What value can we give social vs sustainability?

Fishing as we know it is about to change significantly.... and by the time this article goes to print the opportunity to have your say would have already passed.

On March 28, the Minister for Fisheries, Jon Ford, announced his recommendations on how to manage recreational fishing for iconic demersal scalefish (fish which live on the ocean floor in deeper water) in the West Coast Bioregion. The recommendations are founded around reducing our catch of these long-lived, slow-growing and highly targeted species.

The "vulnerable 5"

This group was branded as the "vulnerable 5" - dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper. You may believe that the branding of the "vulnerable 5" may sound a bit melodramatic, but regrettably this is a very serious problem we face.

The simple fact is that we are currently over-exploiting these species and we need to significantly reduce our fishing mortality (recreational and commercial) or risk the collapse of these important fisheries. A popular figure is that a reduction in fishing mortality in the order of 50% in the West Coast Bioregion is needed. Although the scientific rigour of such a figure could be easily debated, there is no doubting that we need to do something to significantly reduce fishing mortality.

While 50% may be a good target, it shouldn't necessarily be the "be all and end all". It is quite possible that a 50% reduction could be over and above what is needed, or may not even be enough.

Recfishwest has been a long time advocate for tighter management of our demersal scalefish, particularly for the vulnerable species like dhufish. The much heralded Dhufish Workshop, run by Recfishwest in 2004 was when recreational fishers first began to formally voice their concerns about the status of dhufish stocks. Hindsight will tell us that the anecdotal evidence was on the money.

We are unfortunately only now beginning to see action to try turn around this downward slide in stock. If action had been taken then, maybe the management responses wouldn't have been so drastic. Nevertheless, it is always easier to look backwards. What we should be debating now is a path forward for this fishery which maintains a stock for the future and the social amenity of fishery.

What are the reasons?

The poor state of dhufish stocks on the West Coast can be attributed to an increased efficiency of the recreational sector and a series of poor recruitment for the fishery. We all know that advancements in GPS and deep sounder technology coupled with improvements in tackle, such as braided lines, have made the targeting of these species easier.

One variable that makes this fishery even more difficult to manage is that it is heavily dependant on infrequent "spikes" in recruitment. This means that there isn't a constant supply of juveniles recruiting to the fishery every year. This makes the fishery extremely vulnerable to over fishing if these "spikes" don't occur. It is believed the last significant recruitment event was between 1994 and 1997, when environmental conditions were thought to be favourable. Our fishing pressure over the last decade has basically resulted in the mining down of that spike.

These factors don't make the job of a fisheries manager any easier!!!!!

Successful recruitment is the single most important factor that drives this fishery. For this reason, Recfishwest has been a strong supporter of a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation proposal by Murdoch University to explore alternative management responses to variable recruitment.

The variability of recruitment can make any changes in management a bit of a gamble. If there is a significant recruitment in the near future the stocks could recover quickly. If we continue to have very little recruitment, no amount of management reform will be enough.

If it was my neck on the line I would be putting a bit each way. Yes, we need to cut our catch of these vulnerable species, but I believe the 4 ½ month closure proposed may be taking it too far. Is ensuring sustainability of the resource at the expense of the amenity of the fishery the right way to go? The Minister has taken the lowest risk strategy, but may turn many people off fishing completely. Can this be done better? This is the question people should be asking.

What about the bag and size limits?

With the case of the "vulnerable 5", the use of traditional fisheries management tools like bag and size limits are no longer restrictive enough to manage catch. Fisheries Management Paper 225 which was released in late 2007 laid the options on the line for how we can manage this fishery. This included previously unused tools in the West Coast bioregion like closed seasons, tag system, log books and registration.

Comments back from recreational fishers from the consultation process was that closed season would be supported conditional on them being of a reasonable length and providing adequate protection to the vulnerable species - e.g. could a balance be found between maintaining the sustainability of the resource and the social/amenity value of fishing.

Recfishwest supported a two month closure from 15 October - 15 December, for all Category 1 demersal scalefish, with the provision for an additional 2 month closure to be implemented around the winter months if proposed closures do not result in stock improvements. The use of closed seasons as a management tool for demersal scalefish has yet to be tested in Western Australia and we don't actually know what impact these will have on catch and the enjoyment of fishing.

The Minister's recommendation of two closed seasons applying from 15 October -25 December and then from 1 February - 31 March will effectively put all of the recreational fishing access for these "vulnerable 5" for almost half of the year into January. We all know that January is the windiest month of the year and what impact will this have on recreational fishers that want to have their opportunity to go fishing for these species. It is also the time when boat ramps are most crowded with rock lobster fishers and could result in 'ramp rage' at popular spots.

