Fairfax Media’s Hobart correspondent, Andrew Darby, was correct in reporting on Monday that blue warehou was recently nominated to be considered for listing as a threatened fish species under environment law.
However, it is important to note that any person can nominate a native Australian species for listing. The nomination does not mean that blue warehou is at risk of extinction, only that an independent expert committee will assess its status and provide advice to the Federal Environment Minister. We should await the outcome of this process.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has a strategy in place for blue warehou stocks to rebuild and this is available for the public on our website, www.afma.gov.au. No commercial fish species managed by AFMA has ever gone extinct or will in the foreseeable future.
Australia's fisheries are regarded as well managed according to many international independent reports — most recently, Charting a Course to Sustainable Fisheries - see chartingacourse.org.
- Dr Nick Rayns, executive manager, fisheries management, AFMA