Restrictions associated with the control of white spot disease are being blamed for the decision to sell a historic seafood outlet in northern New South Wales.
The Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-Operative has operated the business at Maclean since 1949.
The co-op is the state’s largest supplier of fresh wild-caught prawns, but the fishery has been in the grip of white spot disease since 2023.
The co-op’s chair, Garry Anderson, said the detection resulted in the state government shutting down the region’s green school prawn industry, which generated 40 per cent of the co-op’s annual revenue.
“This white spot has really hurt us big-time,” he said.
“All the damage has been done as far as supply and markets since 2023.”
The NSW government announced a $4.5 million financial transition package in December 2025, which included voluntary commercial fishing buybacks and transition support for prawn fishers affected by the ongoing control orders.
The package allowed affected fishermen to exit the industry and included funding for voluntary business buyouts
Mr Anderson said the overall effects of white spot disease had cost the co-op about $2.5 million a year.
“We’re feeling real, real hurt after losing half of our shareholders that have decided to take a buyout,”
he said.
“Unfortunately we have no choice but try to sell the Maclean site, which will give us a certain cashflow, that might help us get through this tough period.”
White spot disease is deadly to prawns contained in aquaculture ponds. (Supplied: DigsFish Services)
What is white spot disease?
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation says white spot disease leads to 100 per cent mortality in prawns but does not affect humans.
The first Biosecurity Control Order was put in place in February 2023, after the disease was detected at Palmers Island on the Clarence River.
Following subsequent detections in the region, a five-year Biosecurity Control Order was put in place on December 9, 2025 covering the Clarence, Evans and Richmond rivers.
The order means uncooked prawns, crustaceans and marine worms cannot be moved out of the Clarence River Control Zone, although exemptions apply for cooked prawns and high-value species like mud crabs and lobsters.
‘All too hard’
Steve Everson says the move to Iluka will put pressure on local fishermen. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan)
Steve Everson, a fifth-generation fisherman on the Clarence River, said the closure of the Maclean site would have an impact on local suppliers.
“It does make things a lot harder,” he said.
“There’s still a number of estuary fishermen who catch a lot of volume product and need to be able to weigh in closer to where they catch that.”
Mr Everson said the move would mean an extra hour of travel to Iluka and back.
“Fishermen will think it’s all too hard,”
he said.
“It just becomes a lot more technical when you have to move stuff a distance. Even live crabs, they don’t like being handled too much, if you have got to take them to Iluka, then Iluka to Sydney, it puts pressure on everything.”
MP for Clarence Richie Williamson of the Nationals said the closure of the co-op in Maclean was avoidable.
“I still believe the government should have and could have done much more to support the green prawn industry in the Clarence,”
he said.
“When the government turns their back on an industry like they’ve done here, the ultimate price is being paid by the co-op.”
NSW government committed to supporting fishers
A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said in a statement that the government was committed to supporting commercial fishers in the region.
“This has been a challenging time for local fishers and DPIRD remains committed to working closely with industry and other agencies at state and national levels, providing appropriate advice and support to affected fishing and farm businesses,” they said.
Mr Anderson said the co-operative would continue to operate out of Iluka.
“We’ve got to stay positive, we have to rebuild the co-op to service the current fleet that the Clarence has got,” he said.
