00:02Fish supply has been a bit hard this week.
00:05Once a staple for many West Australians, fish is becoming a luxury.
00:11Businesses saying new government restrictions are to blame.
00:15Fishermen, when the bans came in and they reduced quotas, their prices went up.
00:20So I've probably across the board put things up by about 10, 15 per cent.
00:24Since the restrictions, I can comfortably say 15 to 20 per cent across the board.
00:30There are species that have exceeded that. We have seen as high as 40 per cent increases.
00:34Other outlets have seen even bigger jumps of up to 67 per cent for some premium species like Red Emperor.
00:42The customers are saying, no, we just can't afford it. So we're seeing a reducing consumption.
00:47While backlash over the restrictions has only grown, the government isn't backing down,
00:53saying the changes are essential to rebuilding demersal fish stocks.
00:57You can't keep fishing a fish till it doesn't exist anymore.
01:01So yes, there will be less fish.
01:03West Australians love fresh fish, but not at any cost.
01:06Businesses say there is still affordable fish coming in from interstate and overseas.
01:11But those supply chains face their own risks.
01:15Just recently with the changes in fuel costs,
01:17that will start filtering into imported goods within, I would say, two to three weeks.
01:22Roadblocks caused by recent monsoons in the far north adding to the pain,
01:27as many in the industry fear the worst is yet to come.
01:31Up to the same point.
01:33You have a safe place.
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