From cray rings to closure : aspects of the Tasmanian fishing industry to circa 1970

The history of the Tasmanian fishing industry is traced in general terms from settlement to 1925, and in greater detail to circa 1970. The development of the industry is reviewed emphasising changes in structure, the roles of management boards and the effects of government policy. A number of public enquiries and ·their recommendations are analysed to gain an insight into the industry at various times. The roles of regional centres and their increasing participation are investigated as are the development of the west coast fisheries. Events such as the great depression, the second world war, and the emergence and decline of export markets are examined in the light of their effects on the industry in general, and fishermen in particular. The organisation of fishermen into professional associations and commercial co-operatives, their expansion, and in some cases demise, is also explored. The attitudes of fishermen to resource management, conservation, and the effects of pollution are reviewed, as are their responses to fisheries and marine regulations. Particular attention is paid to the concept of fishing effort and this is examined in the light of changing fishing technology, increasing capitalisation and the availability and dependence on.-bank finance. The question of access to the various fisheries by new participants, and its increasing difficulty over the years is explored, together with moves to exclude part-time fishermen, to instigate limited entry fisheries and to place restrictions on amateurs.