06/05/2026
THOMAS GOES INTO BAT FOR NARUNGGA FISHERS
The One Nation MP Chantelle Thomas has kept her election promise to take the fight up to the state government over its increased bans and restrictions on both commercial and recreational fishing within Narungga which takes in both gulfs.
She has sent a letter to Clare Scriven the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development requesting more information and data regarding the new fishing restrictions.
She says her concerns relate to how the new additional restrictions, on southern calamari, garfish and King George whiting may impact the economic recovery of coastal communities following the algae bloom.
"In the interests of transparency I ask you, the minister, to consider providing me with any relevant data or expert advice which has compelled you to impose these additional restrictions.
"I also ask that you consider providing me with the data or advice related to the ongoing restrictions on snapper fishing," she said.
"The Snapper Ban needs to end in the Spencer Gulf to allow coastal communities the opportunity to recover from the devastating Algal Bloom.
"Snapper is booming in the Spencer Gulf and it's time the Labor Government lift the ban," Thomas concluded.
On the MP's page Tracey Yates says she has messaged Geoff Brock regarding the snapper ban last week.
"The Spencer gulf has plenty of snapper being caught and thrown back, a friend and her partner caught 15 in about 20 minutes, all thrown back and excellent in size.
"But were unable to catch anything else," she said
A charter operator from Port Victoria Steve Kontos says the whiting have already done their business by the end of May, so there's no need to extend the ban until the end of July.
"Those fish will migrate north and be caught after July anyway, thats how they move.
"The government hasn't achieved anything except stopping tourism and financially damaging communities on Yorke Peninsula," Steve Kontos said.
Most commercial and recreational fishers are claiming that snapper in Spencer Gulf are in plague proportions and have become a real pest because they can't catch other species.
Steve Kontos says the government really needs to get the snapper fishery open.
It's a sentiment expressed by John Thornley who says there's been plenty of Snapper swimming around for the last 2 years, and plenty of larger snapper way over the minimum size limit for the last 18 months.
"One might ask what the cause for the Snapper Ban Actually was?
"Even Blind Freddie can see it was a Bankrupt Labor Government Cash Grab from Professional Licensing," he concluded.