Government's ban on the taking of Eastern Blue Groper by line fishing

Recently the NSW government implemented a trial 12-month ban on the taking of Eastern Blue Groper by any means, including line fishing. This was in response to two separate incidents where blue gropers were illegally speared over the holidays.

SFF uncovered through questioning that the decision to roll out a ban wasn’t based on science, it wasn’t based on any recent stock assessment which showed numbers are low, it was based on emotion and community feeling carried by the animal rights movement and left-wing media. Stories correcting mistruths around the same time were largely ignored, not published, or overlooked.

But I don’t fish for Blue Groper, why does it matter?

It’s not just about the fish. Most fishos are conservationists at heart, we don't want to see any stocks depleted. If there was proof that the groper were struggling, most would likely not object to tighter restrictions on the species, but that’s simply not the case here. Any government imposing restrictions based solely on community sentiment should never happen, decisions need to be backed up by science or solid evidence to demonstrate the need for change.

If the government is enabled to continue down the path of locking us out, because certain community groups have an emotional attachment, what will be next?

What are we doing about it?

SFF will continue to press the issue in parliament. We established a parliamentary e-petition calling on the government to lift the ban, undertake a proper stock assessment and consult with the industry as they should have done in the first place. If you have 15 seconds spare, sign the parliamentary e-petition below. Help us send a strong message that emotion based policymaking has no place in fisheries management.