The status of 93 Commonwealth stocks in Australian fisheries continue to improve, according to a new report.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural land Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has released its Fishery Status Report 2012.
Simon Boag, CEO, South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association, said: “If the seafood consumer wants to make a sustainable choice this latest report shows that all they need to do is buy Australian fish”.
The report reveals that the status of gulper sharks, pink ling, eastern orange roughy and ribald have all improved, while only a single stock, eastern gemfish, remains subject to over-fishing.
ABARES says trawl fishermen are working hard to reduce the incidental catch of eastern gemfish to record lows to allow it to rebuild.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Richard Colbeck, added: “The ABARES report is a clear endorsement of Australia’s science-based fishing industry and shows that previous attacks on the industry were unwarranted.”
The report also looks at the economic impact of the Commonwealth fisheries, which in the 2011-12 financial year, contributed around 13% (AUS$308.2 million) of the total gross value of production of all Australian fisheries (AUS$2.3 billion).
