WA fishing ban: Roger Cook confronted over non-existent helpline as fishing businesses reel from demersal ban

The Cook Government has conceded the price of fish and chips will likely go up, as Opposition MPs warn small businesses will go bust as a result of new bans on demersal fishing. Premier Roger Cook said it will be “inconvenient” for some, sparking uproar from the Nationals during Question Time on Thursday. “Inconvenient? People are losing their livelihoods,” Central Wheatbelt MP Lachlan Hunter said. Shadow Fisheries Minister Kirrilee Warr confronted the Premier with a letter that one commercial fishing operator received on Wednesday, which directed them to mental health support and a Stay Afloat helpline that, she said, no longer exists. “Federal funding for Stay Afloat ended on the 30th of September,” Ms Warr said. “The program is no longer operating in WA and the helpline in your department’s letter directed fishers to services that do not exist.” Mr Cook defended the changes announced this week as necessary, to ensure recreational fishing can continue in the future. The 21-month ban on species, such as dhufish and pink snapper, will apply to commercial and recreational fishing along a 900 kilometre stretch of the WA coast, from Kalbarri to Augusta. Commercial fishing in the zone will cease from January 1, recreational fishing will be banned until spring 2027, and charters firms in the metro area will be forced to close from December 16, in a bid to save the species from extinction. “This Government has taken the tough decisions to stand up for future generations of fishers, ensuring that our commercial fish stocks are protected and that we can fish sustainably into the future,” he said. “Of course, we understand that this is impactful. We understand that it will be disappointing and inconvenient for some. It will be devastating for others.” Trawling for demersal fish will also be banned in the Pilbara. Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis said the decision was a result of evidence of the impact of fishing on marine life. “I don’t have the exact figures off the top of my head but it was, I think, about 15 dolphins last year that drowned in trawling nets, and higher number of endangered saw fish, as well as some sea snakes and pipe fish some other vulnerable species,” she said. Ms Jarvis urged fishers and consumers to target different species and “please still enjoy fishing,” but she conceded prices will go up. “There will be less of these fish in the market for a number of years,” she said. “The reality is dhufish fillets are already $90 a kilo. It is a premium product, as it should be. But a fish shouldn’t be targeted to extinction so the prices can remain low. “It is the right thing to do. . . we have to make sure that we protect these iconic species.”