Fish For All

This is the email that Jackie Jarvis MLC seems to think doesn’t require a truthful answer. Our view is that the rest of the people in WA think otherwise….Fishing Around Western AustraliaRoger CookKirrilee Warr MLABasil ZempilasShane Love MLAHon. Rod Caddies MLCABC News7NEWS Perth

Well, it’s coming from all angles at the moment and this one almost slipped through unnoticed.

This is in relation to the proposed Bunbury Offshore Wind development.

We strongly suggest anyone who uses the area from whatever sector reads the information carefully and put in a submission. Note that the commencement of (preliminary) works will coincide with the reopening (whatever that actually means) of the west coast demersal to the recs. More headaches…

Project Decision · EPBC Act Public Portal The EPBC Public Portal is best viewed through a desktop, laptop or tablet. If you wish to make a comment using a mobile device go to Open for Comments.

Well worth a watch- very interesting discussion from NSW- almost a carbon copy of Labor’s mismanagement of fisheries in WA- this has to stop!

Proposed Changes to Kingfish and Snapper Limits - Our Fisheries in NSW are Completely Mismanaged Mark Banasiak MLC and Charlie De Villiers (USFA President) talk abo...

Very valid points raised…

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗔’𝘀 “𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲”

The contrast could hardly be more uncomfortable.

WA’s commercial demersal fishing industry has had fishing opportunities removed by government decision. Businesses built around supplying locally caught fish have faced lost income, stranded investment and enormous uncertainty, while the Government’s $20 million compulsory fisheries adjustment scheme continues to attract criticism over delays, eligibility and valuations. That $20 million is not an industry-development fund—it is intended to deal with the consequences of government intervention.

W**e presents a remarkably different picture. Across the identified programs since 2021, approximately $16.5 million in combined government and industry funding has been committed to promoting, expanding and strengthening WA w**e.

Then comes the governance puzzle.

Jackie Jarvis MLC is Minister for Agriculture and Food AND Minister for Fisheries WA. She has publicly acknowledged a “vested interest in the w**e industry” and says she has “conflicted myself out”, with w**e responsibility instead going to Stephen Dawson MLC.

Dawson’s actual published portfolios are:

Minister for Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation; Medical Research; Kimberley.

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Yet DPIRD reports to both ministers.

So how does this supposed firewall actually operate? DPIRD can brief Jarvis about agriculture, food and fisheries, but must somehow quarantine w**e matters and redirect them to Dawson. Who decides where that boundary lies? Where is the written protocol? When was it established? And crucially, was it operating before the latest $6 million government w**e commitment was developed?

None of this proves wrongdoing. But an acknowledged conflict involving a minister, millions in public funding and an apparently informal transfer of responsibility demands exceptional transparency—not less of it.

Meanwhile, commercial fishing families aren't being funded to expand into new markets. They're dealing with the consequences of having their industry shut down.

For a department called Primary Industries and Regional Development, the difference in treatment deserves considerably more explanation than the public has received.

Roger Cook - Premier Cook, if increasingly severe fisheries restrictions are justified by “the science”, why is DPIRD's supporting expenditure contracting? Agricultural and Fisheries Biosecurity and Integrity falls from $166.2 million to $111.3 million by 2029–30 — down 33%. Agricultural and Fisheries Natural Resource Management falls from $125.3 million to $79.4 million — down 37%. These figures don't prove the science is wrong, but they demand explanation. If livelihoods and access to public fisheries are being removed, scientific capability should be strengthening, not shrinking. Show Western Australians the fisheries-specific research funding, scientist numbers, independent surveys and field monitoring supporting these decisions ...

🛑 ARE WE BEING MISLED ON RED EMPEROR

The science is in, and it tells a very different story than the one the Government is selling.

A new independent review by Dr. Jonathan Smart has exposed massive flaws in the 2024 stock assessment—the very same assessment used to justify shutting down the Pilbara trawl fishery and slashing catch limits.

Link to the document here:
www.smarterfisheries.com.au/projects/

The Government says the stock is in trouble. The review says they’ve missed the big picture:

❌ Hidden Biomass: The assessment ignored a massive protected zone (Area 3) where Red Emperor numbers are 3x higher than anywhere else. By ignoring this "fish bank," the government made the stock look much worse than it is.

❌ Misrepresented Reviews: The Department claimed their models were "endorsed" by experts, but the review reveals those experts only checked the software—not the actual health of the fish stocks.

The real cost to you? By shutting down our local fishers based on incomplete science, the Government has forced high-quality, well-priced local fish off your plate. Instead of fresh WA tropical snappers and other species that don’t feature much in line and trap fisheries, our markets are being flooded with imported fish for no valid scientific reason.

We are losing our food security and our local livelihoods while the fish are actually thriving in protected zones and the target species are absolutely sustainable.

The Bottom Line: Hardworking fishers have been kicked off the water and consumers are paying the price at the checkout. We don’t need more closures; we need honest management that counts all the fish.

It’s time for the Government to stop the spin and reinstate the fair recovery plan that industry already agreed to.

Share this if you want LOCAL fish on your plate, not unnecessary imports! 🎣🍽️🇦🇺

Jackie Jarvis MLCRoger CookKirrilee Warr MLABasil ZempilasSouthwestern Fresh FishHon. Rod Caddies MLCFishing Around Western AustraliaABC NewsStayN Afloat Ocean & Fishing

Home - Smarter Fisheries Fisheries Science | Stock Assessment | Independent Advice About Services Fisheries Stock Assessment Population dynamics modelling to inform sustainable and

Great write up on history of the Soulos family- Nick represents the southwest/shark fishery on the Fish For All board.

So it’s not just the fishing industry that reckon the current government is on the nose.

We’re “party agnostic” at Fish For All- rolling back a couple of months the Liberals, Nationals, One Nation, Australian Christians and Legalise Cannabis all supported the disallowance motion in the upper house and we wholeheartedly thank all of them for supporting us, our members, and the wider fishing community and families.

Labor, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party didn’t and used their majority to vote it down.

Currently it looks as if Labor have lost Secret Harbour with just under 40% of the vote counted and results in from pretty much all of the polling places.

Morning update- it’s all over 75% counted.

Well done to One Nation- it’s a historic victory, and a very strong message from the people.

That’s what happens when you don’t respect the humans you work for…