ABC 21 Mar 09;
There are calls for a natural disaster to be declared over half of the Great Barrier Reef because of damage caused by Cyclone Hamish.
Queensland commercial fishing operators say most of the fish have disappeared from between Bowen and the Wide Bay because of damage caused by the last month's category five storm.
Neil Green from the Queensland Seafood Industry Association says he expects the disaster declaration to be made early next week after speaking to State Government ministers last night.
He says more than 1,000 jobs are at stake.
"Half the reef has been completely overturned from Bowen South. It'll affect tourism, it'll affect certainly commercial fishers - about 50 per cent or 300 jobs are at risk with 30 guys put off yesterday," he said.
"There's just nothing left out there to fish on."
He says the damage is having a similar effect to Cyclone Larry's destruction of banana farms three years ago.
"We've had our boats out there working this week for the first time after the cyclone and people with 20 years experience can't recognise the damage being done," he said.
"Their catches where they'd catch 150 fish a day have been down to five fish a day."
The Department of Primary Industries says such a disaster declaration would be a first.
But director-general Jim Groves says the circumstances are unusual.
"This is what we call a quota management fishery. These fishermen, some of them have actually paid to go and catch these fish so they've paid for a right they no longer have because of a natural disaster, so that's what makes it different to past events," he said.
