The NSW Labor Government needs to offer a significant financial support package for the local fishing industry following the two-year lockdown on the movement of raw prawns from the Clarence Estuary, according to Clarence Nationals MP, Richie Williamson.
Mr Williamson was responding to the announcement of the further extension of biosecurity control orders restricting the movement of raw prawns out of the Clarence Estuary due to the detection of white spot disease at local prawn farms earlier this year.
“Through no fault of their own, prawn trawlers have been tied up since February with no income stream,” Mr Williamson said.
“The detection of white spot earlier this year came at a critical time for the prawn industry. Australian prawns were in season and the sector was in the midst of what would’ve been one of its most profitable times of the year.
“The fishing industry was already impacted from last year’s floods and this two-year extension will decimate the industry if a genuine financial compensation is not forthcoming,” he said.
Mr Williamson said both the NSW and Federal Labor Governments need to step up with an urgent support package that reflects the gravity of the situation.
“The industry is on its knees. Financial support needs to be extended to the commercial fishers and their families, the prawn farmers and the processor, the Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-operative, otherwise the industry will simply collapse.”
Mr Williamson said Australia’s biosecurity measures also need to be examined.
“We have the bizarre situation where there is a control order on the movement of green prawns from one section within NSW, but that control order stops at the nation’s border allowing the importation of raw prawns from white spot infected countries with only ‘batch testing’.
PHOTO: Richie Williamson is pictured with commercial fishers in the Clarence.
Comments