Revision to Shared Bag Limits

 from the minister this morning...

 

 

Sharing recreational bag limits on boats - it just makes sense
Thursday, 25 January 2018
 
  • Regulations will be drafted to allow fishers on boats to pool their catches
  • To share bag limits, fishers will need to be actively involved in the fishing
  • A common sense approach that removes complexity and confusion 

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has approved the drafting of regulations to allow recreational fishers to share bag limits when fishing from boats.

 

This coming change to Western Australia's fishing rules represents a common sense approach that recognises existing recreational fishing practices and is aimed at simplifying the rules.

 

Importantly, this change will enable fishers to legally share catch from rock lobster pots.

 

Under the existing legislation for example, a licensed recreational rock lobster fisher can only retain eight rock lobsters from the pot with their gear ID attached. No further lobster can be retained from that pot. The new arrangements will allow more than one bag limit of rock lobster to be retained from a single pot provided there are other licence holders onboard.

 

Other examples of sharing bag limits include fishing for blue swimmer crabs or line fishing for scalefish such as whiting and herring - where the combined catch is placed in a single icebox.

 

The formal process required to change the rules will need to take place. It is anticipated the new regulations will be gazetted by mid-2018. In the meantime, compliance officers will be taking the proposed change into account when they are checking fishing activity.

 

Comments attributed to Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly:

 

"It just makes sense for recreational fishers sharing a day out on a boat to share their catch, provided the boat limit or the applicable combined bag limit is not exceeded.

 

"Following concerns raised by Recfishwest that existing catch regulations for licensed fishers onboard vessels are confusing, I was keen to find a way to simplify the rules.

 

 


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So my 5 year old son only has

Thu, 2018-01-25 12:46

So my 5 year old son only has to fish for bait and I can now bring home 4x demersals? Beauty, thanks Dave but I'd still like to see the dhu boat limit increased to 3?

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sea-kem's picture

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 I reckon 1 per person per

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:19

 I reckon 1 per person per boat. 

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Even better but I'd settle

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:40

Even better but I'd settle for three per boat but 3 is pretty much my comfort/logistics limit for a dhu bash. Truth is, how many dhus end up floating dead on the surface when a crew of three are trying to get one fish each (2 dhus and another demersal) to take home when they'd have happily steamed back to the ramp with a third dhu.

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little johnny's picture

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2 per person

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:07

Max 6 per boat with 3 licences . Any 2 catergory 1 fish per Licence holder no matter what species.

z00m's picture

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Dhufish bag limit 1perperson

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:16

Dhufish bag limit is 1 per person and max of 2 per boat regardless of the number of licenses on board. 

 rules.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Index/14

little johnny's picture

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I know the rules

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:59

But this would make it easyier.

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 Yes Johnny, and this would

Thu, 2018-01-25 16:13

 Yes Johnny, and this would make it same as coral trout, further simplifying rules

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The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

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Dhuies

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:14

1 per licence holder on boat

still trying's picture

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 have just read some comments

Thu, 2018-01-25 13:20

 have just read some comments regarding this on the crayfishing Facebook page some people really do struggle with common sense.  I have a 12 yr old son he has had his boat fishing licence for 3 years now and this year i got him cray as well in my opinion he helps alot in launching and retrieval of the boat he may not pull the craypot up but he keeps the rope neat and away from me as i pull it up i believe he is actively fishing and i know he eats his fair share.

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 rather be fishing

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I agree

Thu, 2018-01-25 14:11

I also have a 12 year old who helps. I do get him to just "pull" the rope with me so for all observers he is actively participating

sea-kem's picture

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 Lol that's why I quite that

Thu, 2018-01-25 17:52

 Lol that's why I quite that page mate, too many muppets on there. 

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Pete F's picture

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 What about beach fishers who

Thu, 2018-01-25 14:19

 What about beach fishers who share an icebox 

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 Cheers

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 And does this mean when

Thu, 2018-01-25 15:25

 And does this mean when there is more than one diver in a boat they are able to surface with more than eight crays?

Alan James's picture

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Good question

Fri, 2018-01-26 10:55

and I am about to provide you with the answer.  I think the question needs to be put to Fisheries for their interpretation. 

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 Probably will need to wait

Fri, 2018-01-26 14:22

 Probably will need to wait until they actually get the legislation in place, as for now it is just a request from the Minister to his department to go easy.

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 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

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geez I was scared to open

Thu, 2018-01-25 15:54

geez I was scared to open this....... looks like they are finally using common sense shame they couldn't use the same common sense with Brett carter 

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 That's why they are doing it

Thu, 2018-01-25 16:24

 That's why they are doing it ?

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More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!

little johnny's picture

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Brett's a hard one

Thu, 2018-01-25 16:42

Gone very quite . I'm for any rule change that makes it simple . Take all buzz words out ,and words that can be interpretated different ways . Spot on common sence.

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Am I missing something?

Thu, 2018-01-25 22:31

Isn’t this the way things work already?  If I have three licensed anglers on board then I can have 6 demersal species on board and/or nine pelagic species.  What’s different under this new statement?

