The Australian Coalition is delivering an election commitment to help the fishing industry around Australia provide more jobs and remain among the best managed in the world, with an additional $9m allocated in the Budget.

Senator Richard Colbeck, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture said an investment of $5m would help combat invasive marine pests that cause significant damage to fisheries, and that $2.4m has been allocated to recognise OceanWatch as a natural resource management (NRM) organisation.

“OceanWatch has been highly effective at encouraging sustainable practices among commercial fishers and managing impacts on the marine environment in consultation with communities,” Senator Colbeck said.

A further $1m has been allocated to help recreational and commercial peak fishing organisations provide sustainable national leadership on fisheries issues, along with $100,000 to help these organisations meet the cost of interpreting and implementing new national maritime safety standards.

Finally, $500,000 has been allocated for recreational fishing surveys to collect data on the social and economic impact of recreational fishing and to assess stock levels.

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