Recreational fishers help new logbook survey aimed at researching fish catch
Norman Moore
Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Fisheries; Electoral Affairs
Wed 12 January, 2011
Portfolio: Fisheries
Fisheries Minister Norman Moore has urged recreational fishers to get involved with the most comprehensive fishing survey ever conducted in Western Australia.
Mr Moore said many had already agreed to participate in a group of 3,000 boat-based fishers who will record their fishing activities in logbooks for a 12-month period and share the information with the Department of Fisheries.
“These fishers are helping provide better catch data for the recreational sector and I urge anglers to support all aspects of this research initiative,” he said.
“Logbooks are the cornerstone of this important new survey, but information will also be obtained through interviews with recreational fishers at boat ramps, additional phone surveys and from contacts with fishers by Fisheries’ staff.
“The department expects to contact up to 23,000 recreational fishers during the survey period.
“The supply, catch and effort information this survey will provide will give us more comprehensive data to help the better management of our fisheries.
“Department of Fisheries’ researchers will also record video images at major boat ramps which will assist in validating fishing effort over 24-hour periods.”
The Minister said the 12-month survey, done in collaboration with Edith Cowan and Murdoch universities, and Recfishwest would provide more robust estimates of the quantity of fish retained and released by recreational fishers.
The survey is funded from revenue generated by the Recreational Fishing from a Boat Licence (RFBL) and is an example of how the money raised by the RFBL is spent to benefit recreational fishers.
“Researchers will, for the first time, estimate catches for every marine bioregion in WA and cover all fishing times across the day and all access points, using data from boat-based fishers around the State,” Mr Moore said.
The Minister encouraged recreational fishers to assist with the survey if they were contacted or interviewed by survey staff during the year.
“I believe most recreational fishers know the value of having fish for the future and how more comprehensive information about fishing activity will help ensure we can continue to manage WA fisheries in a sustainable way,” Mr Moore said.
More information about WA’s Recreational Boat Fishing Survey for 2011 is available online at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au
Minister's office - 9422 3000
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Brock O
Posts: 3337
Date Joined: 11/01/08
Happy
To be involved with this but not sure if my catch rate would help the new restrictions.
meersy
Posts: 278
Date Joined: 20/04/10
Be very careful about the
Be very careful about the information you give to any "RESERCH SURVEY" as it can and will be used against you.
snappermiles
Posts: 2102
Date Joined: 05/11/10
yep im with you meersy
tell then nothing as it will be held against you!!!
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS EXCEPT YOU AND ME! AND IM NOT SO SURE ABOUT YOU!
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
I'm afraid I'm also
with your meersy. Hate to think like that but all this research has never benefited us the amatuer. In our local paper fisheries is asking for demersal frames, old fart wondered if they are asking the same from the professionals at the processing places, do they go there and see the fish that are caught and look at the frames from processing places.
Research is excellent if the data helps the fish, amatuers and pros for future fishing, my feelings it seems to be one sided for the pros, could be wrong.
Ginger Tablets Rock
wallacewt
Posts: 36
Date Joined: 12/12/10
logbooks
in this greedy world where its all take and no give how about if the hon;mr norman moore refunded the fishing fees for all rec;fishermen that filled in a logbook.you would like us to pay for boats,petrol,fees,fill in logbooks,our precious time and give nothing in return.refund the fees for all the helpers.
wallacewt
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
You guys are all paranoid
You guys are all paranoid fruitloops.
There is non-stop winge about "where is the research" or "where is the science", but the moment you have to pull your finger out, you go cold.
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Well, to be fair, fisheries
Well, to be fair, fisheries have made decisions ignoring scientific evidence that is actually available.
With partial logbooks, unless they understand the demographic that has logbooks compared to those who dont, the data is pretty unreliable. Say if more good fishermen have logbooks, then it would show that more fish are being caught than are actually caught and vice versa. Extrapolating beyond a dataset is only works if your assumptions are correct. They did that recently when they went "average fisherman times number of licenses =". Well, if you base an "average" on whos coming into the ramp on a weekday, then its going to skew the results. Perhaps they could just use them for 'over time' results for different fishermen? I.e. the logbookers compared to themselves later down the track.
Perhaps it will go "hey, they're catching too many fish, we need to reduce limits" or "hey, they arent catching enough fish, we need to reduce limits".....
Would be nice to know just how the data is going to be used. If it is going to be used to assess fish stocks, how will it be done? What evidence will it provide if only some people have logbooks? Or will it just be for other information about recreational fishers?
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
Totally agree
Till, some people are just never happy
Brock O
Posts: 3337
Date Joined: 11/01/08
Bloke from work
Hayden sends quite a few of his fish frames in for research, the infor they send back about the fish is amazing.
This survey and the results it will produce can only do good, one way or another.
westline
Posts: 114
Date Joined: 01/01/09
how possibly
can u guys/girl think that the information u might submit to fisheries about the occasional finfish that u catch have a negative effect?
seriously cmon... hasnt it all been about restrictions and bag limits etc. last few years...?
if they(fisheries) think that no one ever, even catches a dhuie/snap/baldie/kg or whatever, how are they EVER in there right mind going to make a reasonable
prediction of the realistic finfish left in the perth metro and set our bag limit restrictions......... for us and future generations .......
I have been approached by them over the phone and by mail and for what its worth am more than happy to comply so if my info helps out
then good for me i say haha cmon its not like they are asking for GPS co-ords or anything even close!....
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
apart from a 100% creel
apart from a 100% creel survey at all ramps (the best way) , this really is the only way to gain any insight into what the recs are taking , though it can never tell us what there is left in the ocean.
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
harro
Posts: 1959
Date Joined: 07/02/08
do the
do the nett guys have to do the surveys, to see how much bycatch is caught? not being political or comparing, but i would like to know..
:::: Bass Hunter ::::
MattG
Posts: 104
Date Joined: 09/09/09
Harro...
Are you referring to commercial fishers??
If so, yes, they must submit catch returns. Although I'm not sure how much detail they have to go into re bycatch??
Anyone know?
MG