00:02After witnessing the devastation caused by South Australia's harmful algal bloom on the
00:08York Peninsula, Justin Kitchelella hasn't fished since the middle of last year.
00:13Going out and seeing water that was a little bit foreign to me and fish floating dead was
00:18all in all, it was tough to take at the time.
00:21Gulf St Vincent, the body of water between Kangaroo Island, Adelaide and the York Peninsula,
00:27officially closed to commercial fishing in November.
00:30A 12-month extension has left 50 operators facing an uncertain future.
00:36Definitely I'm a little bit nervous about where I may lay in the next quarter.
00:43The State Government has provided licence fee relief and grant payments,
00:47but there's nothing on the table past July.
00:50There's no announcement of continued support going through to the end of this closure period,
00:54which obviously means people sit there and go, well what do we do now?
00:58The Government has indicated it's waiting for the results of a $500,000 study into possible
01:03licence buybacks before committing to further support.
01:08Those discussions are continuing and it all does really tie up with our other work around
01:12the sustainability economically of the fishery as well.
01:15The impact may also be felt by consumers, although the industry says it'll ensure
01:20enough local product stays in the local market.
01:23But obviously there will be a higher demand for a smaller volume,
01:27which will drive the prices slightly higher.
01:30And with the seafood industry projecting recovery could take up to a decade,
01:35this closure could be just the beginning.
01:38This closure could be just the beginning.
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