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New Bluefin Controls Provoke Anger in Tasmaniaff

15 October 2002 Australia
Tasmania's commercial tuna fishermen are angry about a Federal move to impose new restrictions on the industry.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority plans to remove current zone restrictions and introduce statutory fishing rights, based on the value of permits.

Tasmanian fishermen say that means they'll be allocated only 3% of the total fishery, which will destroy the livelihoods of 44 licence-holders.
A long-line fisherman, David Chaffey, says Tasmanian fishermen currently work about 200 days a year, which would be reduced to fewer than five days under the proposed change.

"We'll probably get about 4-point-3 hook days a year to operate", he explained, "which of course is ludicrous. Nobody can operate a fishery on that amount of days."

Source: ABC News