Only one full-time commercial fisher remains on the Fraser Coast as a gillnet ban looms.Queensland's Fisheries Minister says the government has a "fair compensation process" for commercial fishers impacted by the gillnet bans.Ethan Hughes cracks a wide, gap-toothed smile as he guides his weather-beaten fishing boat into the boat ramp.
The Mary River runs through the city of Maryborough in Queensland, flowing into the Great Sandy Marine Park.But he said his business would collapse if the Queensland government's promise to ban the use of commercial fishing nets in the Mary River was brought in after the October 26 election. It has left Mr Hughes as the "last full-time" local fisher with other operators travelling out of the area to work, according to the Queensland Seafood Industry Association .
The tourism body hoped the ban would increase those tourist and revenue numbers, as happened following the implementation in 2015 of a net-free zone at Cairns, Mackay, and Rockhampton's Fitzroy River.