Recreational anglers have been campaigning for years to ban commercial fishing in Port Phillip Bay, and just when it looked like laws were about to be laid down the Greens Party leader from Victoria, Greg Barber has objected.

“I’m a person who likes to buy my fish, and I want Australian fish, not some that’s flown in from Argentina! Said Barber in an interview with the ABC this week. “Greenpeace says commercial fishing is sustainable in the bay, so that’s good enough for me.”

The argument is about Victorians sourcing local fish, as they have done for the past hundred years. With the city being quite literally right on the doorstep of Port Phillip Bay, fish can be caught at night then sold to the customer the following morning. Something that can’t be replicated in many other Australian cities. Their other concern is the job cuts from both the boat crews and processors in Victoria.

With the thousands of recreational anglers in the Port Phillip Bay area, Greens leader Greg Barber suggested that the Victorian governments decision was based largely on votes, due to only a ‘handful’ of commercial fishing licenses being issued for use in Port Phillip Bay. Recreational anglers hold a lot of votes, and history has shown that if a fishing group wants something done, they do have the power to make it happen.

The new regulations on commercial fishing in Port Phillip Bay will continue to be bounced around the senate in the coming months, until then, get behind your local party and let them know whether you’re for the eating, or the catching (or both!).

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