E-Petition

The Petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House to the inconsistency and wastefulness of current regulations under the Biosecurity Act 2014 regarding tilapia. While supermarkets are permitted to sell imported tilapia for consumption, recreational fishers who catch this invasive species in local waterways are legally mandated to destroy and bury them.

Despite current "no-value" policies designed to prevent their spread, tilapia continue to proliferate rapidly across the state, outcompeting native species and degrading our ecosystems. The current prohibition on keeping caught fish for food does not stop their natural movement but does result in the senseless waste of a viable, high-protein food source.

Allowing Queenslanders to keep wild-caught tilapia for personal consumption would provide a powerful incentive for recreational fishers to actively target and remove these pests, aiding in population control where government efforts have reached their limit.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to: 

1. Amend the Biosecurity Act 2014 to allow for the possession and consumption of wild-caught tilapia by recreational fishers; and
2. Establish clear guidelines for humane on-site dispatch to ensure the biosecurity risk of spreading viable eggs is mitigated without criminalizing the use of the meat.