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Aussie pause on crayfish may spur NZ fishermen

Tasmanian crayfishers say they fear New Zealand could capitalise on Australia's predicted rock lobster shortage next month.After seven years of declining catch rates, the South Australian government has banned fishing during October and has capped quotas

NZPA
Fri, 03 Sep 2010

Tasmanian crayfishers say they fear New Zealand could capitalise on Australia's predicted rock lobster shortage next month.

After seven years of declining catch rates, the South Australian government has banned fishing during October and has capped quotas at 1250 tonnes until stocks recover.

Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fishermen's Association chief executive, Rodney Treloggen, said that traditionally, Tasmanian fishermen did not fish in October, and with South Australia also not in-market either, it could lead to shortage of stock supplying Asian markets.

"The big problem is that New Zealand sits over there, one of our major competitors. They will be taking full advantage of Australian rock lobster not being in that market," he told the ABC.

New Zealand crayfisherman, Malcolm Lawson -- the chief executive of the CR8 (cray eight) quota group -- told the ABC that fishermen on this side of the Tasman also did not normally fish in October, but many would this year.

"When the South Australian fishery starts -- generally that's been the start of October each year -- our prices do decline, and in the southern part of the country here, most of the fishermen stop fishing at that stage, because it's all about supply and demand," he said.

"When the demand is there from China, prices go up."

NZPA
Fri, 03 Sep 2010
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Aussie pause on crayfish may spur NZ fishermen
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