Shadow Minister Media Releases
Closure Of Trout Hatchery Will Hurt Snowy Tourism Industry (20/11/2008)
The NSW Government’s decision to close the Gaden Trout Hatchery at Jindabyne could have a devastating impact upon the region’s tourism industry, Shadow Minister for Tourism Don Page said today.
“The Hatchery at Jindabyne is one of eight facilities the Department of Primary Industries says it apparently no longer needs,” Mr Page said.
“It will undoubtedly have a detrimental affect upon the entire region as it will severely reduce the flow of 35,000 visitors each year.
“The Gaden Trout Hatchery is recognised as one of the main breeding centres for three species of trout and Atlantic salmon and the closure is condemned widely by recreational anglers,” Mr Page said.
Duty MLC for Monaro Melinda Pavey said that the hatchery has been in existence for the past 120 years and has become a major hub for the tourism/recreation industry in the Snowy Monaro region.
“The decision to close a trout hatchery that supports some 700 jobs and brings $70 million in tourism business to the region alone is simply economic madness,” Mrs Pavey said.
“Due to the Labor Governments failure to recognise this industry asset, groups such as the Snowy River Tourism Association, who Mr Page and I will be meeting with in Monaro early next year, will be forced to cop the brunt of this short sighted decision,” Mrs Pavey said.
“The NSW Labor Government has been pretty quick to announce the closure of the hatchery, but there have been no details released on their plans of how it will happen,” Mr Page said.
“The people of the Snowy Mountains, and indeed recreational anglers around Australia, who regularly go to the Snowy Mountains to fish, deserve some answers.
“Earlier this year the Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, acknowledged how important the recreational fishing industry is to the Snowy Mountains, yet 7 weeks later the Government announces they are planning to close a major fish breeding facility.
“In fact several years ago the State Labor Government saw so much promise in the fishing industry it developed a five year Snowy Lakes Trout Strategy to run from 2002-2007, with the aim of fostering regional business and tourism by promoting better fishing opportunities.
“Like a lot of the detail in the Mini Budget the decision to close the Gaden Trout Hatchery appears to initially be an easy way to save a couple of dollars but with little thought about the long-term implications for the residents of the Snowy Mountains, for the local tourism industry, or the recreational fishing industry as a whole,” Mr Page said.
