http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=77&ContentID=153770

Charter boat and tourist fishing operators say the new compulsory fee for anyone who fishes from a boat could cripple businesses.

Recreational fishers must pay an annual $30 licence fee if they fish from a boat under State Government charges announced last week.

Operators from Kalbarri to Augusta also would be included in bans on taking demersal scalefish such as dhufish and pink snapper from mid-October to mid-December. Catching those fish in the region in the rest of the year requires an additional west coast demersal scalefish licence.

Charter Boat Owners and Operators Association president Rick Reid said yesterday operators already paid an annual fishing tour licence.

“We are questioning why recreational fishers should pay a boat fishing licence fee when they go on a charter when the vessel is already licensed for a fishing tour,” he said.

Members were concerned that the added fees would deter people from taking tours and there would be flowon effects for businesses that supplied charter operators. The association was seeking a meeting with Fisheries Minister Norman Moore.

Kimberley Kayak Fishing owner Gregg Davey said the $30 boat fishing fee would increase the cost of a twohour fishing session in a kayak, which is considered a boat, by 30 per cent.

The Broome operator said the price rise would cripple demand. “It will have a major impact on my profit,” he said. “It is not that it would be difficult, I simply can’t afford it.”

Most customers were tourists and once-only fishers. Most fish caught were popular game fish such as tuna, mackerel, cobia and barramundi, so most were released. He currently paid $715 a year for a fishing tour licence.

Mr Moore said yesterday the new fees were part of a package designed to achieve a 50 per cent cut in the recreational catch of at risk demersal scalefish, so he would not consider exemptions for tour operations.

JODIE THOMSON