Ms Hodgkinson said Friday marked the next step towards improving the long-term viability of the commercial fishing industry in NSW.

“The NSW Government is progressing the Commercial Fisheries Reform Program, which proposes to link shares in each fishery to either catch or fishing effort and includes a $16million structural adjustment package,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“I acknowledge that the issues surrounding commercial fisheries management and the reform program are complex, which is why I extended the consultation period for an extra two weeks to allow more time to review the options and lodge a submission.

“The NSW Government has received more than 500 submissions and I thank those individuals and groups that took the time to consider the issues and provide feedback.

“I have personally met with local Members of Parliament and commercial and recreational fishers and have heard their concerns with some of the reform options.

“No decisions have been made in relation to the options and all submissions will be carefully considered.

 “Reform is clearly essential to ensure the long-term viability of the industry as a whole.

Next steps of the reform program:

• Submissions, input from key stakeholder groups and advice from DPI will be considered by the independent Structural Adjustment Review Committee (SARC).

• A summary of submissions will be made available on the DPI website.

• The SARC will make recommendations to the NSW Government.

• The NSW Government will carefully consider the advice and announce the final reform package.

• An exit grant process will be administered by the NSW Rural Assistance Authority.

For background information, and a timeline for the Commercial Fisheries Reform Program, visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/commercial/reform.