Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Eyre Peninsula in South Australia is one of the most beautiful and economically important areas of that great state. It also hosts a very important fishing industry, much of which is centred around the town of Port Lincoln. The industrious South Australians who live in this part of the world have proved themselves to be at the forefront of innovation within the fishing and aquaculture industries. They have been among the pioneers of the farmed abalone industry. They grow and harvest arguably the finest oysters in the pristine waters of the natural jewel that is Coffin Bay. And the Eyre Peninsula, and specifically Port Lincoln, is unquestionably the home of Australia’s southern bluefin tuna industry.

Recently I was able to visit this part of the world with the Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, the Hon Eric Abetz, who joined me on a tour of this important part of South Australia’s economy. We experienced first hand the innovation and contribution that these industries make to Australia’s prosperity. South Australia produces 38 per cent of Australia’s aquaculture production and 14 per cent of the national seafood production, with an estimated output of over $518 million in 2004-05.

The economic benefits for South Australia attached to the tuna industry should not be underestimated. The industry provides direct jobs for many Port Lincolnites and supports indirectly a broad range of supplementary businesses. It has revitalised a small regional community. It is even good for tourism. For those senators or members of the Australian public who enjoy regional festivals, I thoroughly recommend the annual Tunarama Festival, where they can join with 8,000 other visitors over the Australia Day long weekend. And Port Lincoln, as many senators would know, is also home to Olympic gold medal winner Dean Lukin.

Whilst there are many other industries sustaining Port Lincoln and the surrounding area, it is the tuna industry, and specifically the practice of tuna farming, that has provided the engine room for continued growth. The total impact of tuna farming in the Eyre Peninsula region in 2004-05 was $333 million. This highlights the benefits and importance of the sustainable use of natural resources. The key word here is ‘sustainable’, and this is very important in any industry that relies on natural resources. In my mind no industry requires sustainable use of resources more than the fishing industry.

During the 1970s and 1980s there were no quotas for the fishing and harvesting of tuna, and the fishermen of Port Lincoln were able to fish as much as they wanted. However, it soon became apparent that the continued viability of the southern bluefin tuna fishery depended on actually having some tuna available to catch. Hence, the establishment of the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna was a landmark decision for the fishing industry, and Australia became a proud member. Other member nations included Japan, New Zealand, Korea and Taiwan. The commission introduced a series of quotas, and from 1984 the world quota became 10,000 tonnes. Prior to this, Australian fishers had been catching in excess of 20,000 tonnes of tuna every year.

In response to continuing low fish stocks the quota began to be reduced, and by the early 1990s the tuna fishermen of Port Lincoln started going broke. The allowable size of the catch was not enough to sustain their livelihoods. In fact many of the current tuna fishers of Port Lincoln wear as a badge of honour how they struggled through those difficult times in the face of very trying personal circumstances. They are proud to have got through it, and quite rightly so, because the pressure of the industry quotas forced them to find new and innovative means of adding value to their fish stocks.

Just like cattle farmers and feedlots, our tuna fishermen became tuna farmers. They captured mighty schools of tuna in the Great Australian Bight and used giant pens to make the long, slow journey back to the tranquil waters of Boston Bay. Then, over a number of months, the tuna were fed and fattened, ready for harvesting and supply to the lucrative Japanese market via the Tsukiji fish markets. Indeed, South Australia and Australia export 99 per cent of their southern bluefin tuna to Japan.

This valuable addition to the Port Lincoln tuna industry has also given rise to a number of supporting industries, including a $40-million-a-year pilchard fishery which is used to feed the fattening tuna. It has opened new jobs in the local cannery and has helped South Australian tuna from the Port Lincoln Tuna Processors’ G’Day Gourmet range appear on the shelves of US supermarkets. From an environmental perspective, it is also heartening to note that many of our fishers are accredited by the international standards organisation to the highest level of environmental sustainability and accountability.

The greatest threat to this amazing industry and to the continuation of the prosperity of Australian fishers is the practice of overfishing. It goes without saying that if the species were to be depleted the southern bluefin tuna industry, which operates almost entirely out of Port Lincoln, would be at risk.

At the 13th meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, held in Japan last week, independent evidence was presented confirming an overcatch of a massive 178,000 tonnes over the past 20 years, which is valued at somewhere between $6 billion and $8 billion. The Australian government described the ‘bluefin tuna scandal’, as it became known, as the world’s worst case of overfishing.

Bluefin tuna has been on the world list of endangered species for more than a decade. However, the discovery of the actual amount of tuna sold on the international market reveals that fish stocks are much stronger than previously believed. Indeed, it was Australian investigators who discovered that the amount of sashimi fish being sold in Japanese markets was more than double the official reported catch. The Port Lincoln community had long disagreed with scientific stock assessments showing declining numbers of bluefin tuna, and the Australian government stood shoulder to shoulder with the tuna fishermen. Minister Abetz showed steely resolve in ensuring that Australian fishing interests were not disadvantaged. The outcome of that meeting in Japan last week has confirmed Australia’s reputation as a global leader in marine conservation.

Under agreements reached by the commission, strong penalties have been agreed that will see quota levels more than halved for offending nations. But Australia’s quota will remain at 5,265 tonnes over the next three years—the highest of any commission country. These revised quotas, however, are only useful if they are adhered to. As such the commission has also agreed to a range of Australian proposals to enhance monitoring and compliance. These measures include a new catch documentation scheme, compulsory vessel monitoring systems and 100 per cent observer coverage on vessels used to ship southern bluefin tuna.

The Australian government and the tuna fishers of Port Lincoln are very appreciative of the responsible position adopted in this regard by the new Japanese government. During the exploration and negotiation of this difficult issue not only did the Australian government pursue an entirely appropriate course of action but, I need to state for the record, the responsible position adopted by the new Japanese government was an absolute credit to them. The resolution of this issue demonstrates how strong our relationship is with Japan and ensures that for the tuna farmers of Port Lincoln the future looks very bright indeed.