The Tuna PolerPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates all who took part in the pioneering form of fishing for tuna and laid the foundations for the industry`s success. 

Fishermen were catching tuna in small boats in the 1930s, and in 1944, CSIRO fisheries researcher Stanley Fowler saw the industry's potential as he flew over the Great Australian Bight, sighting schools of migrating tuna.

But the industry was properly launched with the 150-tonne Tacoma in 1951, and a loan from the South Australian Government that committed it to fishing from Port Lincoln. The Tacoma's crew originally used nets and then turned to bamboo poles in the mid-50s, which were being used in the US tuna fishery.

In the late 1970s, the industry transitioned from poling tuna to purse seine fishing, which allowed the tuna fleet to catch more fish. But by the 1980s, and with Japan also fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna, the global catch began to decline. A quota system was introduced, and tough times followed for Port Lincoln. Through the 1980s and into the early 2000s, Australia worked with other countries to agree on a sustainable annual quota.

The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna was established in 1994 and in 2011 introduced a management procedure, which set the quota based on data trends.

Location

Address:	Tasman Terrace, Foreshore, Port Lincoln, 5606
State:	SA
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -34.719695 Long: 135.858252 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Sculpture
Monument Theme:	Technology
Sub-Theme:	Industry
Artist:	Ken Martin

Dedication

Source: MA