Meet the fishers
Meet the Lakes and Coorong fishers
The fishery has been in operation for 154 years and is based in a national park that includes a protected wetland. With a hands-on approach to fishing, the Coorong fishers use manually-operated gear in order to reduce by-catch.
The fishers have a close relationship with the ecosystem, seeing it as their duty to responsibly manage, maintain and even enhance the environmental integrity of the Coorong region on behalf of the local community.
Four species in the fishery have met the MSC standard: golden perch (callop), pipis (Goolwa cockles), mulloway and yellow-eye mullet. These species serve domestic markets in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, and there is a growing export market for pipis.
WWF-Australia and WWF-US provided support to the Lakes and Coorong Fishery throughout the certification assessment process.
“Pursuing Marine Stewardship Council certification was part of the Southern Fishermen’s Association’s commitment to its objectives of economical, ecological and social responsibility. To underpin the sustainability of the fishery by an independent third party was vital to demonstrate to the people of South Australia that the fishers of the Lakes and Coorong Fishery are responsible stewards of the resource. We believe that MSC certification is the way of the future for commercial fisheries of Australia.”
Garry Hera-Singh
President, Southern Fishermen’s Association
“The Lakes and Coorong mixed fishery is the first community-based fishery certified in Australia, and WWF hopes that the Southern Fishermen’s Association’s achievements encourage other fisheries in the region to show their commitment to sustainable fishing practices by applying for MSC certification.”
Meredith Lopuch
Deputy Director, WWF Sustainable Seafood Initiative
Lakes and Coorong movie
In July 2008, Australian channel ABC produced a short report on the Lakes and Coorong community fishery. Visit the ABC web site to watch the short movie about the lakes and Coorong fishery.
For more information, visit the Lakes and Coorong Commercial Fishery.
