Casting Around the Internet with Recfishwest
Issue 21, 29 November 2007

Parliament debates metropolitan zone recreational demersal fishing closures

Closing the area only to commercial fishing sends the wrong message to recreational fishermen and the public. There is high risk in leaving recreational sector unmanaged. If the fish stocks are at such a critical level, why not ban all fishing in the metro zone by both recreational and commercial fishermen. Govt's Integrated Fisheries Management promises should be used to share the available fish between commercial and recreational fishers.

http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hans35.nsf/
NFS/7223f490e71702e8c825739c001892da?OpenDocument (link opens in a new window)


Commercial Fishing Industry Council seeks 95% of demersal fish in metropolitan zone.

95% of the demersal fish belong to the non fishing community and need to be caught by commercial fishermen on their behalf. This based on an allocation using the proportion of the population involved in each sector, not catch histories as used for rock lobster and abalone IFM. Recreational fishing expenditure may actually be an economic negative. Any claims such expenditure generates economic activity and benefits should be ignored.

http://www.wafic.com.au/images/wafic-15--aeree.pdf (4,760 kilobytes opens in a new window)


Cockburn Sound crab stocks still need more recovery time

Research advice indicates that although blue swimmer crab stocks have started to recover in the Sound, breeding stocks and recruitment remain at low levels. The quickest way to allow stocks to rebuild is to extend the current closure for 12 months. Research will continue to monitor the recovery of crab stocks.


http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/CurrentMinistersSearch.aspx?ItemId=124843 (link opens in a new window)

Big fines for illegal catch and sale of Swan River crabs

A person who had worked as an authorised commercial fisher in the Swan River, but sold his permit in Dec 2003 was fined $20,611, banned from any fishing activity for 12 months and boat and trailer confiscated for selling over 300kg of crabs from the Swan River. His actions were described as a significant threat to the sustainability of river crab stocks, and unfair on recreational and commercial fishers who fish legitimately.

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/media/index.php?0000&mr=514 (link opens in a new window)


Black bream the main focus of Stokes Inlet draft management plan

Community perception is black bream are the single most valued asset of the inlet. Recfishwest has long been concerned about the development of equitable management strategies for the South Coast estuaries, and has been advocating, as a matter of highest priority, for commercial and recreational netting to be prohibited.

http://www.recfishwest.org.au/SubStokesInletDraftMgmtPlan.htm (link opens in a new window)


Another study shows released black bream have high survival rate

A study using a group of expert volunteer research anglers found that many factors could affect the survival of hooked and released bream, but most significant was whether the fish were mouth hooked or deep hooked. The mortality rate among mouth hooked bream was about 2% compared to about 23% when deep hooked.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/DPI/nrenfaq.nsf/LinkView/1773E802B17
9C0B3CA25739C00107C00D2EB9B94CD91C977CA257399007DEC37 (link opens in a new window)


Impact of Minister's closure decision on commercial fishing in Geographe Bay

Areas still open to shore bait fishing will allow fishermen to meet any demands for whitebait and bluebait. Majority of salmon caught would have been either used as rock lobster bait or sent for canning. Southern demersal gillnet and demersal longline managed fishery (called the "shark fishery") changes were to reduce fishing effort to sustainable levels, back to 2001-02 levels. Rock lobster and abalone are not affected.

http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hans35.nsf/NFS/
804d11f1908cbf6dc82573d300259c80?OpenDocument (link opens in a new window)

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This page prepared on 29 November 2007, last updated on 26 March 2008.