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- 28 October 2004
Hawkesbury River Fishing Industry
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Mr STEVEN PRINGLE (Hawkesbury) [5.33 p.m.]: On 14 October Hawkesbury City Council convened a major public forum concerning the health of the Hawkesbury River. I commend Mayor Bart Bassett on his initiative. I commend the councillors who attended the forum: Councillors Neville Wearne, Stubbs, Rasmussen, Devine, Brooks and Williams. Recently, the health of the Hawkesbury River has achieved national prominence in relation to its problems with weeds, low water flows and high nutrient levels due to run-off and sewage. I remind the House of my recent private member's statement when I outlined the lack of a reticulated sewerage system that was promised 20 years ago, in particular Glossodia, Freemans Reach and Wilberforce.
The health of the Hawkesbury River is vital to Sydney's water supply, recreation, tourism, agriculture and fishing. The impact of water quality on fishing has often been overlooked. Fishing on the Hawkesbury River is important to Sydney and the whole of New South Wales. Approximately 62 commercial prawn trawling endorsements are on the Hawkesbury River, which means that at least 62 families are well and truly dependent on an industry that generates approximately $6 million per annum. The industry targets three primary species: school prawns, squid and king prawns. The by-product species are blue swimmer crabs, trumpeter whiting and silver biddies.
The Hawkesbury River fishing industry is a skilled operation. Prawns are caught by using a funnel-shaped net that is towed along the riverbed. Fishermen need to be well and truly aware of the critical factors of the colour and temperature of the water, the size and time of the tide and the location. One cannot catch prawns and, at the same time, squid or mesh for fish. The product has to be handled carefully to meet the strict quality control requirements of the Sydney markets. Hawkesbury fishers know that fishing is seasonal and is affected by flood—if only—drought or because there is too much egria densa, kelp or wind. Also, we know that fish travel in schools and they are migratory in their breeding patterns, which also affects how the industry operates.
Hawkesbury fishers are constrained by the size of the boats, nets and mesh and the topography of the estuary. They are unable to work on weekends and were only recently allowed to work on public holidays. The Hawkesbury industry is the second-largest producer of school prawns in New South Wales. It produces a high-value and distinctive product that is well sought out in the Sydney Fish Market. It is also the largest producer of squid. The trawl industry has operated since 1946 and it has seen dramatic changes to Sydney's water supply, urban development, gear and boat development, fisheries management strategy, exotic weeds and siltation, all of which have had a major effect on the industry that generates some $6 million per annum.
Sydney and New South Wales need this industry. Sydney residents have a right to be able to eat a good-quality local product. We cannot afford to lose this industry, and Sydney cannot afford to lose it. The Government needs to show leadership and agree to the purchase of a weed harvester, improve water quality coming out of the sewerage treatment plants, reuse more black and grey water and give priority to the sewerage program, although it is now 20 years too late. We also need to take a holistic approach to the river. The Labor Government needs to get behind our hardworking fishermen and give them support, and note that they are strident supporters of sustainability. They want an industry that can last for many years to come. They need a river that is healthy and clean. I thank Mary and Gary Howard, who are hardworking fishermen and strong believers in sustainability. I also thank Jackie Thompson from Hawkesbury council, who organised the recent extremely successful forum.
Mr NEVILLE NEWELL (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.39 p.m.]: This must be an afternoon for private member's statements relating to environmental matters. I appreciate that. I commend the honourable member for Hawkesbury on bringing the health of the great and mighty Hawkesbury River to the attention of the House. Healthy rivers, water quality and fishing quality have to be addressed by governments. I note the concerns about having 62 licences on the river, the taking of school prawns, squid and other catch and the maintenance of a viable industry in the area. Constraints on sharing the river have to be recognised. Not only fishermen but others have a right to use the river for recreational and other purposes. I know that the Tweed River has similar, voluntarily imposed constraints on fishing to allow a sharing of the river. Those constraints mean that those fishermen do not work on weekends.
The constraints are imposed voluntarily, perhaps because the number of other boats and water vehicles would make fishing almost impractical in any event. There is some uncertainty about whether there are voluntary constraints on using fishing licences during those times of peak boating activity, or whether it is some other constraint. I would point out to those who use the Hawkesbury and other rivers that the health of those rivers requires the co-operation of all levels of government—Federal, State and particularly local, which controls development along the river. After all, development has an enormous impact on the quality of run-off into the river and hence the health of the river itself.
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