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Posted on 04/08/2003 7:22:50 PM PDT by Lessismore
Australian seafood exporters and are counting the cost of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which has had a devastating effect on demand in Asia.
As diners avoid public places for fear of catching the disease, demand in Chinese and Hong Kong restaurants has dropped so much that abalone processors in Tasmania have stopped buying, leaving divers out of work.
The industry is worth $120-million to Tasmania, and the crayfish industry, worth $60-million, has also been hit, with prices for export crays slashed by half.
Fisherman Darren Guthrie says the plummeting price means it's not worth fishing at the moment. “It's dropped, it'd be at least $10 down on this time last year which is a huge swipe of the profits. It’s such a fine, fine margin at the moment ... we've been sitting at the wharf here, we own three boats and we’re just waiting for at least a couple of dollars of profit. I don't know how long we can wait.”
Cairns exporter Gary Moore normally sends live coral trout and reef fish, as well as fresh frozen seafood to Hong Kong and China, but since the SARS outbreak his business is down by 90 - 95 per cent.
While that's a serious concern, Mr Moore is also worried about the flow-on effects. “The boats can't go to sea because they can't sell their product. Each boat has about five to six crew, those crews at the moment are basically unemployed, boats are tied up, fuel guys aren't supplying fuel, mechanics aren't fixing problems on boats. It flows right down the whole line.. grocery stores .. all the way through.”
Make that airline
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