Commercial fishers in Queensland understand that the State government’s position on the fisheries reform process is clear.  All commercial fisheries will develop a harvest strategy with the default position of quota management where possible.

There are a few examples of quota managed fisheries such as the coral trout and spanner crab fisheries.  Both these fisheries provide reasons against instituting quota management so let’s examine the Queensland spanner crab fishery.

The current situation facing Queensland spanner crab fishers is a potential for up to a 48% devaluation of quota but at this stage the actual level is unclear.  There is another meeting scheduled regrading a potential reduction in May

Q.1) How did the situation get to this stage?

Q.2) Where does the responsibility for the current situation lay?

Q.3) What can the spanner crab fishery teach us about the pit falls of quota managed fisheries?

Response to Q.1) Due to general fisheries permits being issued, the number of dillies per vessel has been allowed to increase to 120 dillies possibly more. General fishery permits should not be allowed to interfere with the gazetted state government regulations governing the Queensland spanner crab fishery. These are temporary permits which do not have to be renewed.

Response to Q.2) Fisheries Queensland has the power to allow general fisheries permits to operate adding pressure to the spanner crab fishery which was supposedly quota managed – so how are general permits justified? It is strange to think that the increased pressure from permits were not considered a risk.

Allowing an increase from 45 to 120 or more dillies seems like a poor management decision even if the fishery at times was considered robust enough to take additional fishing pressure.

Response to Q.3) The introduction of quota management has market changing elements that creates:

1. An incentive for investors to dominate a fishery.
2. An obstacle for the growth of small or small / multi-endorsed fishers to grow or at least sustain their businesses.
3. The capacity for larger operators / investors to distort the market by increasing the number of dillies potentially increasing fishing pressure.
4. Market rules that allow investors like WWF Australia to potentially distort the market by (in theory) being able to buy quota.  WWF has already purchased an N4 licence – what would stop them investing in any quota managed fishery only to deny commercial fishers access to quota.

If the spanner crab fishery is an example of a functional, quota managed fishery then my industry faces a nightmare scenario in every commercial fishery.  Two simple yet potentially effective solutions could be used by fisheries management – (1) reduce the number of dillies to 45; and (2) remove general fisheries permits from the spanner crab fishery.

Richard Hamilton notes, ‘My business is based on value adding selling direct to the public, spanner crabs only. It has taken me 12 years to promote my product to a point where it has become part of the Gold Coast Fisherman’s Cooperative experience and an integral part of Gold Coast tourism.  The Co-op has become a must visit tourism icon for international and domestic travellers and this potential devaluation puts my business at risk’.

This is what is at stake with quota managed fisheries in Queensland – a system that from one day to the next can devalue quota by up to half its value is an unacceptable outcome for commercial fisheries.

The long-term focus for commercial fishers like Richard is a well-managed fishery that is economically sustainable and of course environmentally sustainable.  The issue facing Richard and small commercial fishers in a quota managed system is the unchecked growth in larger operators using more than the designated number of dillies which is at present 45 and what is known is that some are using up to 120 dillies.  Add to this a permit system that allows more effort to creep into the fishery and we are faced with an effort problem.

Authors: Richard Hamilton, spanner crab fisher and Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) member and Eric Perez, QSIA CEO.

Image Credit: R.Hamilton

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