Niiiiiiiiiiiice- great news...

Its gonna get more interesting from here me thinx....

Surely this'll worm its way down to us rec's, there will be some fall out for sure, that'll effect us- not too soon either IMO. I'll be waiting with baited breath(pun intended) to see the reviewed rec. bag/size limits.

Yeah you are right on the money there Deefa!
Get ready to be rooted!
I talked to someone who has a vested interest in the wet line industry today and they are waiting to find out the new reg's.
From what i can gather the fisherman will be allocated a number of fishing days a year and it will be based on the current logs kept from the previous years.
Those who have been fishing heaps but logging minimal hours will be caught out as they will be given minimum fishing days according to the previous years days fished!
But the big question is how hard will we get hit!
I bet you that the quota's are reduced and boat limits on certain species reduced!
A rec fin fish licence will be on the cards soon, no doubt!
IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!

Quote.....allocated a number of fishing days a year and it will be based on the current logs kept from the previous year....logging minimal hours will be caught out...

No it's over a much longer time than that, and it is based on reported catch, not reported hours fishing.

From Fisheries Management Paper 224 Page 13:-

Fishery permits are to be granted to Fishing Boat Licence (FBL) holders whose current FBL has reported a minimum average of 2,000kg of demersal scalefish (when averaging the best three annual catches) taken ... in both the pre-benchmark period (financial years from 1991/92 to 1996/97 inclusive) and the post-benchmark period (financial years from 1997/98 to 2002/03 inclusive)

Allocation of levels of entitlement (=How much they can catch in future) within ... the Fishery will be based on catch history....in both the pre-benchmark period (financial years from 1991/92 to 1996/97 inclusive) and the post-benchmark period (financial years from 1997/98 to 2002/03 inclusive)....."

And Yes, watch this space for changes to (=tighter controls on) recreational fishing rules.

TerryF
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Beavering away in the background......[image]http://www.recfishwest.org.au/LogosRecfishwestLogo.gif[/image]

Recfishwest - looking after YOUR recreational fishing future. http://www.recfishwest.org.au/

You need Recfishwest to look after your recreational fishing interests. Who else has the time, the knowledge, the professional approach, the realistic alternatives, the willingness and the contacts?

Recfishwest needs YOUR support. We would really like you to become a member, get involved and help us.

Tell us what you think and ask us to explain anything you don't agree with.

You are the ones who benefit when Recfishwest succeeds, or you will lose out when Recfishwest is ignored.

A great outcome indeed. What we as recreational anglers must understand is that whilst we all point the finger at the pro's for doing large scale damage, it is not only them that need to be blamed. We don't see the damage that we are doing because we are individualised and can't necessarily comprehend what each one of us are doing in the collaborative scheme of things. I never used to think like this until I joined the fisheries department and began seeing fish being caught on a significant scale in the Gascoyne region.

There seems to be a prevailent attitude amongst those that want to come north to fill their freezers that, 'if I don't take them, then someone else will.' The allowance of 20kg bag limits will soon be a thing of the past and in my opinion, so it should be. Lets just say I have seen professional 'recreationals' up here that have it down to an artform, know the ins and outs of the rules and when you see whats in the freezer or when they start slabbing their days haul, its not jealousy of a great catch, its concern!

Here's a couple of ways to think about it, in both a negative and positive light from the fishermans perspective.
Out of 365 days, you are probably likely to get half of those being fishable, then you half that again depending upon your boat size. You then consider the boat size and where they are focusing their energies. Ie, 12-15ft, anywhere between 1-5 km out, 15-20ft anywhere between 1-30km out and 20ft and over 1-xxx km's out. Because we only really think about ourselves when it comes to fishing, except maybe speaking to the guy before or after us, how'd you go mate? We have no real idea of what the impact of the recreational sector is, where they are concentrating their efforts and which areas are taking the heat. Sure, if we can only fish certain days of the year due to conditions, etc, then the fish have plenty of time to procreate and spawn and we are giving them fair chance to sustain the species. The problem with that I see is that a large proportion of demersel fish we catch are of an age (usually 5-15+ years old) that can't be sustained from the level of fishing that the recreational sector places upon them.

The commercial sector is being heavily focused upon which is great as they place significant impact on the resource too. But, the recreational sector is like a guessing game, we have no real idea of the numbers of boaties out there, how many days a year they fish, how long they stay in a location, how many kilo's of fish they take out and any number of questions along those lines. Sure surveys and interviews like what I am doing at the moment up here will give us a small snippet of the overall picture, but it doesn't alleviate any of the problems we potentially face due to overfishing.

In my opinion, we have to prepare ourselves for bag limit reductions, reductions in freezer limits, reductions in area's of where we can fish; because if we don't take those precautions now, there won't be anything left at the rate we are going.

Cheers,
Adam

Sorry Terry I missed an "S" on year (has now been edited)
but you get my drift.
The fisherman who previously fished the most and it has shown in their reported catches will be allocated the larger number of fishing days where as the minority who may be doing the wrong thing by fishing and not declaring their catch will be given a smaller timeframe/quota in which to fish/catch!
This is how I enterpreted the conversation!
Only time will tell if our already reduced quotas will be further reduced in accordance with cuts to the profesionals.

