Stehr Group owner Hagen Stehr yesterday estimated that the delayed decision by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to let the Stehr Group finally resume fishing, has cost his company about US$1 million in penalties and legal costs.
A halt was put on the Stehr Group's fishing activities when up to 5000 southern bluefin tuna – about 100 tons – escaped from a towing pontoon near Port Lincoln on February 20 this year.
Hagen Stehr said if his company was unable to top up its catch in the next three weeks it would start legal action against the authority. Now frenetic efforts are being made to catch 60 tons of southern bluefin tuna in the sea off Port Lincoln before all the fish have left on their annual migration
The authority originally advised the Stehr Group it would deduct the full 100 tons from its annual quota. It decided, however, to penalize the Stehr Group by deducting 15 tons from its annual quota.
While it had been given slightly more than 20 tons of tuna by other companies, it was still 62 tons short of its annual tuna quota, he said. "It took them four weeks to come up with a decision," Stehr said. "That shouldn't happen in an industry like ours where time is so important."
Australian Tuna Boat Owners Association president Brian Jeffriess said the chances of a good catch were slim. The tuna normally had left the Great Australian Bite on their annual migratory path by mid-March.
The authority's chairman Dr Wendy Craik said it had taken a precautionary approach on deciding just how much quota to deduct.