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Pete F's picture

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 Previosly you had to catch

Fri, 2018-01-26 07:18

 Previosly you had to catch your own 2 dermersals and 8 crafish etc, You were not allowed to share the fishing limits.

 If there was more than one bag limit in any container or bucket your catch was to be labeled..... Not sure if there has been changes to the labeling rules? 

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Possession limits?

Fri, 2018-01-26 16:25

 Sure you’re not referring to the rules around possession limits?

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 You do not have to catch

Fri, 2018-01-26 17:27

 You do not have to catch your own possession limits, dont even need a licence for a possession limit ashore

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 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

Pete F's picture

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The possesion or transpot

Sat, 2018-01-27 07:03

The possesion or transpot limit is the number of fish in your control. I have never seen an exclusion about boats for this rule ? It says labling is not required only if.... you are still on your trip and have one days limit and all the fish are not stored with anyone else's.

So if you have seperate esky all is well. 

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 Cheers

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.

Sat, 2018-01-27 11:22

 Not sure who you are referring to here Pete?

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 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

quadfisher's picture

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Kinda

Thu, 2018-01-25 23:22

 Its whats been informally happening since day dot , but this just puts it into law , to hopefully stop overzealous officers 

making up rule interpretations on the spot.

So you go out with your mate , he catchs 1 blackarse cause he,s a useless pr@@k , and you catch 2 dhu and big pink , now from 

mid 2018 you can go back to ramp legally and not have to tell porkies about how he got a dhuie , on his pink ladys rod and reel!.

So instead of the time wasting,  nick picking over the cray seasons , and lies about your ham fisted mate catching trophy dhuies, from 

now on it will sensibly revolve around the bag and size limits x the number of licences aboard.

Cray wise , 3 go out , all have licence, you pull the  first pot of the day that belongs to gazza , you beauty 24 legal crays , clip tails , go home.

Fish wise as mentioned.

Only thing to watch is the actively fishing bit , as in your 2 teen daughters on facebook in the car , and your missus on a deck chair 

at the waters edge , wine glass in hand , doesnt mean you can come in with 40 crabs from scooping.

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quadfisher

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If only...

Fri, 2018-01-26 16:51

 If only the rules were written with witty examples as you have explained them, there would be a lot more folk who would grasp the concept and perhaps in turn lighten the mood of the overzealous fisheries officer when some poor bugger has slightly misinterpreted the rules.

Anyway- its a step in the right drection.... I'm still up for removing minimum size of any demersal that doesn't release easily.

 

Cheers

 

Winta

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Faulkner Family's picture

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 with so many diff rules and

Fri, 2018-01-26 08:30

 with so many diff rules and regs these days something had to happen as common sence isnt too common these days with fishing of any sort.unfortunately there are some out there who will try to find a way so they can take more than they should. hopefully these new rule changes will work out for the best. 

as far as dhuies go i feel that 1 per licenced fisher on the boat would be a fair call to a max of 4. 

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

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I agree

Fri, 2018-01-26 21:38

I think there are a few people out there who are going to catch the allowable limit of whatever it is, it doesn't matter.
I've paid for a licence and by hell I'm going to take my dollars worth to hell with whether I need to or not.

I'm a strong believer in limiting my catch, not catching my limit just because I can. However I do acknowledge each to their own and if it's within the law then that's that.

Faulkner Family's picture

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 fish for fun not for the

Sat, 2018-01-27 07:38

 fish for fun not for the freezer. 

altho sometimes you get lots of portions off a few fish then you share with others that cant or dont get out and fish. a case of share the joy

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

Pete F's picture

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Fisheries managed to confuse

Fri, 2021-11-26 10:14

Fisheries managed to confuse the issue with this one, seemed like a great common sense idea at the time. However seems to have never been legislated, so if you follow the message from this media release you could be prosecuted. 

I spoke to fisheries today about sharing the boat limit for demersal, answer is officially you can still only land 2 fish per person. Not 3 by one fisher and 1 another. 

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 Cheers

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If it applies

Sat, 2021-11-27 11:33

 To the ray fish limit then yes great ,commone sense,sadly lacking with many public servants this would meean that three dives,two experienced at catching crays could catch what the novice is unable too as long as the size,breeding,and damage rules still apply.

little johnny's picture

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In regulations

Sat, 2021-11-27 15:01

Long as your taking part in the catching exercise. And as long as your not over limit it’s allowed . Pretty common sense ,pretty sure any officer would see it this way . Be a hard one to get booked on . Who knows ?

Faulkner Family's picture

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 It would be a hard one to

Sat, 2021-11-27 18:16

 It would be a hard one to prove if the fisheries say one person out of 3 caught more than others.  Same goes with fishing , who can prove who caught what . As long as you don't publicly advertise it it's your word against theirs

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

sea-kem's picture

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 That pretty well sums it up,

Mon, 2021-11-29 09:28

 That pretty well sums it up, just need to be very careful what you say to them these days as they film everything. 

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Love the West!