Fisheries facility open for business

Fisheries Minister Ken Baston has officially opened a new purpose-built storage facility for fisheries operations in Broome as part of a $1.2 million project for the region.

Mr Baston said the new facility was now available for departmental use in Broome, which is the management hub for fisheries operations across the Kimberley.

Built adjacent to the Broome Tropical Aquaculture Park service site, the new facility is closer to the department’s main Broome office and will store vessels, vehicles and equipment to support compliance and management activity in the Kimberley.

In Broome last week, the Minister said the storage facility would also have room for back-up pumps, an emergency generator and other equipment for the aquaculture park.

“This location will also provide easier access to launching ramps for the vessels and Broome’s Port area,” he said.

“I had a look at this project, during the building phase, and I am very happy to see the storage facilities completed and in use by the Department of Fisheries.”

Mr Baston said the department’s compliance officers and management staff had a busy and extensive beat to cover in Broome and the West Kimberley.

He said the new building would prove very useful in helping staff to look after and store departmental assets and equipment.

“One of those important assets, for example, is the patrol vessel FD74 that the State Government purchased three years ago to help officers operate in the Kimberley marine environment to monitor fishing and marine park activity,” Mr Baston said.

“The rigid inflatable amphibious craft can be launched virtually anywhere, enabling patrol officers to quickly go ashore and check beach fishers, or operate up to five nautical miles offshore to monitor boating activity off the Kimberley coast.”

Fisheries regional manager north Peter Godfrey said: Broome’s climate presented some year-round challenges and there were features of the new facility that would allow work to be undertaken in most weather conditions.

“The staff members are very happy with the high quality of the construction, by the locally-based Tjallara Building Company,” he said.

“Tjallara and the project managers from the local Department of Finance (Building Management and Works) office also worked closely with Fisheries staff to ensure that tenants of the aquaculture park had consistent water supply during the building phase.”