Fish vendor stands firm

6th June 2008

ROCKHAMPTON Regional Councillor Glenda Mather wants roadside fish stalls shut down, but at least one trader said yesterday he deserved the right to make his own living.

Marlborough fisherman Ray Svensen, 67, said his methods were safe and he sold the fish two days a week to keep himself and his wife Flo from having to rely on the aged pension.

"We could have a death on our hands," Cr Mather said at a recent council meeting.

"It's too dangerous to sell seafood from stalls along the highway.

"We've got people who have shops and they pay rent, wages, superannuation, electricity charges, fees and registrations in order to stay in business and they comply with all our regulations at their cost how can they compete with people who turn up and sell fish and seafood at the roadside?"

Cr Mather said roadside fish traders operated without the costs and overheads that other fish sellers had; and she questioned the legality of the practice.

"We have potential health issues, and planning issues because, as a council we tolerate unfair competition."

But Mr Svensen, who operates his fish stall at the Cawarral turnoff on Rockhampton Yeppoon Road, said not only did he have as much right to earn his keep as the shopowners, the community deserved the option of fresh, locally caught seafood.

"I've got to make my living, I've got to go on the roadside because I'm selling to the people in Rockhampton& they cannot buy reef fish in Rockhampton, only imported reef fish," Mr Svensen said yesterday.

In response to Cr Mather's allegations the practice was unsafe, Mr Svensen said he was conscious of food safety practices and had never had an issue with customers' safety on the roadside.

"I don't think they're unsafe, I've got a lot of nice genuine customers that come to me, I produce all my fish immediately filleted and frozen," he said, adding he sometimes bought fish in to sell.

"Even in the shops they've got the fish there in the shop display windows my fish is frozen immediately and packed as is."

The cost of setting up a shop was prohibitive, he said. He said he did not have a council permit, but was trying to obtain one. Prompted by Cr Mather's outburst, council resolved at Tuesday's meeting to look into its policies on roadside trading and a report will be compiled for a future meeting.

Police said yesterday roadside vendors were legal as long as they obtained the proper permits from council. Despite numerous phone calls from The Morning Bulletin yesterday, the council was unable to provide information on roadside trading permit regulations.