Petition for ban ‘dishonest’

The WA Fishing Industry Council has labelled a petition to ban all commercial gillnet fishing off the South West coast as ‘‘dishonest’’.

The petition calls for a ban on the practice in all ocean waters from Albany to Bunbury to halt the ‘‘severe depletion’’ of fish stocks.

Petition author Save Our Fish Stocks representative Jack Jennings said over-fishing by gillnet fishers could not be sustained.

‘‘We used clear felling on the forests and now we are clear felling in the oceans and there will be nothing left,’’ Mr Jennings said.

WA Fishing Industry Council chief executive officer Guy Leyland said a ban would benefit importers of fish from countries that did not practice responsible fisheries management.

‘‘Save Our Fish Stocks are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the South West community by this dishonest petition,’’ Mr Leyland said.

‘‘The losers, if this came into being, are the South West people who like to purchase and eat fresh local fish and businesses such as restaurants and retail outlets who rely on this product.’’

The fishery is accredited as ecologically sustainable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Department of Fisheries lists as many as nine vessels operating between Cape Bouvard and Walpole.

Bunbury-based gillnet shark fisherman Brian Scimone has been fishing South West waters for more than 35 years and said calls for a ban were without grounds.

‘‘How could all our scientific research that we’ve had just be thrown out the window,’’ Mr Scimone said.

‘‘We wouldn’t survive if the stocks weren’t sustainable.’’