New W.A. regs just announced

New Recreational Fishing Arrangements

Modified arrangements announced in September 2009




Minister for Fisheries, the Hon Normal Moore MLC, announced modified
arrangements for recreational fishing management in Western Australia
in September 2009. Information about the new provisions and regulations
and how they might affect you can be found on this website.



Below
are some key elements of the new package but for further details please
read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) fact sheet attached as a PDF
on this page:



  • No West Coast Demersal Scalefish Licence will be introduced;

  • Possession of a “release weight” will be required when fishing from a boat in the West Coast Bioregion;

  • A
    two-month seasonal closure on the take of “high risk” demersal
    scalefish by recreational fishers in the West Coast Bioregion will
    apply from 15 October to 15 December inclusive;

  • A boat limit of two dhufish will apply in the West Coast Bioregion (six for charter boats);

  • A
    state-wide Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL) will be
    introduced with an annual fee of $30. Fishing from kayaks or other
    boats that are not required to be registered under the WA Marine Act
    1982, will not need a licence;

  • Any fisher not holding a RFBL will be allowed to fish from a boat in the company of a licensed boat fisher within the bag limit;

  • Charter boat passengers not holding a RFBL will be required to purchase a per-trip $15 Charter Boat Fishing Licence;

  • The
    recreational ‘umbrella' licence will be replaced with individual
    licences to allow more comprehensive monitoring of recreational fishing
    activities and fisheries in WA;

  • Fees for existing
    recreational fishing licences will be made uniform at $40 with a 10 per
    cent discount when more than one licence is purchased at the same time;



All funds raised from the sale of recreational
fishing licences will be placed in the Recreational Fishing Trust
Account and spent on the management of recreational fishing.



Zorba



Bob



spacer


callum's picture

Posts: 417

Date Joined: 29/10/08

cheers zorba

Wed, 2009-09-16 17:19

jsut cleared it up for me, easy to read

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happy fishing

Posts: 87

Date Joined: 09/02/09

"Possession of a “release

Wed, 2009-09-16 17:43

"Possession of a “release weight” will be required when fishing from a boat in the West Coast Bioregion"

Does this encompass all boats? I have never (and will never be able to) fish deeper waters with my small dinghy and will therefore never need a release weight until I upgrade....

Posts: 423

Date Joined: 30/09/05

I'm fairly happy with that.

Wed, 2009-09-16 17:54

I'm fairly happy with that.

Still not 100% happy with the 2 month closure for demersal species. I'm all for the closure, as long as pros have to abide to it too. I hardly see the point in banning rec fishers from fishing for the two months, whilst the pros are still allowed to rape and pillage the exact same waters for the exact same species.

Feral's picture

Posts: 1508

Date Joined: 01/11/06

id rather have paid the $150

Wed, 2009-09-16 19:00

id rather have paid the $150 and kept my bag limit to more than 2 dhu's a boat ....

counts out me taking deckies anymore as its not worth splitting 2 fish with 3-4 ppl.

gav077's picture

Posts: 207

Date Joined: 05/04/09

You don't have to just

Wed, 2009-09-16 20:56

You don't have to just target dhuies you know

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People who haven't caught a big fish just don't get it

Daisy's picture

Posts: 789

Date Joined: 24/01/08

That's part of their intent

Thu, 2009-09-17 20:40

That's part of their intent Feral, the reduction of the fishing effort by 50% may be acheived by halving the limit and making it not worthwhile pushing out wide to target Jewies, this also increases the chance of anglers targetting them in shallower water increasing survival of released fish. Let's hope the pro's face similar restrictions. If you love your Jewies you'd back it for their ongoing survival. Anyway a big fillet of Jewy plus a few other fish (Pinky, Baldy, Balckarse etc) doesn't sound like to bad a bag to me.

Cheers, Daisy

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The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of this website, it's owners, mediators, other members or anyone else for that matter :-P

bluebagger's picture

Posts: 155

Date Joined: 21/10/08

Get a couple of good size

Wed, 2009-09-16 19:47

Get a couple of good size dhus and a pinky a baldie and a couple of kgs and ya still doin ok. I just want to be able to fish. Not likeing the the closure.

 

GO BLUES

flagpole's picture

Posts: 285

Date Joined: 14/05/09

not to bad glad they didnt

Wed, 2009-09-16 20:30

not to bad glad they didnt cut any other bag limits down. i can live with that.

