Brian Jeffriess

Last updated

Brian Jeffriess
AM
NationalityAustralian
OccupationIndustry spokesperson

Brian Jeffriess AM is the primary spokesperson for Australia's Southern bluefin tuna fishing and aquaculture industry. He lives in Port Lincoln, South Australia and is the chief executive for the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (formerly known as the Tuna Boat Owners Association). He is a current member of the Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy, the Commonwealth Fisheries Association, the Aquaculture Advisory Committee and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Advisory Committee. [1] Jeffriess features regularly in the Port Lincoln Times newspaper, where he relates the industry's activities and interests to his local community. [2] He attends the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna meetings and works closely with industry and government. [3] On 26 January 2012 Jeffriess was awarded Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the fishing and aquaculture industries as a contributor to the sustainable management and harvesting of Australian fisheries and through national and international professional associations." [4] He has also been awarded State and National Seafood Icon status. [1]

Contents

Career

Jeffriess has been industry spokesperson for tuna aquaculture in South Australia since it began in 1993. [2] In 2001 he spoke of the Japanese desire to "supply the Japanese consumer at a reasonable price with high-quality sashimi." Japan's Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation sent two operatives to Port Lincoln to help establish the industry. Since that time the industry has captured young fish in the wild and transferred them to pens in Boston Bay and Spencer Gulf where they are fattened up for market. They are then harvested, chilled and exported to Japan by plane. The same year, Jefferiess expressed concern that his town of Port Lincoln would suffer if the industry collapsed, saying "I find this scary. I wake up every morning and think 'How do you sustain this?"' [5]

Jeffriess is a former chairman of the National Fishing Industry Council [6] and Australian Seafood Industry Council and represents the tuna industry in the Spencer Gulf Ecosystem and Development Initiative which was initiated by the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide. Jeffriess has served on a variety of high level committees including the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (2001-2008), many fishery commissions, the FRDC Board, various subprograms and import/export committees. He has extensive fisheries and aquaculture experience spanning across industries from Australia's cold temperate ocean to the tropical north. [1]

Jefferiess has an economics degree and professional experience in business management and as chief political advisor. [1]

Politics

Jeffriess has expressed his opinions to the media on a range of marine matters relevant to the southern blue fin tuna industry, aquaculture sector and fisheries management.

Tuna fishing

As of 2015, Jeffriess believes that the southern blue fin tuna stocks are being adequately managed, and welcomed increases to the Australian catch quota in 2014 and 2015 seasons. He has acknowledged that concerns expressed by others regarding the viability of the stock circa 2010 were valid. [7]

Great white sharks

In 1995, Jeffriess told The Australian that "due to the biology of this species, a sustainable fishery for the Great White is not possible." He was speaking as chairman of the Australian Seafood Industry Council at the time, [8] and pressure was increasing to provide legislative protection to the species. As of 2015, Jeffriess maintains a moderate attitude in public towards great white sharks. In response to a CSIRO publication he expressed his belief in a civic responsibility "to inform the community in a scientific and rational way on numbers of whites and other sharks – and let the community make up their own minds on risks." [9]

New Zealand fur seals

Jeffriess has supported the need to research and manage New Zealand fur seal populations in South Australia and has described them as a major problem for tuna ranchers.

"They are the largest cause of tuna deaths in the pontoons and (they) frighten the other tuna so they do not eat for days." [10]

Supertrawler FV Margiris

Mr Jeffriess told the media that the tuna industry association's view was that bigger boats (like the FV Margiris) catching the quota of small pelagic fish quicker would cause less environmental impact than a large number of smaller boats fishing for longer, closer to shore. Jeffriess said there were already much bigger boats in Australian waters including trawl boats that stayed at sea longer than the Margiris and with much bigger nets. He said the issue for Port Lincoln was to ensure that the FV Margiris didn't interact with the sardine fishery and an agreement had been reached. On the decision to temporarily ban the FV Margiris from Australian waters, Jeffriess commented:

"The minister had the right to make a political decision, and that is what he did."

Jeffriess' support for the supertrawler FV Margiris attracted commentary by animal rights organisation, Animals Australia. The organisation drew attention to the industry's dependency on small pelagic fish to feed the tuna and pointed to its potential to impact other species such as the little penguin. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Lincoln</span> City in South Australia

Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located approximately 280 km (170 mi) from the state's capital city of Adelaide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overfishing</span> Removal of a species of fish from water at a rate that the species cannot replenish

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, wetlands, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, and ecosystem overfishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic bluefin tuna</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is variously known as the northern bluefin tuna, giant bluefin tuna, and formerly as the tunny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowfin tuna</span> Species of fish

The yellowfin tuna, also known as the Albacore tuna, is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyre Peninsula</span> Place in South Australia

The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern bluefin tuna</span> Species of fish

The southern bluefin tuna is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern Hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S. At up to 2.5 metres and weighing up to 260 kilograms (570 lb), it is among the larger bony fishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seafood Watch</span> Consumer advisory list

Seafood Watch is a sustainable seafood advisory list, and has influenced similar programs around the world. It is best known for developing science-based seafood recommendations that consumers, chefs, and business professionals use to inform their seafood purchasing decisions.

