Arabic version: طرح منفذ تعاونية صيد ماكلين للبيع بالمزاد في أغسطس
According to ABC News, the Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-Operative will put its Maclean seafood outlet in northern New South Wales up for auction in August. The co-op has operated at the site since 1949 and plans to move all of its produce to its store at Iluka.
The co-op said restrictions linked to white spot disease had driven the decision. It is the state’s largest supplier of fresh wild-caught prawns, but the Clarence fishery has faced the disease since 2023. Chair Garry Anderson said the shutdown of the region’s green school prawn industry removed a business that had generated 40 per cent of the co-op’s annual revenue.
Mr Anderson said white spot disease had cost the co-op about $2.5 million each year. He said the co-op had lost half of its shareholders after they chose buyouts, and that selling the Maclean property could provide cashflow during a difficult period. The NSW government announced a $4.5 million financial transition package in December 2025, including voluntary commercial fishing buybacks and transition support for affected prawn fishers.
A five-year Biosecurity Control Order covering the Clarence, Evans and Richmond rivers began on December 9, 2025, following earlier detections. It prevents uncooked prawns, crustaceans and marine worms from being moved out of the Clarence River Control Zone, with exemptions for cooked prawns and high-value species including mud crabs and lobsters. White spot disease causes 100 per cent mortality in prawns but does not affect humans.
Fifth-generation Clarence River fisherman Steve Everson said suppliers would face an extra hour of travel to Iluka and back, creating added pressure for fishers handling high-volume catches and live crabs. Clarence MP Richie Williamson said more support should have been provided for the green prawn industry. A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesperson said the government remained committed to advice and support for affected fishing and farm businesses. Mr Anderson said the co-op would continue operating from Iluka and work to rebuild services for the current fleet.
