Clarence prawn trawling season set to start

The Clarence River estuary 2007-2008 prawn trawling season starts on Tuesday 2 October.

"From an open access fishery some 30 years ago, able to operate 24 hours a day, in all parts of the river, all year round, we now have a tightly regulated limited entry fishery restricted to working the lower reaches on weekdays only, within a defined eight month season.

In addition to massive reductions in fishing effort as a result of these access controls an enormous amount of ecological improvement has also come from the development of some of the world's best practice least impact trawling gear.............it is now becoming increasingly clear that ecological awareness coupled with generations of fishing experience have provided the Clarence Valley with a sustainable key local industry" [The Daily Examiner,Grafton,"Our Eco-friendly trawling season is set to start",p.13].