Gillnet ban threatens to close north Queensland seafood shops
Seafood shop owners in north Queensland say they may close when gillnet fishing is banned in the reef zone from June 2027.
A couple running a seafood restaurant in Ayr, in north Queensland, said they may have to close if some commercial gillnet fishers leave the industry. The ban takes effect on June 30, 2027.
The Queensland and federal governments decided in 2023 to phase out gillnets to protect endangered species. Peter Bradford said gillnet-caught fish make up 80 per cent of his business.
Without them, the shop cannot survive. The Bradfords serve about 150 families a week with locally caught seafood.
Commercial fishers have trialled alternative methods like traps and line fishing. But fishers say the alternatives have not worked well enough.
Some have called for a three-year extension. An environmental group warns that current gillnets still catch thousands of threatened species each year.
The group supports the government's phase-out commitment.
- 80 per cent
- Gillnets as percentage of business
- 150
- Families served weekly
- June 30, 2027
- Licence expiry date
- 2023
- Phase-out decision year
Why it mattersRegional fishing towns face economic collapse as environmental protection laws remove their main supply source, while the state works to find alternative fishing methods.
AustraliaNorth Queensland seafood shops and fish and chip stores may close, potentially forcing Australians in the region to rely on imported seafood.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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