Size matters for marron fishing in 2007

A new minimum size limit will apply for the marron fishing season, which opens at midday tomorrow and is keenly awaited, each year, by thousands of Western Australian fishers.

In 2007 current marron fishing licence-holders will have 23 days to catch the highly prized freshwater crayfish in the wild, before the season closes at noon on 4 February.

Department of Fisheries spokesperson Clinton Syers said, while the season had been extended by seven days this year, a new minimum size limit and a new possession limit would help to keep marron stocks sustainable.

“Official figures show that 2006 was the driest on record in our State’s south and that has an impact on the marron population, so we need careful management of the fishery to make sure the marron are there in seasons to come,” Mr Syers said.

“The minimum legal size limit for marron taken from ‘general waters’ will now be 80mm (up from 76mm) to provide increased protection for the breeding stock and the minimum size of 90mm in all 'trophy waters' will continue to apply.

“New measuring gauges have been posted to all recreational marron fishing licence-holders. Those people who hold an umbrella fishing licence and wish to go marroning should contact the Department of Fisheries for a free marron gauge.”

Mr Syers said Fisheries Officers and Volunteer Fisheries Liaison Officers would be visiting popular marron fishing locations to provide information for fishers and a handy guide, which outlined the rules for marron fishers, could be found online at www.fish.wa.gov.au or as a brochure that could be collected from Department of Fisheries offices in WA.

“Hutt River has now been added to the list of designated ‘trophy waters’, along with Harvey Weir and Waroona Dam, which are managed with the goal of providing fishers the opportunity of catching larger sized marron,” he said.

“Another key change this season is a possession limit of 20 marron that now applies to all areas outside of a person's permanent place of residence - with the exception of 'trophy waters', where a separate possession limit of five marron applies,” he said.

“The daily (midday to midday) bag limit remains at 10 per licensed fisher, except in ‘trophy waters’ where the daily bag limit is five.

Mr Syers reminded marron fishers who might be camping out over the 2007 season to abide by all fire bans and help prevent the risk of creating bush fires by being responsible and cleaning up their campsites before they left.

------------------
Many thanks to Recfishwest for the information.
Adam