From the north of the country one fisherman in particular has taken exception to his government's support for the need for more marine reserves which ban fishing and threatens the livelihoods of independent fishermen around the country. Bruce Davey has taken several months off work to produce a film on fishing in Australia in an effort to tell consumers the real story behind the Australian fishing industry - and at his own cost.
As a fisherman who goes to sea on a daily basis, Mr Davey knows more precisely than any other in or around the industry the state of fish stocks in his area and the need or otherwise for marine reserves.
In the trailer to his film 'Drawing the Line', which is expected to be released in mid-November 2013, other fishermen and women support his call for greater transparency and understanding - and the inclusion of fishing industry representation in any decision-making of this nature. He labels the process to create the marine reserves and the government's actions that excluded the fishing industry from making representation as "corrupt."
In addition, industry supporters in his film's trailer point out that while Australian fisheries are already among the most regulated and sustainable in the world, Australian consumers' growing demand for fish products is resulting in imports being accepted from countries where industries are unregulated and fisheries are being dangerously over-exploited. A situation Mr Davey's supporters claim as immoral.
Dr Davey adds that without taking action and engaging with the public he wouldn't expect the Australian fishing industry to survive more than 50 years. However, he is confident that if consumers learn how the country's fishermen and women are working responsibly to sustain their industry then it should survive at least another 50 generations!
View the trailer here.
 |
| English: Australian flag (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
No comments:
Post a Comment