Tag Archives: Scallop Fishermen’s Association of Tasmania

A seismic blasting whistleblower speaks

Hayley had been working on seismic blasting vessels for almost three years when she realised just how destructive the practice was. Her final assessment was simple: “I can’t believe that this is legal.” Hayley, who asked for her real name to not be used, was employed as a marine fauna observer. Her job was to look for marine mammals such as the southern right whale, which could be harmed by the blasts used to search the ocean floor for oil and gas. Blasting would be paused only when specific whales were sighted. The negative impacts of the blasting are hard to see because they happen below the surface. >click to read< 10:16

Australia: Senate inquiry on impacts of seismic testing starts in Hobart

An inquiry into the impact of seismic testing in Australian waters has heard there is little scientific research into the effects it has on marine life and commercial fisheries. A Senate committee conducting the inquiry held its first hearing on Hobart on Wednesday. The state’s fishing industry has claimed that 24,000 tonnes of scallops, with a retail value of more than $70 million, were killed in 2010 after seismic testing was conducted in the Bass Strait. John Hammond, from the Scallop Fishermen’s Association of Tasmania, said an area north-west of Flinders Island used to provide an enormous bounty of scallops for fishers, but had been barren since 2010. >click to read< 22:49

21 Oct 2016, Scallop deaths linked to seismic surveys being carried out on seabed, Tasmanian report finds>click to read<

Bumper Tasmanian scallop season expected

The Tasmanian scallop season has kicked off with expectations that up to 5000 tonnes could be netted out of the Bass Strait Central Zone fishery this year. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has initially set a total allowable catch of 3000 tonnes for the fishery this season. The season began on July 1 and runs until December 31. Under AFMA rules, a series of four triggers will allow the total allowable catch to increase when certain levels are achieved.,, Scallop Fishermen’s Association of Tasmania chief executive Bob Lister says the industry could be worth $6 million this year. “We are expecting the catch this year to be of high quality, very tasty, with a creamy scallop and a bright orange roe,” he said. click here to read the story 21:33