IF IT SMELLS LIKE FISH IT MUST BE GOOD FOR YOU!

Adam,

What if we did our own survey to see how often our members go out fishing in a year and how many kilo's of demersal species they have caught in the past 12 months. Whilst it won't be necessarily representative of the wider community, I think it would be an interesting exercise. Maybe a poll with a question that gives a range of fishing pressure, location and catch data for key species. That way it stays annonymous for those who wish it or they are free to make a comment on the bottom to stipulate what they think about it. From memory I think only members can vote in polls but that's something for you to figure, so it should be insulated from any trolls trying to make false readings.

Just thought I would throw that out there as a point of interest.

Goat

No probs with the year/years.

Gave a chance to explain this in more detail, and show that anyone without significant reported history over some years won't get any access.

TerryF
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Beavering away in the background......

Recfishwest - looking after YOUR recreational fishing future. http://www.recfishwest.org.au/

Can't do any harm to conduct a survey. Seems to me the majority of FW fishermen are responsible 'future thinking' fishermen and that makes the FW site and the results of the survey both interesting and useful.

gee mate, I knew as soon as you took that job your would get a clearer mind, good stuff working with those guys hey, it not only educates you on fish, but the management side as well. lots to do in fisheries management and they cop a lot, but when things go pear shaped they still cop it, dammed if they do dammed if they don't.It's what I have been trying to say too ya, bloody hard to keep ya mouth shut as well when they tell ya stuff that is going to impact on the fishery and fisherman

Goatrutar I hope we do get reamed in the Metro mate, and I hope they make it rec only as well, then we can be responsible for our fishery. a licence even if it was free would be a start to get proper numbers happening and the access right to be taken away if thieves don't consider their actions, stealing from future generations

You will find as well, most if not all strictly WETLINE fisherman would be over the moon with these new rules,At least they can run a profitable business now and not compete with a lobster boy's that happens to stumble across a school of Jewies/ pinks

Wally

As many of you will know I reside in the upper Hemi.
We have just had introduced a 'recreational fishing permit'.

There were loads of reasons as to why this was introduced, but the simple answer is the Powers That Be just dont have a clue as to whats in the ocean or whats coming out of it and cannot answer the commercials claims that the recreationals are depleting 'their' fish stocks.
Fish landing figures are a waste of time simply because everyone is on the side of the commercial fishermen.
I have stood beside a (Spanish)fishery inspector as a longliner was unloading and seen juvenile Swordfish bundled in 3,4or5s just to make the weight over 75lb - the minimum landing size for Swords in the Atlantic - and witnessed these fish recorded as a single fish.
My father has reported illegal Bass nets set off his UK south coast beach only to watch the fishery boat allow the pirate to keep the catch.

The process that MUST happen to have any effect is already underway.
Step 1 = to make a recreational licence mandatory - soon it will be EU wide whatever the footdraggers want.
Step 2 = to empower a Marine Police Force to make on-the-water inspections for both commercials and recreationals, - we have this and they are brilliant (a spin off is that boat & engine theft is almost unknown).
Step 3 = set recreational bag limits - we have 22lb + 1 trophy fish in each 24hour period.
Step 4 = to make accurate catch records compulsory and submittable every year (not with us yet but watch this space).

The final link in this process (in the ideal world) would be to give the licence revenue and the catch records to a top flight marine research institute and ask THEM to answer the questions we and the politicians want to know.

If there is then any money remaining how about a reduction in the licence fee for each fish tag handed in?
Oh - I just woke up!

Is it true that our australian waters are being challanged buy the
asians/indonesions(spelling)that we dont use our fish resourses and
they should be aloud to fish in our waters?
Now that wouldnt be good,then there wouldnt be anything left.

cheers dennis

The fisheries department are short on staff in terms of enforcing the laws. They have just had an intake of 24 officers. Having said that, you may not have been inspected by fisheries, but up here its not the inspection where they get you primarily. They are watching you, without you even knowing it and when you get back to the ramp and get a tap on the shoulder, you are already gone. I remember only being checked once in the metro over five years, so that probably doesn't apply. But I assure you they're out there looking for the no-gooders.

I've seen quiet a fair few undersize fish being taken and only one over the bag limit in the last few months. People mostly do the right thing, but there certainly are a few that don't.

As for the Indonesions, did anyone see the new patrol boat the Aussies have patrolling our border? Was pretty awesome and a bloody good thing too, but it wouldn't suprise me if they were trying to buy out some of our northern waters.

From what you've said Mick, re- licenses and the European Union making it compulsory, I think it is a must over here as well and we would be silly not to start seriously considering it here.

PeteB and I went for a quick fish midweek and had a fisheries patrol boat come over and check our catch and safety gear about 7nm offshore. "WTF is this guy doing", as a boat came speeding up and changing course to cut us off as we were moving to another spot. I recognised the guy who stopped us as he had checked be a few months before at the ramp. We had just started and only had a nice KG to the icebox but it was good to see them doing those type of checks midwater. That's the second check in 3 months for me, but before that maybe once in 3 years.

I will get onto putting a poll up Andy for catch survey, may also put one up for when the last time fisheries checked your bag/safety gear.