Latest news with #commercialFishing
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Fishing sector to have fees waived amid algal bloom 'uncertainty', which has now spread to Port River
South Australian commercial fishers can apply to have licence and other government fees waived if their catches have been impacted by the state's toxic algal bloom, which has now spread to the Port River. Fishers have been calling on the state government for financial relief amid the ongoing Karenia mikimotoi outbreak, which Environment Minister Susan Close estimates has led to "tens of thousands, if not more, individual animals" washing up dead on the state's beaches. Following talks with the commercial fishing industry, the state government today said affected fishers could apply for certain licence and audit fees to be waived from April to June as part of an initial $500,000 relief package. That announcement coincided with the revelation that the most recent monitoring had detected the algae in the Port River. "The latest results of that monitoring are that indeed, as expected, Karenia mikimotoi has appeared in the Port River and is at reasonably high concentrations around Garden Island and Outer Harbor," Ms Close said. She said while the concentration there was "nothing near like" what was detected at the beginning of the bloom "when we had a massive form of algae that was around the size of Kangaroo Island", it was important that the algae's spread remained under observation. "The testing that is occurring from Port Noarlunga all the way up to Outer Harbor is going to be really useful for us to track not only where it is but its concentration," she said. In a statement, the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA said dolphins in the sanctuary were "not believed to be at immediate risk" and the department would continue to monitor water quality. The government said the bloom was having a "devastating" impact on parts of the commercial fishing sector, and acknowledged catches had declined in Gulf St Vincent, and around Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula. It said commercial fishers could be eligible to have fees — including PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture annual licence fees, and Biosecurity SA Food Safety Scheme and audit fees — waived. "The fishing sector is really reeling because of the uncertainty," Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said. "We can provide up to $500,000 in fee relief for affected commercial fishers — so this means that those who haven't been able to fish or who have been out fishing incurring costs but not catching anything will be able to have their fees waived. "That will happen in retrospect for the last quarter, so they can either take that as a credit going forward or they can take that as a refund which may well help with cashflow, which is so important to a lot of small businesses." Ms Scriven urged licence holders to work with their industry associations to apply for the fee relief. "What we'll need to see is that there's been a drop in their fishing. We have catch figures from previous years and then their catch records from this year, so that will be one of the items that will feed into that," she said. "Fees are a significant part of their operating costs — there are of course more, some of which are within government but most of which are not. We'll continue to work with them to look at what is the most appropriate type of assistance." Ms Scriven said that both she and Ms Close were "keen that this [algal bloom] has national recognition". Yesterday, the Greens called on the federal government to declare the algal outbreak a national disaster. Ms Close today said she had this morning spoken to federal Environment Minister Murray Watt about that very issue, and about securing support. "What I've been talking to the Minister about at the Commonwealth level is that we will ask for some assistance with the recovery stage," Ms Close said. "There's a question about the extent to which it's possible to declare it a national disaster on the basis of the definitions that they use. "We're in conversation with them at the bureaucratic level just about whether that needs to be adjusted, recognising that an algal bloom has not previously had such an impact before, whether it's time to update that list." The South Australian Professional Fishers Association welcomed the waiving of fees, but also indicated that the need for support was likely to grow with the passage of time. "We haven't seen the worst of this disaster yet," chairperson Ben Barnes said. "[For] the fishers in this time of need, it'll be much appreciated and we hope to move forward and keep this rolling, because the devastation to the commercial sector is absolutely unreal.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- CTV News
Man fined nearly $37K for illegal halibut fishing in Haida Gwaii, B.C.
