New science quoted by Fisheries Minister Mark Furner may have revealed a sustainability crisis for Spanish mackerel stocks, or it may prove nothing at all, according to Tin Can Bay industry observer Joe McLeod, who says the government and its scientists have exaggerated their expertise.

“How do they know what the pre-fishing mackerel population was?

“And if they don’t know that, how can they make a comparison and determine the fishery is down to less than 20 per cent (of pre-fishing levels)?”

The Australian Marine Conservation Society says “strong measures to tackle overfishing of Spanish mackerel must be urgently implemented if the State government is to meet targets set out in its Sustainable Fishery Strategy 2017-2027.”

It is a predictable response from a body which has been involved in advising the government on the issue.

e says any crisis, “if there is a crisis,” can be blamed on a state government licensing system which for 20 years has forced fishers to justify their quotas by catching the maximum allowed.

“I lost my licence because I wasn’t killing enough fish,” he said.

“Now we have an apparent lack of fish caused by expanded green zones and regulations leading to lower catches.”

AMCS Great Barrier Reef fisheries representative Simon Miller said “difficult science-based decisions need to be made,”

In an echo of earlier statements by Mr Furner, he said: “Doing nothing is not an option.”

Without action now, “the stock could be pushed to the point of collapse,” he said.