Vic divers urged to follow Tas lead
ABC 17 Sep 08;
The Victorian Abalone Divers Association says state authorities should follow Tasmania's lead and ban recreational diving from some waters.
Tasmania's south-east coastline has been quarantined because of the discovery of abalone virus ganglioneuritis.
Vincent Gannon, from the Abalone Divers Association, says recreational diving should also be banned around Port Campbell, where the virus has been found.
Mr Gannon says Victorian authorities have been slow to stop the spread of the virus.
"Maybe Victorians can look at what the Tasmanians have done. They're actually trying to contain the virus and or slow the virus down," he said.
"This whole issue about human movement and not taking action and controlling access to these areas have been a major concern to us."
Fisheries Victoria says attempts to quarantine the state's south west coast failed two years ago.
The authority's executive director, Peter Appleford, says the only way to stop the disease is to disinfect boats and equipment.
"Unfortunately the virus travels via the water so it just moved out of the area, we extended the area a bit further and it moved outside of it again," he said.
"And it was at that stage that we realised that bio-security measures were the best way to address the spread, not by closing the area to other people."
