COMMERCIAL fishers are under pressure as long-nosed fur seal numbers surge in the Lakes and Coorong fishery.
Presiding chairman of the Southern Fishermans' Association Garry Hera-Singh said there were close to 30 fishing businesses "significantly affected" financially by the impact of the seals on their catch.
He said the seals had been using fishing nets as an easy source of food, ripping nets to take the fish, and fishers were forced to constantly monitor for seal activity.
"Fishers have tried everything, even sleeping with the nets, but seals are so quick and agile," he said.
"It becomes uneconomical with not enough (net) soak time, particularly over winter months."
And seals often did not eat the fish they took, leaving unsaleable bitten fish carcases.
"The seals can only eat so much, then they play," he said.
"They're like a fox in a chicken coop that kills 20 chooks and eats only one."
As seals were also ripping nets to get at the fish, gear replacement costs had trebled.
"Costs have gone through the roof," Garry said.
"I'm working an extra 100 days and my income has halved. I see my family less."
Garry said seals started to become an issue about seven years ago, but in the past two years had become even more problematic.
"They're supposed to go away in summer to their breeding ground on Kangaroo Island, but the past two summers, we've had a significant number stay," he said.
“When they were first in the Coorong there was some reprieve by fishing in the freshwater lakes, now they’re everywhere 52 weeks of the year.”
Garry said all this is having a severe impact on the fishers and their families, with the stress and mental anguish hard to describe to someone outside of the industry.
“They’re going financially backwards and you can only do that for so long,” he said.
At a recent meeting of the fishers, Garry said the question was raised of who might consider leaving the industry, and about half of those present said they might.
However, he said the presence of the seals has devalued the price of the license.
“For many of these fishers the sale of the license was part of their superannuation plan,” he said.
“And they’ve got to pay off debts.
“A bit like a farmer during the drought with cash flow problems, we don’t have a lot of money.
“We’ve had 10 years of drought in the fishery, then the best part of seven years of seal infestation.”
Garry said the fishers would like to receive some form of licence-fee subsidy, with many paying in excess of $20,000 annually to be able to fish.
He said this would not solve the problem but may help them survive until something is done about the Seals or other fishing methods can legally be adopted in the Lakes and Coorong Fishery.
