THE fight against the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) proposal to cull five fisheries officer (FO) jobs from Phillip Island, two FO positions from Lakes Entrance and two from Mallacoota is ongoing; in protest to the recent proposal, regional residents who prefer to remain anonymous attended the ‘Convoy for Conversation’ – a peaceful rally to fight for the future of recreational fishing and future fish stocks.
The rally took place on March 29, with support on the steps of Parliament from industry, fly-fishing groups and recreational anglers, as well as VRFISH executive officer Ben Scullin.
80 boats were towed into Melbourne, organised for stakeholders by stakeholders, a protester stated, with approximately 15 cars and vans with kayaks and anti-proposal messaging.
“With the recent raid on Phillip Island on Friday, April 5, anonymous bystanders are sending a clear message to the state government to reconsider their job cuts and save the waters from overfishing.
“We need to protect the fisheries that protect our waters; this type of activity will go undetected if they close the Cowes Fisheries station,” another stated.
VRFISH, which represents up to 1.1 million people, is advocating against the proposed mass retrenchment of Fisheries Officers, requesting the state government to hear the voice of the community.
Industrial organiser from the Community and Public Sector Union, Kassey Dickie has confirmed that the state government have the power to stop this.
