Mostly from 2006 to 2011, mostly from the Cairns Post and the Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette
The concern in the Douglas Shire over declining inshore fish stocks and the impact itinerant and offshore gillnetters are having on our inshore stocks is apparent from the numerous press articles from 2006 to 2011. Many of these cuttings are shown in the collages compiled below. More cuttings are available on file and may well be posted here in due course.
Visits by “out-of-town” or “non-local” gillnetters appeared to have been much less frequent after 2011 and numbers of some inshore fish species, especially grey mackerel, have increased from an all-time low during 2008 to 2010.
At the beginning of the grey mackerel season (2019) a Cairns-based gillnetter has re-commenced targeting the local grey mackerel aggregation and running his 600m nets out right where the local and tourist line fishing occurs. This has re-ignited deep resentment in the community and is thought by some to be an deliberate attempt to provoke the community to demand he be bought out by government at above-market-rates.
This writer does not consider the netter deserves to be compensated in this way, does not now have the time to lead a press campaign similar to that shown below and is resigned to seeing the grey mackerel fishery of this region once again decimated by the actions of one selfish individual at the expense of an entire community.
Authorities are allowing this to occur because of inadequate fishery management regulations in this World Heritage Area, including failure to adequately address the need to support local community sustainability and value-adding when managing such a potentially valuable asset as our inshore fish stocks.
Sustainable Fishing FNQ 