Non Stop Fillets

6 months later and it’s looking like WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis has pulled off the biggest move to date of her political career.

Banning commercial fishing indefinitely and recreational fishing until supposedly Spring 2027 between Kalbarri and East of Augusta despite 6 months of repeated ignored public backlash.

It’s looking like she has weathered the storm, won the long game and despite not being very popular this could lead to an elevated status amongst the Labor party. Premier Jarvis could be what we all have to look forward to in the future.

When all this began a chorus of ex firearm owners, keep the sheep supporters and timber industry participants said she would get her way and with most commercial fishermen except us now waving the white flag it appears all but true.

They said no petition, rally or backlash would stop the outcome that has happened and at the time we thought they were just bitter the fishing industry had more support than they did for their plights but history is showing they were all right.

Never in our wildest dreams last November did we think that 6 months later our business that has operated since 1979 would be reduced to ruins by a decision so left field and so unreasonable that you think it wouldn’t be possible.

Here we are staring down the barrel of putting everything we ever worked for on the line to have a court room decide who is right and who is wrong. It’s set to cost us every dollar we have ever had but we believe if Labor can get away with this they can get away with anything. We believe this sets a precedent, not only for every fishery but for every industry.

The lines are blurred between a dictatorship and democracy when with flawed science peer reviewed by UWA under the guise of Christmas you can bring in a fishing ban and cut businesses down at the knees. Businesses who have followed every rule and done nothing wrong.

Usually there are 12-24 month prior investment warnings, transition packages and help every way possible but we feel we have been treated extremely poorly. The final straw or kick while we were down was when the government and DPIRD didn’t extend the CFAS deadline industry asked for trying to get us paid out with peanuts as soon as possible and get this whole debacle over with.

6 weeks is the shortest Compulsory Fisheries Adjustment Scheme buyout compensation application period ever in Australian history and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Still 6 months later we, our business haven’t received a single cent.

Yes, we could of received an “Act of Grace” payment like most the other commercial fishermen did but when it clearly states it gets deducted off your final payment which will only be the going rate of what your licence was worth when the fishing got closed then you can stick your “Act of Grace” payment up your ass.

Every letter or email has been written in lawyer terms that seem like government trickery and we no longer trust anyone to do with fisheries management in Western Australia. The fall out from this is huge. Closing those fishing grounds should have never happened. We stand by that and have every right to make those comments being on the ocean the most out of every other person in Western Australia. Still haven’t seen a scientist out on the ocean either!

All we saw was good and increasing fish stocks which would of been backed by our compulsory catch return data sent in to DPIRD monthly and all we’ve seen since is a Minister who has been avoiding the people, hiding from the truths and turning a blind eye to the backlash on her social media page by constant posting in an attempt to outlast and drown everyone out in the marathon of hatred.

With the fi****ms there was a good portion of the community who wanted to see guns taken off psychos, with the sheep a good portion of people were worried about the welfare of the sheep and many people didn’t want to see old tall trees cut down diluting their arguments but with the fishing the support has been like no other. Especially in the outer regions.

Yet here we are with Labor like everything before about to pull it off. That doesn’t sit right with us, it makes us angry. We know in our heart it’s so wrong!

We need your support more than ever!

The donations have been incredible and we will be forever grateful but support includes shopping at our place and backing us every way possible on the next journey we are undertaking.

There is no doubt it could make or break us.

There is no doubt this could be business ending but we are prepared to lose everything. We pretty much already have. 4135 units back to 1060 units is outright theft!

Our motto is if we don’t do this we will die wondering.

The fish stocks are good. Take our word for it!

The people of Western Australia should have access to fresh local fish from the waters off their coastline.

This one’s for you guys.

The seafood loving public of Western Australia.

We thank you all for your support.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/wa-commercial-fishermen-fighting-fund

A couple of monster squid from lochyturrell on the limited edition nonstopfillets Insalt Estuary Explorer (noodle rod)