Farewell To The Muddie

[mrmoshe]

Farewell to the muddie

QUEENSLAND'S greatest culinary treasure, the juicy mud crab, is about to vanish from our menues.

Fishing industry leaders say the Bligh Government's fishing bans in Moreton Bay, which comes into force on September 1, will all but wipe out the trade in muddies.

"Say goodbye to the muddie," said angry Rodney Kemp, 43, the manager of Penglis Fisheries and George's Oysters.

A series of green, blue and yellow fishing zones will restrict catches in the bay or ban them completely.

Kemp and other fishermen say the green exclusion zones cover more than 95 per cent of the mudcrab banks.

"All the mud crabs out of Moreton Bay come from the western edge of North Stradbroke Island around to the eastern side and all the way to the Southport seaway. That will all be a green zone, there will be absolutely no take there."

He said there was speculation in the industry that 70 per cent of fishermen will be forced out by the restrictions which will hit all fish stocks.

He said the few crabs that would be caught would likely be sold at the Sydney fish market for astronomical sums.

The famous Queenslanders were already fetching up to $50 a kilo at Sydney and Melbourne markets where they are snapped up by top restaurants.

Kemp, who supplies seafood to leading chefs such as Jason Peppler of Isis, said other fish supplies would be hard hit. Oysters, tiger prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, sand crabs and "bread and butter" fish like whiting and flathead would also be in short supply, he said.

"What's Moreton Bay without Moreton Bay bugs?"

"We better get used to inferior imports from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand."

He believes the zones are the result of a preference deal the Beattie government did with the Greens.

He is challenging the Environmental Protection Agency claims of over-fishing.

"I sourced 20 tonnes of sand crabs out of Moreton Bay last year and 20 tonnes the year before and 20 tonnes the year before that," he said.

Neil Green, the president of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, agreed.

He said the EPA refused to disclose all of its scientific study. An alliance of industry groups, which paid for its own scientific research, is proposing a relaxation of exclusion zones.

"If we don't resolve it soon the industry will be devastated," Green said.