16 June 2018

, Minister for Primary Industries and Water

Supporting jobs, regional communities and a sustainable seafood industry

Tasmania’s seafood sector will benefit from $12.7 million in additional funding over four years.

The commitment is part of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s plan for even stronger regional economies and has been enthusiastically welcomed by the state’s seafood industry.

I have been working closely with stakeholders like the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council to deliver in the best interests of Tasmania’s primary producers.

This State Budget supports our commercial fishers and delivers practical strategies to grow the value of our world class wild caught and farmed seafood sector.

We are investing in today’s fisheries and also looking to the future with programs that support long-term and sustainable fisheries management.

Funding in the 2018-19 State Budget includes:

• $150,000 to assist the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council to improve safety for the commercial fisheries and marine farming sectors.
• $300,000 to extend the East Coast Rock Lobster Translocation Program which is rebuilding rock lobster biomass to benefit both commercial and recreational fisheries.
• A further $5 million to fund the ongoing development of the Fisheries Integrated Licensing and Management System including digital licensing, real time transfer of fisheries data and streamlining of licence and quota management processes.
• Establishing a $5.1 million, 5-year Abalone Industry Reinvestment Fund by diverting a portion of existing royalties to support industry-led projects to tackle Long Spined Sea Urchins and to increase Abalone stock rates.
• Ongoing funding of $200,000 per year for the Abalone Industry Development Trust Fund for projects to develop new markets, economic analysis and maintaining the sustainability of the abalone fishery.
• $400,000 for ShellMAP Industry Development to work with Oysters Tasmania to improve the capacity of the oyster industry to manage market access and food safety.
• $400,000 to enhance the real-time monitoring sensor network for the oyster industry.

The Budget also provides an additional $1 million in funding for the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) increasing its total funding to $14 million over five years. This will provide for additional research into the fishing and marine farming industries and ongoing support for the assessment of new and sustainable fisheries opportunities.

The Hodgman Liberal Government launched our Sustainable Industry Growth Plan for the Salmon Industry last year so that the community can have confidence in this world-class industry with significantly strengthened penalties and regulations and with the independent Environment Protection Authority in charge of regulating the industry.

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