Margiris

[kantonysen]

This is a letter that I have emailed to the Advocate, a Tasmanian newspaper:

Dear Editor
In the Advocate of 4/08/2012, Mr Sidebottom’s views about trawling for small pelagic fish suggested it is a developmental matter in conflict with an environmental one. Thousands of Tasmanian recreational fishers would dispute that. It is more a matter of a commercial venture using industrial trawling techniques which will have a detrimental impact on a huge recreational fishing industry; the main matter being localised depletion, or far worse.

Trawlers such as the Margiris have fished in other jurisdictions where fisheries science was meant to determine the total allowable catch; those scientifically managed Canadian and European fisheries have collapsed.

Dr Andrew Wadsley an Internationally recognised Mathematician and Petroleum Engineer, has critiqued the Neira Report used by AFMA, to show that the calculations are wrong. Dr Wadsley has calculated that the bio mass of jack mackerel is far less than expected. The Neira Report was based on data from ten years ago, and recognised by Dr Neira to be incomplete.

Allan Longhurst, a Fisheries Scientist has stated in a scientific paper that large scale commercial fishing as a matter of course leads to the collapse of fisheries. Something we have already experienced in Tasmania.

In Tasmania, there has already been a case of local depletion of a recreation fishery indicated by records kept by the Tuna Club of Eagle Hawk Neck. When trawling was commenced earlier this century off the East Coast of Tasmania the decline in catching game fish was profound. When the trawling ceased the recreational fishery redeveloped over time. Recreational fishers had been told it was due to warm currents stopping bait fish from schooling in expected environments. The recreational fishery is back to normal indicating that the warm current view was wrong; it had been the trawling that had done the damage.
Yours sincerely
Keith Antonysen

Sid Sidebottom is Ludwig's offsider

The Mayor at Port Lincoln has stated that the Margiris is not welcome to use the Port there.
If this trawler is allowed enjoy your salt water fishing while you can.