The Victoria Marine Animal Defenders (VMAD) collective organised a rally at Eastern Beach in Geelong on March 22 to protest the imminent arrival of a super trawler in Australian waters.
While the numbers at the rally were relatively few — about 60 to 70 people — it was a diverse crowd that included recreational fishers, various political parties, independent activists and members of VMAD, which is itself a collective of activists from numerous other groups.
This is not the first time Australia has faced the threat of a super trawler destroying local marine life. In 2012 the Abel Tasman — formerly the Margiris — was docked in South Australia ready to fish in Australian waters. Legislation was passed by the then-Labor government, resulting in a 24-month delay on the super trawler being allowed to fish in Australian waters.
However it was not a permanent ban. The federal government put a ban on super trawlers measuring more than 130 metres late last year.
The Geelong Star On March 22 formerly the Dirk Dirk is a 95-metre freezer vessel operated by Seafish Tasmania. For the 2014-15 fishing season it was set a quota of 16,566 tonnes of jack mackerel, redbait and blue mackerel.
A petition with 75,000 signatures demanding a halt to the introduction of industrial freezer, factory trawlers into our waters was presented to independent, Greens and Labor MPs on March 18.
Jon Bryan from the Tasmania Conservation Trust said when the petition was handed over: “The new factory trawler proposing to fish will be the largest freezer factory trawler to ever operate in Australia’s Small Pelagic Fishery, and poses significant threats to protected dolphins, seals and seabirds. Senator Colbeck has not followed expert advice which required 100% observer coverage and video monitoring.”
VMAD said the Geelong Star super trawler is set to pillage from Geraldton in Western Australia to Southern Queensland. This will be a grave threat to the snubfin dolphin, a relatively new species that was discovered in Australia’s northern waters in only 2005. This trawler can take up to two dolphins every 24 hours without having to do any mitigation.
VMAD has already planned another rally for Saturday April 11 at St Kilda Beach, Melbourne.
[For more information, visit Victoria Marine Animal Defenders Conservation Society on Facebook. Sarah Hathway is a member of Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance.]
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