Tassie seafood sector gets government funding boost

Tasmania’s seafood sector will benefit from $12.7 million in additional funding over four years, as part of the Liberal Government’s plan for stronger regional economies.

“I have been working closely with stakeholders like the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council to deliver in the best interests of Tasmania’s primary producers”, said Sarah Courtney, Minister for Primary Industries and Water.

“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.”

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, and $300,000 to extend the East Coast Rock Lobster Translocation Program which is rebuilding rock lobster biomass.

A further $5 million has been allocated 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.

The government will also establish a $5.1 million, five-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 has been allocated to the Abalone Industry Development Trust Fund for projects to develop new markets, economic analysis and maintaining the sustainability of the abalone fishery.

$400,000 will go to ShellMAP Industry Development to work with Oysters Tasmania to improve the capacity of the oyster industry to manage market access and food safety, and $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.