Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 7:35:23 to 7:42:10
The department addresses concerns that domestic fishing bans lead to increased seafood imports and illegal fishing activity. Officials discuss ADF operation Broadstaff and the challenges of maintaining surveillance flights in northern waters.
Topics: Fisheries, Biosecurity, National security
Speakers: Speaker 21, Speaker 14, Speaker 3, Speaker 24, Speaker 17, Speaker 1, Uh The
mackerel. >> I'm not sure we have that granular level of information in relation to uh our imports unless unless
>> Mr. sort of information.
I think we've got lots of baramundi up
our way there, Senator. >> Well, I know, but you don't have gil net fishing either. So,
>> they don't do barrel.
>> They do. >> Thanks, Senator. As um Senator Colbec alluded to, we do have import data on on fisheries, um which we can pull up. Um, I suspect that the key drivers are just what's happening in price and markets and so forth and whether or not there's any correlation we could see between between the actions, you know, state closures and the like. I'm not sure that that would appear in the data, but we can take a look at what imports are coming in. Do you want we can probe that on notice or we can have a go at digging
that out right now. >> Well, it depends on how tricky it is to pull out. I I am I do want it to be accurate and I do want to know since the shutdown of Queensland waters fisheries um we know that we've now got more illegal fishermen in our waters. So I assume that they're coming in they're catching the fish that we caught we used to catch taking them home and then we're
buying them from them. >> So we we collect uh fishery statistics every year and a part of that is trade in fisheries products. imports and exports. Um so we can give you uh an idea about what's happened to total fisheries imports but we won't have you know specific information about into you know various parts of Queensland or uh the the data doesn't go down to very fine level species level >> okay >> uh information it's it's quite aggregated but we can give you that uh
data if you like >> let's start with because previously we had more Australian fish going into the Australian market. Yeah, >> I assume if it's not coming from Australian fisheries, >> either consumption's falling or we're
buying it from somewhere else. >> Yeah. So, so just looking at the aggregate import statistics of fisheries products, so the whole kind of categories um they've been fairly flat. I'd say they'd be slightly declining in real terms. We've got nominal values here. Um there was a step up from 2122 to 22 23 but since then it's moderated and so they are sitting somewhere under about $2.8 8 billion at the moment I'd say just as a as a rough I mean
guess >> yeah and edible fisheries products is uh is about 80 odd% of that so edible fisheries products is around that 2 to2
billion dollars a year >> that there hasn't been significant
changes by watching the data >> okay well the gil net um ban started last year so well hang on >> 2024
>> 2024 >> and I think I think senator even if we do try and be helpful we won't be able to show causation for you because the data is at too much of an aggregate level in terms of total imports. There'll be a range of factors leading to >> including price and availability and all sorts of other things. So I'm afraid we won't be able to tell that story in in the data that we have at the national level. >> So who would have that data? Uh, I don't know if Queensland keeps any data, but I I doubt it will be disagre disagregatable in any of the data to be honest because there'll be too many counterveiling factors that people would need to offset to tell that story. So, you could tell an anecdotal story, but I'm not sure there's a a good way to tell a database story because there's so many factors in terms of consumer demand, range of other things that would would factor into the reasons people are importing. So I I know this I know the point you're trying to make, but I just don't think the data is going to help us
um show that. >> So I've stood at fish counters in places like Ingam and Tully and stood there as um older people. I was going to say pensioners, but not all would be on the pension, I assume, who came in, looked in the window and said, "Why has fish got more expensive?" While the the fishmunger uh explained that because I can't take um it's no longer the gil net fishes, they're also not supplying the other fish that they catch as they go out. Uh and so fish prices have gone up across the board. And um and that's why >> and these people saying, "Oh, and they go back and they buy a tin of John West or something that's come from somewhere else." So I guess unless we understand that data then what do we just watch domestic wildcaugh fish decline and we never have
any data on it. >> Like I said I think we have data but it's it's showing the the causation between the data about closing fisheries with the import data is probably I mean Mr. Greenville might be able to help me out here but I think that's that's always going to be a difficult difficult
evidence story to tell. Yeah, that's definitely the case because the the multiple things are changing at the same time relative prices with other proteins um and that cause and effect story we wouldn't necessarily be able to draw out. There's also other factors that are occurring in wild house fisheries which are contributing. We know warming water is having impacts on productivity of the stock. We see that in our Commonwealth fisheries um that's affecting fishes across the country and in different areas and we see that the primacy of you know particularly Commonwealth fisheries regulation around sustainability and so forth leads to a number of triggers and we see changes that occur because of
that. So >> I know but all this this you know the FRDC says no there was no impact these were all highly sustainable fisheries. This was a purely political decision and for for me in the Gulf of Carpentary where we've lost, you know, fishermen out on the water. At the same time, um, Home Affairs has cut the number a border force has cut the number of surveillance flights by 22% and we're getting these illegal fishing boats. They're pulling up on the beach, you know, waving to people on the shore. And um the prime minister apparently made a statement in cans that he'd throw everything at stopping it. Uh the department of agriculture seeing additional resources being provided to uh stop illegal
fishing boats. >> So Senator um Minister Burke made an announcement today about a new ADF uh operation called Broadstaff. So um obviously that is a a response to some of the concerning interdictions that have occurred in that part of the world. So, uh, we we do not direct that activity. Obviously, um, through Aphma, uh, in particular, this portfolio has an interest in illegal fishing, but others may want to add some more to what we're