Australia Imposes Two-Year Super Trawler Ban

Australia’s Environment Minister, Tony Burke, signed a two-year ban on any super trawler fishing in the country’s southern waters on Monday. This action comes just two months after Burke blocked the 9,500- ton, Abel Tasman, from operating for 60 days until more scientific research was completed.

The Abel Tasman planned to trawl off Tasmania, but environmental campaign group, Greenpeace, voiced their concerns that the large vessel could threaten some species, such as dolphins and seals.

Greenpeace said the UN had found that the global fishing fleet was 2.5 times too big for stocks to sustain.

An expert panel will now be organized to assess the effects of the super trawler over the two-year period and report back to the minister.

Burke acknowledged that a vessel of this nature has never been used in Australian waters and carries additional environmental challenges and uncertainty.

The ship remains tied up at Port Lincoln in South Australia. The Stop the Super Trawler Alliance stated that it is expected to leave Australian waters soon.

Photo (thumb) caption: FV Abel Tasman is a 9,500 GT super trawler operated by Seafish Tasmania, Australia. She is the world's second largest fishing boat. In 2012, Seafish Tasmania brought the ship to Australia to catch a quota of 18,000 tons of jack mackerel and redbait along the southern shores of the country. However, after protests were made against the ship, the Australian government drafted legislation to prevent her use.