Stop the Trawler Campaign

Ever since workers from the monster trawler Geelong Star leaked the story that a protected whale shark was caught in its nets, the details have been avoided, contradicted, or just plain dodgy. We want to know the whole truth about what happened.

Tell the government to approve our Freedom of Information request for the footage of the incident. It's in the public interest and it's their job to protect us - not cover-up for the super trawler.

Dear Ministers,

The controversial foreign factory freezer trawler Geelong Star operating in Australia’s Small Pelagic Fishery caught a rare and protected whale shark – one of the world’s biggest fish – in it’s trawl nets on 11 February 2016.  But ever since workers from the trawler leaked the story that the whale shark was caught, the details have been avoided, contradicted or confused by the fishing industry and AFMA*.

We want to know the truth about what really happened between the super trawler Geelong Star and our precious, protected marine life. Environment Tasmania has asked for the release of the footage of the incident through Freedom of Information requests, but AFMA says it’s not in the public interest to release it.

I’m an interested member of the public, asking you to please use your Ministerial powers to direct AFMA to release the footage, and help return the public faith in AFMA’s management of our fisheries.

*The week that the incident happened, workers from the vessel said the whale shark was lifted by its tail with a crane and dropped back into the water and sank to the bottom dead. Whilst a statement made on social media by the PR group for the Geelong Star’s owners on 17th February said, “The whale shark come alongside the net and the vessel manoeuvred away and the whale shark swam off unharmed”.

AFMA initially assured the public on 19th February that the Geelong Star’s interaction only involved “A whale shark ran into the outside of the net and became caught by two of its fins… The whale shark was subsequently freed from the net and swam away without difficulty. No injuries to the animal were observed”. On 24th February AFMA reported, “Video footage shows that the whale shark spent no more than four minutes out of the water. That is, the time from the animal being brought onto the boat, freed and being released back into the water was estimated to be 3min 35sec”.

AFMA’s handling guidelines for commercial fishers in South East Australia specifically advise not to lift large sharks by their heads, gill slits or tails. Due to the poor corporate responsibility demonstrated by the operators of the Geelong Star, it is in the public interest to know whether the whale shark was handled according to AFMA guidelines and to rebuild trust in AFMA’s management of this fishery.

