Losing the catch: How Greek fishing operators suffer from government policies

The unfolding situation for Greek household seafood businesses successful Victoria marks a turning constituent successful this state’s sportfishing story. Once the backbone of Melbourne’s caller food supply, these small, sustainable operations, galore founded by Greek migrants successful the mid-20th century, are being forced retired by authorities initiatives that prioritise recreational sportfishing often astatine the outgo of commercialized livelihoods. The effect is simply a shrinking section seafood sector, nary plans for indispensable seafood into the future, and a increasing disconnect betwixt Victorian consumers and their coastal heritage.

Greek practice astatine the bosom of Victorian fishing

For generations, Greek household fishers person been cardinal to Australia’s seafood identity. Arriving from the Mediterranean (Kythira, Kastelorizo, and Crete, etc) with heavy maritime knowledge, they introduced important innovations (e.g. Danish seining) and established the infrastructure, installed a high-level work ethic and created the estimation of Victoria’s wild-caught seafood industry. Communities from Queenscliff to Lakes Entrance thrived thanks to these families supplying Melbourne markets and restaurants with section snapper, whiting, scallops, calamari, flathead, and more. Their businesses anchored a afloat supply concatenation from the bay to the plate, supporting livelihoods and a surviving practice of skill and care.

How Government argumentation turned the tide

The tide began to turn successful 1997 with the Victorian Government banning the dredging of Commercial Scallops when Rex Hunt used his media powerfulness to beforehand the conception that dredging was severely impacting Port Philip Bay (PPB) and frankincense his beloved recreational fishing. At the clip Premier, Jeff Kennett, was persuaded that there were much votes successful supporting this notion, contempt small to nary technological evidence.

The recreational sportfishing lobby present had a look and a voice successful the media and promoted ‘we fish, we vote.’ That was the extremity of scallop dredging successful PPB. The protestations of the manufacture agitated the authorities to the constituent that when it changed the regulations they ensured that the lone way of harvesting scallops would beryllium done diving and manus harvesting.

Only 1 diving licence was issued but astir 90 vessels and up to 20 processing companies and countless radical were enactment retired of business. Kennett went connected to suffer the adjacent election!

Go sportfishing – Victoria strategy

Since 2014, much than $35 cardinal has been spent phasing retired commercialized netting successful Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes to “get much families fishing” for recreation.

While these policies proved fashionable among recreational anglers, they devastated galore coastal and Greek-Australian businesses that fished responsibly for generations. The removal of the 700-tonne Port Phillip Bay nett fishery unsocial meant the nonaccomplishment of dozens of household businesses and an yearly supply of hundreds of tonnes of caller section seafood. Many of these small-scale operators were among the astir sustainable successful the country.

Melbourne chefs publically protested that “Victorian-caught” food would vanish from menus, replaced by air-freighted seafood with a higher outgo and c footprint. Industry groups warned that up to 600 tonnes of section seafood supply would vanish annually.

Image: Victorian Fisheries Authority (website, 2025)

Policy gaps, compliance, and section supply

The consequences were predictable: rising reliance connected interstate and overseas seafood, higher prices, and vulnerability to planetary supply disruptions. Nationally, astir 70 per cent of the seafood Australians devour is present imported. In once-busy sportfishing towns, knowledge, jobs, and taste individuality person faded arsenic fishers near the water, often without meaningful designation of the bequest they permission behind.

Meanwhile, 2025 fund cuts led to the closure of cardinal enforcement offices and a crisp simplification successful fisheries compliance officers. This, successful turn, increases unit connected marine health, arsenic policing ample numbers of recreational fishers (who are not required to study their catches) is progressively difficult.

This was forecast by a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) study by Fishwell Consulting which recovered that commercialized sportfishing successful Port Phillip Bay posed lone insignificant ecological risks.” It besides cautioned that government-driven increases successful recreational sportfishing were apt to rise sustainability challenges, undermining the cognition that removing commercialized operators benefits the environment.

A nonrecreational manufacture tin beryllium held accountable for drawback and sustainability done carrot/stick management, but a loosely monitored recreational assemblage places an unrealistic load connected remaining officers and the system overall.

The contradiction of “sustainability”

From a user perspective, Victoria’s policies present contradict nationalist trends successful sustainable nutrient production. While different states are investing successful traceable, low-impact section supply chains, Victoria’s reduced section drawback has led to higher prices and little clarity astir seafood origins.

Ironically, the small-scale Victorian commercialized fishers who were displaced were among the astir sustainable successful the nation. Research confirms that Port Phillip Bay’s fisheries had minimal ecological interaction earlier closure. The existent argumentation trajectory alternatively drives request toward overseas producers and whilst they indispensable conscionable nutrient standards they are not creating sustainable jobs and opportunities for Victorians, nor does it make assurance for consumers with seafood security.

Time for a argumentation reset

Importantly, the diminution of Victoria’s section drawback does not stem from irresponsible behaviour by socially alert recreational anglers. Most are passionate custodians of the bays and oceans. Rather, it is authorities argumentation settings and a deficiency of meaningful support for small-scale commercialized fishers that person created this imbalance.

Stakeholders from industry, consumer, and conservation groups agree: Victoria needs a caller approach. There is country successful our ample bays and oceans for liable recreation and commercialized harvest. Science-based, constricted commercialized quotas and a absorption connected truly low-impact cogwheel (like longlining and handlining) tin let practice fisheries to survive while safeguarding our marine environment.

Investment successful Victorian aquaculture tin besides assistance capable portion of the gap, but wild-caught food stay irreplaceable successful flavour and taste significance, particularly for migrant communities whose identities are tied to the sea.

Honour heritage, unafraid the future

For Greek-Australian sportfishing families, the nonaccomplishment of entree to section waters is much than an economical blow, it is simply a menace to surviving culture, nutrient knowledge, and assemblage wellbeing. If Victoria is to unafraid a truly sustainable seafood future, we request a authorities willing to revisit its approach, valuing commercialized fishers alongside recreational interests, investing successful compliance, and supporting nutrient information for each Victorians.

Ultimately, the oversea is simply a shared assets owned by the community: authorities policies relating to managing the assets should bespeak the needs and past of each who attraction for it. There is plentifulness of space for each to bask the ‘treasures’ that the bays and oceans supply us. It should not beryllium those holding the loudest voice, but a greater understanding of the shared assets travel predetermination time.

*Roy Palmer is the CEO of the Seafood Consumers Association.