Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I know this is about the Northern Territory fisheries but I wanted to share some material that I received in an answer to a question on notice. It talks about identification of fish types intercepted on illegal foreign fishing vessels fishing in the Australian fishing zone along the coasts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. I think they demonstrate the magnitude of the problem. In 2002-03, according to the answer that I have just received from the minister, there were 60,471 kilograms of fish and 290 sharks identified in the vessels which had been intercepted. It is interesting to wonder how many kilograms or tonnes of fish were on the vessels that were not intercepted and how many sharks were captured by those vessels.

In 2003-04, there is a significant decline in the amount of fish found on intercepted vessels: 1,929 kilograms, a dramatic reduction—a 30th of the amount discovered the year before; but the number of sharks found to have been taken by those vessels rose from 290 to 1,415. When we come to 2004-05—and remember that it has been estimated that we were intercepting only one vessel in 10 that was spotted by Coastwatch in the Australian fishing zone in that time—the fish intercepted rose back up to 52,953 kilograms, that is, nearly 53 tonnes of fish; and the number of shark had risen to 1,789. It does not take much imagination to extrapolate that, if we are intercepting only one vessel in 10, then statistically it is probable that 500 tonnes plus of fish were being taken from the Australian fishing zone in those northern Australian waters and nearly 18,000 sharks were being taken from that fishing zone in that year alone.

They are very alarming figures. The department could not make that extrapolation and they gave me a lengthy answer as to the work they are attempting to do to put in place measures which will allow them to make the extrapolation. Looking at the material they have provided, I would be surprised if they could make an accurate extrapolation any time soon. I wonder, given Senator Macdonald’s intervention, whether the diplomatic efforts that he spoke about will be of any greater assistance in discovering the magnitude of the catch landed in Indonesia, for example, taken from Australian waters. If the figures are anywhere near the numbers that I extrapolated from those given to me in the answer provided by the minister, something in excess of 500 tonnes of fish and somewhere in the vicinity of 18,000 sharks were taken from the Australian fishing zone in those northern waters in the year 2004-05 alone.

We are seeing, on all of the evidence, an increase in effort and the discovery of larger vessels which are almost mother ships for smaller fishing operations, indicating a dramatic increase in the level of the catch taken. We see those figures bounce around, but 500 tonnes of fish and 18,000 sharks taken from those waters, I suggest, will have a dramatic effect on the fishery. It is no surprise that the fishing industry in northern Australian waters is so alarmed by the predation on the fishery and that it has taken this government so long to do anything about it. It is time not to project that we are going to have a result in two years but to talk about getting a result sooner. If these figures continue, there will not be much to take from the fishery in the future. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.