• Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Catch of the decade
  • Season on the line for Seagulls
  • Pythons face an uphill battle, Redlegs stumble
  • Ketch blown ashore in Dromana
  • Early morning hit
  • Boxing world mourns loss of a champion
  • Successfully navigating the path of anxiety
  • Ryman abandons Mt Martha centre
Facebook Twitter
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Buyout spells end of the line for fresh fish era
News

Buyout spells end of the line for fresh fish era

By Mike HastNovember 30, 2015Updated:December 7, 2015No Comments3 Mins Read
Last gasp: Neville and Dalton Hutchins’s Mornington fishing business is doomed as the state government phases out commercial net fishing. Picture: Yanni
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Last gasp: Neville and Dalton Hutchins’s Mornington fishing business is doomed as the state government phases out commercial net fishing. Picture: Yanni
Last gasp: Neville and Dalton Hutchins’s Mornington fishing business is doomed as the state government phases out commercial net fishing. Picture: Yanni

MORNINGTON fisherman Neville Hutchins was in a sombre mood last week when he found out legislation to ban commercial netting in Port Phillip had been passed in the Parliament.

“We knew it was coming but Dalton [his brother and fishing business partner] and I are very disappointed. Our customers are ropeable and I don’t think many of them will vote Labor in future.”

More than 2500 people have signed his petition in the past year calling on the government to reverse its decision.

The brothers are fourth generation peninsula fishermen with George Hutchins arriving at Mt Martha in the 1850s and several other family members working the waters off the southern peninsula and Mornington in the 1800s through till now.

But it will be the end of the line for the Hutchins when they hand back their fishing licences as the government phases out commercial net fishing by 2022.

And a fifth generation Hutchins will never get the chance to carry on the family business – Dalton’s 16-year-old son Scott.

Neville Hutchins is also disappointed about the way the government intends to compensate Port Phillip’s 43 commercial licence holders, only 27 of who are active (he and Dalton have one each that costs $4500 a year).

“The licence has to be renewed every April and the government will remove 10 per cent of the value of a licence for every year we renew,” he said. This would mean many licence holders giving up fishing well before 2022.

A question mark hangs over over compensation for the Hutchins fish shop on Fishermans Beach, Mornington, where the brothers sell about 10 tonne of fresh snapper, whiting, salmon, garfish and mullet each year taken between Olivers Hill at Frankston and Safety Beach. An earlier version of the shop was built in 1890.

Neville Hutchins said licence compo would be based on the “three worst years” of the past five years of catches.

He said when the government banned net fishing in Western Port just before the 2006 election, “we received $2000 each”.

“The net ban hasn’t made any difference to fish stocks in Western Port and it won’t in Port Phillip,” he said.

However, there was a thriving black market for Western Port fish and the same would happen in Port Phillip with amateur fishers selling their catch, he said.

There will be a shortage of local bait for amateur fishers. “There’s a bloke working out of Williamstown who takes about 100 tonne a year of pilchards and white bait [anchovies] so that goes,” he said.

And what will the Hutchins brothers do after handing over their licences? “I can’t speak for Dalton, but I’m 64 next birthday. I know nothing except fishing. Perhaps I’ll sit on the beach and remember the good times.”

First published in the Mornington News – 1 December 2015

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Early morning hit

August 8, 2022

Ryman abandons Mt Martha centre

August 8, 2022

Saving on power costs

August 8, 2022

Opportunites for baristas

August 1, 2022
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Weather
Aug 10, 2022 - Wed
Mornington, Australia
10°C
overcast clouds
overcast clouds
0 m/s, E
63%
765.07 mmHg
wed08/10 thu08/11 fri08/12 sat08/13 sun08/14
overcast clouds
11/10°C
light rain
11/11°C
light rain
13/11°C
light rain
14/10°C
moderate rain
12/11°C
Peninsula Essence Magazine

Click here to read

July 25, 2022
Peninsula Kids Magazine

Click here to read

May 26, 2022
Council Watch

Shire ‘committed’ to aged care

August 8, 2022

Shire not forced to drop aged care services

August 1, 2022
State Elections 2022

‘Justice’ for animals and climate

August 8, 2022

Peta Murphy wins second term in Dunkley

May 23, 2022

Shire accused of being off track with pledges

May 17, 2022
Interview

All aboard for murder mystery

July 25, 2022
Property of the Week

14 Lynch Court, Mt Martha

July 26, 2022
100 Years Ago This Week

Ketch blown ashore in Dromana

August 8, 2022
Contact
Street: 63 Watt Road, Mornington, 3931
Mailing: PO Box 588, Hastings, 3915
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook Twitter
© 2022 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.