 

the only thing will be small dhuys will mbe thrown back dead for bigger ones. not me but others its a simple realisation

 

Brody's picture

Posts: 1024

Date Joined: 06/02/07

Feral, as i understand you

Wed, 2009-09-16 20:37

Feral, as i understand you are only allowed 2 dhus per boat but still with 3 people on board you'll be able to bring in 6 cat 1, plus other categorys. One example between 3 guys would be 2 dhu, 2 baldies a pinkie and a blackarse, as well as a few kg's and skips etc. Plenty i reckon.

flagpole's picture

Posts: 285

Date Joined: 14/05/09

that sounds like it to me

Wed, 2009-09-16 20:40

that sounds like it to me brody its just the dhuys that have changed

Posts: 151

Date Joined: 02/07/09

I am fair pleased with the

Wed, 2009-09-16 21:15

I am fair pleased with the changes that the Minister has announced, I am very happy with seasonal closure and very happy with bag limits for all fish, am not greedy like some.

 

Jim.

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fishing, that used to be free!!!!

Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 18026

Date Joined: 11/03/08

sounds ok to me as im lucky

Wed, 2009-09-16 21:28

sounds ok to me as im lucky to get 1 dhuie per trip, closure needed to happen imo, the boat limit stays at 8 cat 1 then but only 2 dhu

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

Auslobster's picture

Posts: 1901

Date Joined: 03/05/08

As I've read it...

Wed, 2009-09-16 21:57

...four cat 1 fish per angler, but only two of those can actually be demersal scalefish. The other two must be pelagics, and it's vice versa as well. If I go out to the fads and get my two dolphinfish, I can't come in to West End and get a spaniard or salmon, although I can get two demersals.

When you have three (or more) fishers on the boat, how many demersals are he/she/they allowed? The old legislation said two cat 1 fish, but is that two demersals, two pelagics, or one of each?

The hardest part is getting my head around this, but I think it goes a long way towards looking after the fish stocks.

I think the closure is at the wrong time...the height of the snapper spawning run goes well into December/January and for dhufish it's some time after that. But we certainly can't have the ban during the summer holidays because that would make no economic sense, would it? 

Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 18026

Date Joined: 11/03/08

please define demersals is

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:04

please define demersals is that dhuie , plnky , b/bum and so forth. and palegics are tuna , dollies , macs etc, i think i goy it sussed but not 100% 

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

HuggyB's picture

Posts: 2515

Date Joined: 03/08/08

"demersals"

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:10

 

SPECIES

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Coral trout and coronation trout

Plectropomus spp. and Variola louti

Cods

Family Serranidae

Western Australian Dhufish

Glaucosoma hebraicum

Emperors (including "nor’ west snapper")

Family Lethrinidae

Baldchin groper and tuskfish

Choerodon spp.

Western blue groper

Achoerodus gouldii

Hapuku/bass groper/trevella and grey banded rock cod Polyprion spp.

Family Centrolophidae and Ephinephelus octofasciatus

Parrot fish Family

Scaridae

Pink snapper

Pagrus auratus

Queen snapper (blue morwong)

Nemadactylus valenciennesi

Red emperor

Lutjanus sebae

Red snapper – bight redfish, nannygai and swallowtail

Centroberyx spp. (gerrardi and lineatus)

Tropical snappers and sea perch (mangrove jack, fingermark, job fish, stripey sea perch etc.)

Family Lutjanidae

Foxfish and Pigfish

Bodianus spp.

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                    The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........

Faulkner Family's picture

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so basically everything you

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:15

so basically everything you chase out deep on the bottom

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

HuggyB's picture

Posts: 2515

Date Joined: 03/08/08

in a nutshell

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:16

yes

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                    The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........

Faulkner Family's picture

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Date Joined: 11/03/08

thanks Huggy, thaught that

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:18

thanks Huggy, thaught that was it

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

eddie's picture

Posts: 303

Date Joined: 07/02/08

I'm not opposed to a

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:23

I'm not opposed to a closure, but what is the best time of year to do it?  or is the time of year irrelevant?

 I think the other changes have made this proposal more balanced.

Shorty's picture

Posts: 1549

Date Joined: 10/05/08

I am pretty happy with it

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:29

I am pretty happy with it overall, all the headaches, protests and arguments produced a fairly decent outcome in the end IMO.

Faulkner Family's picture

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Date Joined: 11/03/08

best part for you Shorty ,

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:35

best part for you Shorty , no licence for you yakkas, gotta be happy

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

HuggyB's picture

Posts: 2515

Date Joined: 03/08/08

yes indeed

Wed, 2009-09-16 22:51

watch kayak sales soar.

 

So technically the "boat" limits dont apply to them either? Seems a bit silly doesn't it?

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                    The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........

Posts: 423

Date Joined: 30/09/05

lol how are you even going

Wed, 2009-09-16 23:04

lol how are you even going to fit more than two dhuies on a kayak?

HuggyB's picture

Posts: 2515

Date Joined: 03/08/08

uuuuuum

Wed, 2009-09-16 23:18

have you seen some of these kayaks?