A commercial fisherman has been fined almost $37,000 for illegal fishing in the Haida Gwaii archipelago. Stefan Grega pleaded guilty to multiple violations of the federal Fisheries Act last month, according to a news release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The DFO said the offences occurred during the 2022-23 commercial halibut fishery, when Grega 'illegally retained and sold fish' that he caught during a fishery closure. The specific offences to which Grega pleaded guilty are listed in online court records. They are: Two counts of purchasing, selling or possessing illegally caught fish One count of fishing during a closed time One count of catching or retaining fish from closed waters And one count of placing or setting fishing gear during a closed time All of the offences except one of the counts of possessing illegally caught fish occurred on May 4, 2022, according to court records. The remaining count happened on May 5, 2022. Grega, who was born in 1946, is the owner of the commercial fishing vessel the Pacific Sunrise, according to the DFO. The court imposed a total of $30,000 in fines – $10,000 for the placing or setting fishing gear charge and $5,000 for each other count. It also ordered Grega to pay $6,989.35, representing proceeds from the illegal harvest, the DFO said. The federal department said it regulates seven distinct commercial sectors of B.C.'s groundfish fisheries, all of which are 'highly regulated and managed to conserve the stocks.' Commercial groundfish fisheries are 'fully monitored at sea and dockside through either electronic systems or onboard observers,' the DFO said, adding that electronic monitoring video systems, fishing logbooks, dockside monitoring and the 'Groundfish Audit System' were all 'instrumental in identifying and investigating Mr. Grega's illegal activities.' Anyone with information about contraventions of the Fisheries Act and its associated regulations should call the DFO Pacific Region's violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or email the details to the department said.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Lifeline for future of Polperro fishing industry
The fishing industry in a Cornish village has been thrown a lifeline following the closure of Plymouth Fish the Plymouth market operated a collection and auction service for fish landed at Polperro and other small ports in the port's only remaining trawler, the Rebecca V, has since been forced to take its catch to Plymouth for it to be transported by lorry to Brixham market. But Polperro Harbour Trust has now bought its own refrigerated van so that fish landed in the village can instead be taken to a distribution depot in Roche. Peter Hickey, the chairperson of the Polperro Harbour Trust, said the closure of the fish market in Plymouth meant the end of the collection service from the village. "As a result some of our bigger vessels that used to land and had their fish picked up, had to drop off at other ports so we lost them altogether."The purchase of the van gives us the opportunity to get the larger vessels back in the harbour." Mr Hickey said the trust, which is now 130 years old, was established and funded by a small duty charged on fish landed at Polperro."It's our heritage, it's what the village is all about, so the trustees have been working quite hard to keep commercial fishing in the village and help keep it viable," he said. "The fishing industry has been under a lot of pressure for years now with catches going down, and quotas and Brexit and all that. "So it did feel like another nail in the coffin of commercial fishing, which is why we are pleased to turn that around with the purchase of the van."The catches are going up and we're putting more fuel through the fuel facilities in the harbour so everything we hoped for is working," said Mr Hickey. The specialist van has been co-funded by the Marine Management Organisation but the trust said it would need to fundraise to keep it in service. Polperro fisherman Chris Puckey said it would help preserve the village as a proper port. "If we didn't have the van in five, ten years time we'd see all fancy white yachts in here and that's not what people come to see," he said. "There's been hundreds of years fishing from Polperro, so it would be sad to see it go just because we couldn't transport fish"
Times of Oman
27-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Value of fish landed in Oman reaches OMR159,726
Muscat: The total value of fish landed from various fishing activities (artisanal, coastal, and commercial) in the Sultanate of Oman reached approximately OMR159,726 by the end of March 2025, marking an 8% increase compared to the same period last year, which recorded OMR147,852. According to preliminary statistical data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, Oman's fisheries sector has shown notable growth, with the total quantity of landed fish rising to 238,131 tonnes by the end of March 2025, compared to 223,531 tonnes during the same period in the previous year—a 6.5% increase. This reflects positive development in Oman's fish production. Despite a slight decline, artisanal fishing remains the backbone of the sector, with landings reaching 189,770 tonnes by the end of March 2025—a 1.7% decrease from 193,054 tonnes in March 2024. Al Wusta Governorate recorded the highest artisanal fish landing volume at 78,215 tonnes, followed by South A'Sharqiyah Governorate with 54,348 tonnes and Dhofar Governorate with 24,487 tonnes. North and South Al Batinah Governorates recorded 15,927 tonnes, while Musandam Governorate reached 8,755 tonnes, and Muscat Governorate recorded 8,038 tonnes. Commercial fishing saw a significant surge, with landings rising to 43,677 tonnes by the end of March 2025, compared to 27,240 tonnes during the same period last year—a remarkable 60.3% growth. Coastal fishing also posted strong growth at 44.7%, reaching 4,684 tonnes compared to 3,237 tonnes in March 2024. Small pelagic fish topped the list of the most landed species in artisanal fishing, with 95,275 tonnes, followed by large pelagic fish at 60,465 tonnes and demersal fish at 27,522 tonnes. Shark species accounted for 1,426 tonnes, while crustaceans and mollusks reached around 930 tonnes, and other unclassified fish recorded approximately 4,152 tonnes.
