Rising fuel prices hit fishermen

Monday, 16 June 2008 05:15

The high cost of fuel is only adding to the difficulties of cray fisherment in an already difficult season, according to prominent Torres Strait businessman Peter Ahloy.

"The cost of fuel is having a lot of effect at a time when there’s not many crays about; the fishermen are losing money or not making much at all," Mr Ahloy said.

"So they’re not going out as often in an effort to minimise costs.

"They’re trying to catch as many as they can when the crays are running.

"They’re more selective when they got out, and will only pick the best times, such as the middle of the neap when the water is clear and the tide is not running too strongly."

Mr Ahloy predicted in last week’s Torres News that unleaded fuel could reach $3 a litre by the end of the year.

Unleades is now $2.10 and diesel is $2.28 a litre.

Fishing industry leader Neil Green has warned that unless sales increase to match sky-rocketing fuel prices, much of the Queensland fishing fleet will be tied up in port.

Mr Green, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA), says that rising fuel prices, especially the price of diesel, mean fishing families are doing it tough.

Mr Ahloy says no solution is in sight.

"Everyone just has to wait."

He says cray fishing usually runs in three-year cycles which are affected by the breeding patterns which, in turn, are a direct result of the practices of PNG licensed fishermen who openly breach PNG Government regulations.

"It is illegal to take crayfish by trawling in PNG, but that doesn’t stop them

"I’ve complained in the past when three trawlers had 50 tons in one shipment - and that would be common.

"A group of PNG boats could catch up to 300 tonnes of cray in one week, and that would decimated the breeding stock. Hence, the problems we have now with a shortage of cray fish.

"It comes from those issues.

"And high fuel prices are an additional, very expensive burden."

Mr Ahloy said: "The scientists say the industry in on a knife edge, and that we’re overfishing the stock.

" It’s funny that when they say that the next season is usually a bumper season. And that’s from diving not trawling; the scientists don’t know; they’re just guessing."

The cray season ends in September.

Mr Green said: "Queensland fishing families - and the fishing industry in Queensland is mainly made up of family businesses - are being squeezed like never before," Mr Green said.

"It is a combination of the high Australian dollar, cheap imports and now the sky-rocketing price of fuel.

"The high Australian dollar makes our seafood exports more expensive on world markets, particularly compared with third-world seafood produced with far lower labor costs.

"That has lost Queensland a lot of overseas markets.

"And now, at a time when prices are down and fishing families are doing it hard already, the price of fuel is out of control.

"Fuel is the biggest expense for fishing businesses and, if this keeps up, most of the Queensland fishing fleet, especially prawn trawlers, are going to be tied up to the wharves and there will be no local seafood available, full stop."

< Prev		Next >