{"id":352207,"date":"2026-03-28T12:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T12:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/352207\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T12:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T12:24:09","slug":"australias-fishing-industry-at-breaking-point-as-diesel-prices-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/352207\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s fishing industry at ‘breaking point’ as diesel prices double"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Australian commercial fishing industry is reaching a “breaking point” as soaring diesel prices, now well over $3 per litre, threaten to dock local fleets.<\/p>\n

In the Victorian fishing town of Portland, third-generation fisherman Shannon Churchill warns that while his peers are resilient enough to weather most storms, this economic wave is out of their hands.<\/p>\n

“Seafood is not just about Christmas and Easter. This is a genuine quality food supply from sustainable fishing,” Shannon told A Current Affair.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Hero delivery drivers speak out after fending off alleged carjackers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Shannon'sShannon’s son, Cody, who operates the Tara Lynn, says that filling the tank for a week’s work used to cost around $4000 to $5000, but today that figure has effectively doubled. (Nine)<\/p>\n

“We need to be supported and keep local fish on the plate,” he said.<\/p>\n

Many operators are now considering tying up their boats indefinitely, as the uncertainty of rising costs makes every trip to sea a gamble.<\/p>\n

Shannon’s son, Cody, who operates the Tara Lynn, says that filling the tank for a week’s work used to cost around $4000 to $5000, but today that figure has effectively doubled.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe crisis is forcing fishing crews to limit how far they travel from port. (Nine)<\/p>\n

“You’ve gotta make sure you’re catching fish to pay for your fuel for a start,” Cody said.<\/p>\n

The crisis is forcing fishing crews to limit how far they travel from port.<\/p>\n

“It’s not just the fuel for us, freight companies have to charge more because they’re paying more for fuel. It hurts everyone,” he said.<\/p>\n

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\"WithoutWithout temporary relief or a national response, fishers like the Churchills fear that local supply will dry up, leading to inevitable price hikes for consumers or empty shelves at the local fishmonger. (Nine)<\/p>\n

Local leaders are now calling on Canberra to throw a line to the industry before the domestic supply chain collapses entirely.<\/p>\n

Local MP Roma Britnell argues that fishers deserve the same recognition and support as land-based primary producers, warning that the alternative is a total reliance on imported seafood.<\/p>\n

“They’re not asking for charity,” Britnell said.<\/p>\n

“They’re asking to be able to do the job they want to do, to feed Victorians… in a way that gets them through crises that are not within their control,” she said.<\/p>\n

Without temporary relief or a national response, fishers like the Churchills fear that local supply will dry up, leading to inevitable price hikes for consumers or empty shelves at the local fishmonger.<\/p>\n

A Current Affair has contacted the Victorian Department of Fisheries for comment.<\/p>\n

Watch more in the player above.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Australian commercial fishing industry is reaching a “breaking point” as soaring diesel prices, now well over $3…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":352208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[138,219,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-352207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}