 

pretty easily.

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                    The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........

Posts: 423

Date Joined: 30/09/05

i was just joking lol. you

Thu, 2009-09-17 07:49

i was just joking lol. you could fit two dhuies on a body board if you really had too...

grayzeee's picture

Posts: 2283

Date Joined: 09/07/09

i reckon thats great

Thu, 2009-09-17 05:34

i reckon thats great news

even if you do catch your limit , it's not a rediculous amount of fish like it was.

smart move

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If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am. 

Paul G's picture

Posts: 5215

Date Joined: 12/12/07

Am happy with the new rules

Thu, 2009-09-17 05:43

Am happy with the new rules ,I guess i will go out for the snapper and other speices,then pick up two dhuies on the way home ,will give the dhuie patches a good break. the closures need to happen ,as for the pros i guess there north of lano and not perth metro.licences #3o that beter than $180 now if only the bloody weater would fine up .

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Active Gyp-Rok solutions ,Residential  and commercial ceilings and walls

Posts: 96

Date Joined: 17/08/07

New Rules,

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:09

Sensibility for a change.It is good to see our leaders stopped and listened to the broader community before enforcing some stupid and unmanageable rules. The next thing to be done is ban netting of these species during the prime spawning periods. Murdering nets are killing fish stocks all round the world !!!!

roberta's picture

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Date Joined: 08/07/08

Have to agree with the nets Blackbett-50

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:54

also nets for amatuers off the beaches, in Leeman somebody is driving up and down the beaches from Greenhead to (past Leeman north) Knobby Head, tyre tracks up and down the beaches and while I'm fishing.  These tracks also include the professionals in town.

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Ginger Tablets Rock

 

Cammos's picture

Posts: 606

Date Joined: 30/06/09

Looks the goods to me. My

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:35

Looks the goods to me. My only drama is if when 4 divers return to the boat and 3 have shot a dhu. Working in pairs it would easily happen.

 

With the upsizing issue, lets hope that having to carry a release weight will allow the little ones to grow up a little. I also would have liked to see the Dhu size increased to 600mm. Gives them another season.

Faulkner Family's picture

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Date Joined: 11/03/08

the upsizing goes on now so

Fri, 2009-09-18 05:18

the upsizing goes on now so that wont change,i have seen it first hand by people i thought had more sence , unfortunately the upsizing goes on and the smaller fish are usually dead, greed does strange things to people

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

roberta's picture

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Date Joined: 08/07/08

Agree everybody,

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:40

my only moan is the professionals should be in the two month band also.  Happy with everything else, old fart also.

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Ginger Tablets Rock

 

Bodie's picture

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hmm does ruby snapper come

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:45

hmm does ruby snapper come under 'tropical snapper'??

Tim's picture

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Date Joined: 26/09/06

Yes

Thu, 2009-09-17 10:21

Yep Bodie. The Rubys come under the Tropical Snapper limits so they are included also.

HuggyB's picture

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I'd say so Bodie

Thu, 2009-09-17 08:54

I doubt that let that slip through the net so to speak.....

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                    The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........

Matt T's picture

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Date Joined: 19/11/07

Sounds Good

Thu, 2009-09-17 09:21

I'm pretty happy with that.

Iceman's picture

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Date Joined: 17/03/09

Size limit.

Thu, 2009-09-17 11:39

I agree with the size limit of 600mm for Dhuies. I already use that as anything smaller you just don't get a decent feed, particularly if you have more than 2 fishers onboard.

 Also agree that pro's should be included in 2 month ban. They will just hit the areas we fish and take what we would normally catch during the ban period

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mightymouse's picture

Posts: 395

Date Joined: 25/08/08

when does the dhuie bag

Thu, 2009-09-17 19:59

when does the dhuie bag limit come in ??

callum's picture

Posts: 417

Date Joined: 29/10/08

mouse

Thu, 2009-09-17 20:16

i think i heard it was 6 months until the regs came in,

someone will correct me if i'm wrong though

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happy fishing

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Date Joined: 21/06/09

mighty

Thu, 2009-09-17 20:17

16th December, after the closure period, is the date shown on the info from the Fisheries website

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mick

Paul G's picture

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Date Joined: 12/12/07

Iceman said he agreed with

Fri, 2009-09-18 05:37

Iceman said he agreed with the 600mm size limit ,did it go up i can't find that in the new regs.

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Tim's picture

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Cammos

Fri, 2009-09-18 09:01

He was agreeing with Cammos saying a size increase to 600mm would be good Paul.

It hasnt gone up YET that I know off.

southcity104's picture

Posts: 1659

Date Joined: 27/01/09

Im fairly happy

Fri, 2009-09-18 05:56

im fairly happy with the changes.

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