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Peter Shearer commented 2022-02-07 21:01:13 +1100
Ban supertrawlers
Jane Glue commented 2022-02-05 23:37:43 +1100 · Flag
We should not allow super trawlers to work in our oceans. They are killing fish and dumping hundreds of thousands of dead fish that would have been food for our dolphins and whales, etc Many thousands of dead dolphins have been washed up along the shores of France in recent years because of these vessels. Surely we should support sustainable fishing by responsible fishermen and stop eating fishfingers and other products that these huge vessels are catching fish for. WE MUST MAKE LAWS TO PROTECT OUR OCEANS!
Ashley Brooks commented 2017-12-04 01:45:00 +1100
STOP distroying our oceans! I am SO UPSET by what humans do! DESTROYING OUR PLANET AND DESTROYING ANIMALS AND WILDLIFE— I feel helpless and hopeless for the human race to continue this kind of massive destruction of animal life that is needed on the planet in order to survive. Governments ARE ELECTED TO PROTECT and make laws to protect these ciminal acts. STOP THIS DESTRUCTION.
Rene Holovsky commented 2017-12-01 02:22:38 +1100
Massage to the Rothschild’s stop controlling the media and the truth…..!
Maureen King commented 2017-06-17 07:28:34 +1000
The people have a right to be able to access this information.
You are not protecting us, you are protecting yourselves and those responsible for this.
Release the information, the people demand it and have a right to know exactly what is happening.
Loretta McKenzie commented 2016-08-15 13:04:36 +1000
If the TV stations weren’t so gagged by higher powers the general public would actually know about all the disgusting things happening but they are only allowed to show mundane crap that won’t cause any reaction that they might not like!
Shane Rodgers commented 2016-07-24 18:07:25 +1000
It still ceases to amaze me how our government is so willing too allow a foreign owned boats into our waters and making allowances the trawler Geelong star??? This should have been stopped years ago by you the government…. It appears of today’s standards even with all the negative feed back about the trawler you still are dictating it is not with our interest.. Well it us the Australian people and others interested in saving the fishery.. You haven’t enough Database information to show the devastating affect the TRAWLERS have world wide.. we do not want the TRAWLERS HERE PERIOD..
carolyn gotsalks commented 2016-07-22 18:55:57 +1000
There is a shortage of fish worldwide, let alone killing other animals in these dispicable nets, they should be stopped especially in our seas
Maureen King commented 2016-07-22 14:53:41 +1000
I couldn’t agree more with the other comments on here about the need for full disclosure in relation to the super trawlers that the government allows to destroy and devastate our marine life and waters. Then does everything it can to try and cover it up by refusing to release the information. They have no right to do this.They are elected by the people. They also know that the public are not going to react favourably so hide it.It won’t work. You are an absolute disgrace. The sooner the major parties are gone the better.
This behaviour is totally unacceptable.
Michael Battista commented 2016-07-22 13:13:48 +1000
Of course we do not condone any threats of violence or other inappropriate language towards oceans creatures but you do by allowing the Geelong Star to rape the ocean creatures
Clemens Vermeulen commented 2016-07-22 10:40:16 +1000
My intro (in the letter) to the Ministers:
I am dismayed that a government ‘for and by the people’ should choose secrecy to keep the truth from the people it (supposedly) serves. This behaviour is more akin to a dictatorship or a totalitarian state than a free democracy like Australia. What else are you hiding from us? Own up or quit before the people remove you. The crime of ecocide springs to mind.
tony fields commented 2016-07-02 01:24:31 +1000
Environmental minister Hunt get your act together and ban super trawlers from Australian waters!!!
Sue Forster commented 2016-07-01 18:25:33 +1000
Rape and pillage of our oceans and murder of our marine life. Just how much of this can the world take!!! Humans do not have the right.
Michael Newman commented 2016-06-29 10:39:35 +1000
Stop destroying our oceans
Mark Jacobs commented 2016-06-23 18:50:27 +1000
Government hiding behind “Commercial-In-Confidence” in order to withhold information from the public under the Freedom of Information act is undemocratic and dictatorial: in a democracy the government is supposed to act on behalf of the electorate and is accountable to the electorate; any deals the government makes with business on behalf of the electorate can NEVER be considered “Commercial-In-Confidence”, as this doesn’t allow the transparency required for the electorate to hold the government to account. No transparency = no democracy.

It’s only a matter of time before both major parties a relegated to history and the Country is governed by truly representative MPs from a coalition of smaller, truly representative, parties and independents.
Martin Male commented 2016-06-23 16:13:43 +1000
There is no valid reason for these miners of the sea to be allowed to destroy the sea. The impacts of climate change will be compounded by this action!
geoffrey roberts commented 2016-06-23 14:33:14 +1000
Where ever these evil ships have plied there vile actions, the seas where they have operated have been decimated, the West Coast of Africa is a perfect example…and it will happen here in Australia if it isn’t stopped..
Phe Luxford commented 2016-06-23 14:28:08 +1000
We’re a beautiful country that looks after our natural wonders – not the interests of big corporations. True or False?
THIS IS IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST. My children’s future – they love the oceans and I want it to be a place they are proud of, not a place of sadness and regret for all we have lost and neglected. DO YOUR JOB!!!
Debra Livingston commented 2016-06-23 12:11:13 +1000
I am just so overwhelmed by what humans do — I feel helpless and hopeless for the human race to continue this kind of massive destruction of animal life that is needed on the planet in order to survive. I cannot believe that Governments elected by the public would condone such a travesty of species annihilation… and for any other human who would condone it for money — you cannot eat money… you cannot buy what is extinct as it no longer exists… you cannot replace it… once it is gone… it is gone… reducing sea species …. is to annihilate human life also.

Release the Truth

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