Another nail in the coffin for Ballina’s prawning industry
Ballina fishermen say a five-year extension of white spot prawn restrictions has delivered the worst Christmas present imaginable, driving another nail into the coffin of what was once a thriving local industry.
More than a dozen Ballina families once made a full living from prawning and other fishing on the Richmond.
Today that number has fallen to nil, with the remaining commercial fishers surviving by working offshore.
NSW Government confirms five-year extension
The NSW Government announced this week that white spot biosecurity controls will remain in place for at least another five years across affected North Coast waterways, including the Richmond, Clarence, Evans and Brunswick systems.
Under the order, any school prawns caught from Lennox Head to the Clarence must be cooked before landing, meaning no green (raw) product can be sold.
The Government says the controls are necessary because white spot has been detected in the Clarence River catchment and in wild prawns north of Evans Head, placing nearby waterways inside a risk zone.
A $4.5 million support package has been offered to Clarence River fishers, whose economy relies heavily on green prawn sales.
No equivalent support has been provided to Richmond River fishers, who say they have been overlooked for decades.
Among those affected is long-time fisherman John Joblin, who said the latest announcement wipes out what remained of the river prawn trade and chips away at his offshore business too.
“It means zero,” Joblin said. “Zero prawn income to the fishermen unless they’re big enough to cook.
“Zero income to the co-op. Fewer staff, less product, and then there’s the on-effects right through the town.”
Dallas Johnson helping with the morning catch. Main photo: Ian McRae and John Joblin
Once a great river fishery, now locked out entirely
Until the early 2000s the Richmond River was known as one of the strongest school prawn fisheries in the state, delivering more than 100 tonnes a year and supporting multiple generations of Ballina families.
Fish kills in 2001 and 2008 devastated stocks, but fishermen insist the system still produces prawns when conditions line up.
They say the new rules remove any chance of rebuilding the river trade, even if natural recovery occurs.
“There are definitely prawns in the river at the moment,” fisherman Dallas Johnson said.
“But you can’t access them. If they’re too small to cook, you can’t sell them. The opportunity is gone.”
Johnson said the Richmond has never recorded a trace of white spot, yet remains inside the biosecurity zone because of detections at the Clarence and Evans Head.
“We’ve never had white spot here. But the ban gets extended anyway. It’s another nail in the coffin.”
Offshore fishing now a lifeline, but income still hit
For fishermen like Joblin, offshore king and tiger prawns now keep their businesses afloat. But even that has been weakened by the rules, which prevent any green (raw) product being sold from the zone.
“We went to work last night just knowing we could cut, say, 300 kilos of prawns. If we knew that we could sell the green prawns, we would have been able to sell probably up to 1000 kilos of green prawns. So it’s definitely limited our income.
“For us it’s a very small part of the business, but it was significant. And it’s gone.”
Fishers said the restriction removes a valuable Sydney market and reduces overall returns at a time when fuel, licence fees and insurance continue to rise.
‘It stops families earning an honest living’
Fellow fisherman and Ballina Co-op Chief Executive Ian McRae said the entire community is feeling the loss.
“For me it’s more about the livelihood,” McRae said.
“It stops families earning an honest living. I don’t think they’ve kept it properly monitored, and nothing ever gets fixed in terms of improving the health of the river.
“Fishermen have gone to meeting after meeting and nothing happens. They’re worn out.”
McRae said the announcement delivers poor timing for a region built on fresh seafood at Christmas.
“It’s not a very good Christmas present for local fishermen,” he said.
“All we try to do is give the public the best, freshest seafood we can.”
Despite all the challenges and this week’s bad news, the local prawn fishers are looking forward to the annual Christmas peak selling period.
“There’ll be plenty of good quality local prawns and seafood available for Christmas,” Joblin said.
“Don’t be scared of frozen prawns. If they’re local and frozen properly, they’re perfect.
“Most prawns people buy at Christmas have been frozen anyway.”
