Port Phillip Bay’s recreational anglers face a devastating demise in their fishery if plans go ahead to increase the annual PPB commercial harvest of scallops from 12 tonnes to 725 tonnes.
The single commercial dive fishery licence holder, Port Phillip Bay Scallops Pty Ltd has applied to the State Government to increase their Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) to 725 tonnes, based on estimates of how many scallops are in Port Phillip Bay.
In 2014 the previous government auctioned off a single licence to commercially harvest scallops in Port Phillip Bay; the quota was set at 12 tonne per annum. At the time, then Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said that the government was prepared to re-establish the industry, in the form of a niche, hand-harvested commercial scallop fishery with strict rules.This was generally supported by the community because of the cap on the quota.
Sloppy (not strict) rules and sloppy research under the guard of former Fisheries Minister Peter Walsh and former Fisheries Executive Director Ross McGowan has provided an opportunity for the licence holder to virtually set his own catch limit.
The licence holder is now exploiting his position and is now aggressively pursuing the current State Government in the Supreme Court seeking an increase to the quota to 725 tonne.
If the licence holder gets his way Bruce Collis, he will introduce a large scale commercial harvest operation with a fleet of scallop boats in Port Phillip Bay, taking this precious resource; much of it set for the export market overseas. All this, when the current State Government is on the verge of buying out all commercial netters in the bay and a major project is about to get underway to re seed scallop, oyster and mussel reef beds in the bay.
Scallops in Port Phillip Bay are an important link in the food chain for target species for recreational anglers. They are also important for the health of the Bay similar to oysters and mussels that were once abundant in Port Phillip Bay.
In 1997 scallop dredging was banned in Port Phillip Bay. The government buyout is recognised as the single biggest improvement to the health of the bay in modern history. Since then the marine life has flourished and the scallops have once again become a critical part of the food chain, particularly for the snapper population; the most popular target species in Victoria’s recreational fishery.
Exploitation of the Port Phillip scallops beds only takes us back to the destructive days of scallop harvesting experienced from 1963 - 1997. Let’s not turn back the clock 20 years!
Please sign this petition and send the message to our current Victorian Government – Commercial exploitation of any species in Port Phillip Bay will not be tolerated.
