By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
KILLING dolphins and seals was unavoidable but would be minimised, proponents of controversial freezer trawler Geelong Star said yesterday.
Speaking as the 95-metre vessel unloaded its first catch at Corio Quay, small pelagic fisheries chief Grahame Turk called the deaths “regrettable”.
Geelong Star killed the animals on its first fishing trip while travelling from Western Australia to its new home port.
“No one likes to kill sea mammals but it’s a fact of life. Drive on roads at sunset and you kill kangaroos,” Mr Turk said.
“Sometimes dolphins and seals get in the way of activities on the water.”
Mr Turk said a series of systems and requirements to avoid sea mammal deaths worked “for the most part”.
“We’re investigating why the system didn’t work for those particular deaths. We’re modifying the gear and we’re having new gear flown out from Europe to be fitted before it takes off again.
“I can’t give an assurance that it won’t happen again but we try to minimise those incidents.
“If you want to be sure there are never any dolphins or seals killed you would have to stop all fishing.”
Geelong Star professional fisherman Steven Epworth said the trawler was “not the big monster everyone thinks”.
“It’s creating jobs around this town. Hopefully (the trawler’s) whole factory is from Geelong as soon as we can train (staff) up.
“We’re only taking small portions away from a big-portioned area.”
The vessel’s first crew of 34 had 15 members from Geelong. A second crew will undertake the next fishing foray.
The boat’s first crew was a mix of experienced fisherman, long-term unemployed people and migrants from Africa and Afghanistan.
The trawler and its operations promise a $20 million windfall for Geelong’s economy.
