Aussie crayfish ban 'good news'

A ban on crayfishing in South Australia during October is likely to mean more stability in prices for fishermen in Southland.

After several years of declining catch rates, the Australian Government has banned fishing during October and capped quotas at 1250 tonnes to allow the fish to recover.

Fiordland Lobster Company chief executive Alan Buckner said the change could be good news for Southlanders because it would likely keep the demand for New Zealand crayfish high.

Most crayfish caught in New Zealand were exported, and that meant the demand generally dropped during October when the Australian season began, he said.

But because the South Australian season had been delayed it meant there would likely be a higher demand for New Zealand crays, he said.

The change would not mean more money for Southland fishermen because a quota system capped the amount of fish that could be caught, but would inject more confidence into the industry because fishermen would know they could sell everything they caught at a stable price, he said.

"It just gives us a high degree of confidence that we can sell everything that is landed," he said.

Cray fisherman Phil O'Sullivan said the change in Australia would "hopefully mean a better demand and prices for New Zealand as a whole".

- © Fairfax NZ News

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john   #1   02:16 pm Sep 08 2010

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