Newcastle prawners say they’ve reached a verbal agreement to hold off trawling for two weeks, despite the prawning season officially starting tomorrow.
The industry will be able to fish in areas of the Hunter River Estuary that are outside the EPA’s designated red zone, but a spokesperson says they want to clear the product of possible contamination first.
The Department of Primary Industries will collect samples in the waterways on Tuesday, to see whether the chemical spill from the Williamtown RAAF Base is affecting prawns.
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It must be known PFA nor the Co-Op had anything to do with this decision, these guys made a choice mutually to assure public of their concerns being voiced on social media and privately to fishers. PFA + co- op denied there was public concern initially. PFA dose not support all the fishers it us s member based union with diminishing members. Of course they both tried to make it look as if they initiated in that report but they didn’t.
The boys as u know meet again today- this has nothing to do with either the co- op nor the PFA.
Thanks Lucinda,
Just confirming that the Co-op was not involved in this decision, it was made by the fishers themselves. The Co-op supports this decision and all fishers who have been affected. The Co-op has never denied any public concerns, but, has been guided by the advice given by EPA, DPI and Health released publicly last week, stating there were no health concerns.
We commend the fishers for making this difficult decision and eagerly await the test results.