Fishing council warns offshore windfarm zones will lead to squeeze on local seafood production

Opponents of a proposed windfarm off the coast of Bunbury have voiced concerns, including about its impact on fishing, despite this week’s announcement the original zone would be almost halved. On Monday, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen revealed a stripped back offshore windfarm zone of about 4000sqkm, which is now in two parts to make way for a shipping route. It is now open to feasibility licence applications from prospective developers, with Mr Bowen confirming the new zones cut the overlap with recreational fishing by 60 per cent. The WA Fishing Industry Council chief executive Melissa Haslam said the organisation was still concerned local seafood production would suffer. “It is encouraging to see that the revised area has reduced its overlap with commercial fisheries, however, it is another incremental hit on the fishing sector that will reduce the capacity to put local seafood on plates,” she said. “While the WA fishing industry recognises the need to co-exist with other marine based industries, it is essential that the planning process is open and transparent and actively seeks to reduce impacts on commercial fishing.” Recfishwest chief executive Andrew Rowland said the feedback from the fishing community had largely been ignored. “While the declared area has moved 10km west and Naturaliste Reef has been excluded, a look at the map clearly shows the eastern-most declared area overlaps with important fishing areas,” he said. “We made it very clear in our submission that most of fishing activity occurs in the eastern portion of the proposed zone in water depths of less than a 100m and this is exactly where the Commonwealth Government has declared an area suitable for future windfarm developments despite claims that fisher feedback was considered. “Throughout this process, the fishing community has been eager to understand how an offshore wind industry would impact their fishing experiences and (the) announcement is a missed opportunity to provide the clarity the community has been seeking.” In his announcement on Monday, Mr Bowen said the revised zones accounted for the majority of fishing activity and assured the entire area would not be exclusion zones. “We know from overseas that there’s often an exclusion zone of around 50m around each turbine, but that leaves a lot of room for recreational fishing because the turbines tend to be 2km apart from each other,” he said. “Recreational fishers can continue to do what they’ve always done and enjoyed, and indeed a lot of evidence shows that fish come in to explore around the wind turbines to feed off the ecosystem that’s created by the wind turbine so fishing improves.” Vasse MLA and State Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the result was a blow to the South West. “The fact it was announced behind a barbed wire fence goes to show how unpopular it is,” she said. “Anthony Albanese knows he can walk all over this weak Premier (Roger Cook) and get away with it — this is just the latest example. “Anthony Albanese is an east coast Prime Minister who is anti-mining, anti-live exports, and is now forcing an unwanted windfarm in the most pristine part of our State, and Roger Cook is letting it happen. “I will continue to fight with my Liberal Party colleagues at a State and Federal level to stop this destructive, unwanted windfarm proceeding in Geographe Bay, against Western Australians’ wishes.” Liberal candidate for Forrest Ben Small slammed the consultation period and said the project was “friendless”. “Any major project should stack up environmentally, economically and socially. Not only does this windfarm project fail all three, it is utterly friendless,” he said.