The barramundi fishing industry in Australia is facing severe restrictions on their production based on dubious science, which will adversely affect hard-working Aussie fishermen and the people who depend on them. The federal government’s decision to restrict fishing in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria is being seen as part of a blackmail payout to UNESCO to prevent the organization from listing the Great Barrier Reef as “endangered.” However, many believe that UNESCO will be back in a few years for another payout, suggesting a pattern of blackmail.
The barramundi fishery mostly operates in the creeks and rivers, or very close to shore. Yet, the government’s decision to impose restrictions on fishing has not been adequately explained, as it is unclear how catching a barramundi in a creek somehow damages the Great Barrier Reef, which is far from shore—mostly 25 to 62 miles. The decision to restrict fishing in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, an area 700 kilometers from the Reef, has also raised questions about whether this decision was demanded by UNESCO or being used as a tool by the government to enforce extreme green environmental policies.
Furthermore, the recent letter from Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to UNESCO, which proudly boasts about government schemes preventing 140,000 metric tonnes of sediment reaching the Reef from farms and cattle stations in the last decade, has been criticized for misrepresenting the impact of their efforts. The reduction of sediment to the Reef only accounts for a meager 0.1 percent in a decade, causing many to question the effectiveness of these measures.
The current situation has led to calls for a forensic audit of the science being used to justify these restrictions, and the Australian Environment Foundation is organizing a coalition of affected small industries to fight back. The government’s approach of picking off industries one at a time in a classic “salami” tactic is being met with resistance, as stakeholders seek to audit the scientific basis for these decisions.