Also, the proposed closures are only restricted to the "vulnerable 5" species. This will have huge implications for barotrauma in what is a multi-species fishery. People can still legally target species like queen snapper, harlequin cod, fox fish and coral trout during these closed periods. But what is to stop a dhufish or a baldchin groper being caught and suffering from barotrauma. Recfishwest believes it would be simpler if there was a shorter closed period, but closed to all demersal scalefish to ensure no incidental mortality.

If after a season or two it is found that the two month closure is not providing the necessary reductions in catch an additional closure around the months of May/June should be implemented - Adaptive Management. Recreational fishers strongly supported this principle with Cockburn Sound snapper.

Social effect of long closures.

I am concerned about the social implications of the proposed 4 ½ month closure. What will happen to small coastal towns that rely on fishing tourism during the summer months? What will happen to charter boats in the West Coast Zone? What other species will recreational fishing choose to target as a result of the closures and what implications could this have for species like King George whiting or herring?

Will a lot of recreational fishers simply sell their boat purely because it is getting way too hard to go fishing now? I know it would be very difficult staring at a $50,000 - $100,000 boat that has to sit in the garage on a calm February or March day, or over the Easter long weekend if in March as it was this year.

The management of the metropolitan abalone fishery has seen all of the amenity and social value of the fishery removed as crowds are herded on the reefs for an hour of fishing on 6 consecutive Sundays. I used to regularly head down to the reefs when the season was 1 ½ hours. I used to try and fish for the last half hour, easily catching my bag limit during that time and more importantly getting a parking spot as the first round of fishers would be leaving. When the season was cut to only an hour it was the piece of straw that finally broke the camels back. It was no longer fun to battle for a parking spot and get up that bit earlier on a Sunday morning. I am not alone - participation rates have dropped significantly in the past two years and so has catch. The fishery has absolutely no amenity, but the stocks are in great condition.

Is this the path we are headed down for our demersal scalefish? Will the proposed 4 ½ month closures make it just too hard to go fishing any more? Will that trip to Kalbarri in February be canceled if you can't fish for these species? We may very well end up with some very healthy stocks, but no one bothered any more to fish them.

Recfishwest's submission on all this.

By the time this article has gone to print the submission period would have just closed and Recfishwest's detailed submission on these recommendations will be completed an available on our website. I am hopeful a large number of recreational fishers have taken the time to write down their thoughts on the recommendations and offered suggestions on how this unique fishery can be best managed. As I have said these recommendations are going to change the way we fish for ever. What we should be asking is there a better way to manage this fishery, whilst still ensuring the sustainability of the species and maintaining amenity values in the fishery. We can only wait and see?

What about the commercial fishermen?

In the many conversations I have had with people in the last few weeks a common perception is that the recreational sector is the only sector bearing the heat. What people may have forgotten is that all commercial effort in the metropolitan zone was removed from the fishery late last year. The commercial wetline fleet has also undergone the "Wetline Review" which has brought the fishery under a formal managed fishery status. This has brought the wetline fleet down from a potential 1250 boats to 70 and a requirement in the near future to fish towards a TACC (Total Allowable Commercial Catch). I am willing to support that the commercial sector has had their fair share of management reform and request that others don't turn it into an us against them argument. Recent history suggests with the latest metro zone announcement this is counter intuitive.

Kane Moyle
Policy Officer
Recfishwest

References and links to papers.

Recent papers (March/April 2008).

Minister for Fisheries' "Recommended changes to recreational fishing of vulnerable iconic fish - especially dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper in the West Coast Bioregion" 28 March 2008 is available from http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/WestCoastDemersal/management.php (link opens in a new window) or open the link in this window

The latest Fisheries Management Paper 228 - "A Strategy for Managing the Recreational Catch of Demersal Scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion" (28 March 2008) is available from http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/mp/mp228/index.php?0706 (link opens in a new window) or open the link in this window

Minister for Fisheries' media statement 28 March 2008 including a summary of the proposed changes is available on http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Results.aspx?ItemID=129922 (link opens in a new window) or open the link in this window

Recfishwest media statement 28 March 2008:- "New West Coast fishing proposals a 'mixed bag'" http://www.recfishwest.org.au/MediaStateWestCoastMixedBag.htm

Recfishwest submission 24 April 2008 on "Recommended changes to recreational fishing of vulnerable iconic fish", and "Strategy for Managing the Recreational Catch of Demersal Scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion FMP228" http://www.recfishwest.org.au/SubDemersalFishingFMP228.htm

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Other references.

Media Statement:- Recfishwest welcomes Metropolitan commercial fishing reforms

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Headings and links have been added to this website version of the article printed in the "Hotbite" magazine.

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This page last updated on 25 May 2008.