shaun Hansen branded the prediction "outrageous" and denied the Reef was overfished.
"We’ve been managed, we’re accredited as sustainable by Queens-land Fisheries," Mr Hansen told The Cairns Post.
Mr Hansen has operated on the Reef for 25 years and said commercial operations in the area were at their lowest ebb.
"We’ve been reduced so much, there’s not many boats out there at all. There’s only 50 reef line boats working from Gladstone to Torres Strait," he said
He was "absolutely confident" current controls would secure the future of the Reef.
Closing the Reef fishery would also place pressure on less tightly regulated overseas fisheries to supply the Australian seafood market, Mr Hansen said.
Queensland Seafood Industry Association President Neil Green said calls to halt tightly regulated commercial operations were biased, while the recreational sector continued to expand its catch.
"The recreational sector is not capped," he said. "They can go out and take 50 reef fish. If another 10 boats come in that’s 500 more fish. It’s happening all the time and it’s a big concern."
A Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries spokeswoman said the department was confident current measures were sufficient to ensure Prof Bradbury’s predictions would not eventuate.
"There are no indications that the Great Barrier Reef is being affected by overfishing," she said.
