A commercial fisher from Wallis Lake at Forster sought to overturn the BAP.

There were 168 submissions made to the parliamentary committee responsible for the inquiry into the state government’s fishers reforms.

The help hotline had received more than 1500 calls by mid-December. Over 100 applications for the low interest loans had been received.

Answering supplementary questions at the inquiry in December, the Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries (DPI) admitted that some fishing co-ops “may be impacted by a number of factors including generational change in the industry and the reforms,” but said the government “has put in place a range of assistance measures to help Co-ops manage the expected change.”

After careful consideration, the judge found in favour of the state government.

The Business Adjustment Program will continue to be implemented and enforced, as planned.

These reforms have cut red tape, established linkages between shares and catch or effort and provided more certainty for fishers to grow their businesses.