Gillnet Ban Set to Devastate North Queensland Seafood Industry

Business owners in north Queensland are bracing for the economic impact of the looming Great Barrier Reef gillnet ban, with some commercial fishers fearing they will have to leave the industry and seafood shops facing closure.

Peter and Heather Bradford, owners of a seafood shop in Ayr, are worried about the future of their business, which serves locally caught seafood to about 150 families a week. They say their business will not survive without gillnet fishers on the water.

"Next year we'll have to probably close the shop," Mr Bradford said. "Cut out the netting, there's 80 per cent of our business, so we've got no other option but to close."

The Queensland and federal governments made the decision to phase out the use of gillnets in the Great Barrier Reef fishing zone by June 30, 2027. While financial assistance was provided to licensed fishers at the time of the decision, no solutions have been rolled out to fishers as the expiry of the NX licences approach.

Commercial fisher Neil Green, one of 25 NX licensed fishers in Queensland, said the other options trialled had not been successful so far.

"The intent was to have alternative gear running by 2027. That's been a failure," he said.

Mr Green said without change he would probably be forced to retire, but he was worried about more than his own future.

"It's not about me — it's about the next generation of fishers that are coming on that we're talking about," he said.

Several fishermen in the industry are pushing for a three-year extension to the ban, which has the support of Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Susan McDonald.

"It will allow [the fishers] to demonstrate that gillnet fishing is incredibly targeted on the species that the fishermen are taking," she said.

Senator McDonald said the 2027 deadline would increase reliability on imports.

"If we allow more seafood to be imported from offshore, we are handing over seafood production to countries that don't have the same high standards that Australia does," she said.

However, not everyone agrees that putting off the eventual gillnet ban is a viable option. Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) Great Barrier Reef fisheries campaign manager Simon Miller said a three-year extension of the NX licences would come at a cost to wildlife.

"The current gillnet fishery, the NX fishery, is still catching thousands of threatened species each year," he said.

Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrrett said he was aware of the calls to extend the NX licences.

"We look for solutions, that's why that trial work is important as it continues to make certain that there is alternate gear into the future," he said.

As for onshore businesses, he said the department was not at the stage of discussions for compensation for impacted businesses.

Business Impact

The gillnet ban has caused uproar in the commercial fishing industry, with many business owners concerned about the economic flow-on effect.

Heather Bradford said importing seafood had not worked for her and her husband's business in the past.

"We couldn't compete with [the major supermarkets] price-wise, so it's not going to be viable for us at all," she said.

Ms Bradford said other small seafood businesses were in the same boat.

"Fish and chip shops will be gone, especially all up along the north coast," she said.