This page is a list of fishing topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in Australia</span> On a steady increase since 1970 accounting for 34% of seafood

Aquaculture in Australia is the country's fastest-growing primary industry, accounting for 34% of the total gross value of production of seafood. 10 species of fish are farmed in Australia, and production is dominated by southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon and barramundi. Mud crabs have also been cultivated in Australia for many years, sometimes leading to over-exploitation. Traditionally, this aquaculture was limited to table oysters and pearls, but since the early 1970s, there has been significant research and commercial development of other forms of aquaculture, including finfish, crustaceans, and molluscs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Seafood Sustainability Foundation</span>

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) was formed in 2009 as a global, non-profit partnership among the tuna industry, scientists and World Wide Fund for Nature. The multistakeholder group states its mission is "to undertake science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health". Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are primarily responsible for managing the world's tuna stocks—skipjack, yellowfin and albacore tuna, the species most commonly processed for canned and shelf-stable tuna products, but their parliamentary procedures too often allow the short-term economic and political interests of nations to prevent sustainable measures from being adopted. ISSF works to ensure that effective international management practices are in place to maintain the health of all the tuna stocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisheries Research and Development Corporation</span> Australian government organisation

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) is a statutory corporation that manages research and development investment by the Australian Government and the Australian fishing and aquaculture commercial, recreational and Indigenous sectors.

FV <i>Margiris</i> Fishing trawler and factory ship

FV Margiris is the world's second largest fishing boat. It is a 9,500 GT super trawler and factory ship.

Saltwater fish, also called marine fish or sea fish, are fish that live in seawater. Saltwater fish can swim and live alone or in a large group called a school.

Dr Hagen Heinz Stehr AO is a German-born multi-millionaire businessman, tuna fisherman and founder of the Stehr Group.

Emma Forster is a South Australian television presenter, director of tourist attraction Swim with the Tuna and advisor for the company, Oceanic Victor. She lives in Port Lincoln where she has developed several properties. She has worked as a presenter on the seafood, fishing and boating television program Out of the Blue, is a friend and business advisor to multi-millionaire tuna rancher Tony Santic and is a former girlfriend of retired South Australian treasurer, Kevin Foley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oceanic Victor</span> Travel and holiday companies of Australia

Oceanic Victor is an Australian privately owned company which runs marine tourism facilities on and adjacent to Granite Island, Encounter Bay, South Australia. The company's main attraction is a floating at-sea aquarium containing Southern blue fin tuna and other marine species. The facility is located within a Habitat Protection Zone of the Encounter Marine Park and opened to the public on 2 September 2017. Since 2019 it has been open intermittently while work has been undertaken on the causeway to Granite Island and owing to COVID19 restrictions in 2020. As of 2021, the attraction is in Port Lincoln where it is undergoing maintenance. It is expected to reopen in 2022 once work on the causeway is complete.

Craig Foster is the CEO of Clean Seas, an ASX-listed Australian seafood company with interests in southern bluefin tuna and yellowtail kingfish farming. He was appointed to the position in 2012 after working in the salmon farming industry in Tasmania. There he managed research and development at the state's largest salmon hatchery and also worked as the Managing Director of fish feed producer, Gibsons Ltd. In 2001, he was working for Pivot, and assisting in the development of barramundi farms in the Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean Seas Seafood</span>

Clean Seas Seafood Ltd is an Australian seafood company, specialising in aquaculture of the Yellowtail Kingfish.

The fishing industry in Thailand, in accordance with usage by The World Bank, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other multinational bodies, refers to and encompasses recreational fishing, aquaculture, and wild fisheries both onshore and offshore.

Fish farming is a major economic contributor to South Australia's seafood sector. The most valuable species is the Southern bluefin tuna, which is caught in the wild then transferred into sea cages in southern Spencer Gulf where they are fed locally caught sardines. The second most valuable species is the Yellowtail kingfish, which is farmed near Port Lincoln and Arno Bay. A tourist venture called Oceanic Victor located in Encounter Bay allows paying customers the opportunity to swim in a sea cage with the Southern bluefin tuna and handfeed the fish. Prominent companies in the fish farming sector in South Australia include Clean Seas and Tony's Tuna International.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "ASBTIA Organisation structure". Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Association Ltd. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Tuna prices down". Port Lincoln Times. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Debelle, Penelope (19 August 2006). "Fishy behaviour doesn't worry the millionairres of Port Lincoln". The Age. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "JEFFRIESS, Brian Charles". It's an honour - Australia celebrating Australians. Australian Government. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Fyfe, Melissa; Debelle, Penelope (9 June 2001). "A Raw Deal, But It Makes Them Millions". The Age. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Burgess, Verona (14 June 1991). "Public service 'not suitable for fisheries management'". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Southern Bluefin Tuna season starts". ABC Rural. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Cribb, Julian; O'Brien, Natalie (14 September 1995). "Call to protect great white shark". The Australian. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Kachel, Nicholas. "A shark's tale: is there something fishy in the waters off Newcastle?". News @ CSIRO. CSIRO. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Austin, Nigel (29 July 2013). "Fur seals devastating marine eco-system". The Advertiser. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Super trawler not the only fishy issue that stinks". Animals Australia. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.