Shades Fishing News

A PACKAGE of proposed initiatives to save some of Western Australia’s most popular oceanic fish species was released last Friday by Fisheries Minister Jon Ford.

The package, released for a four-week consultation period, has 11 recommendations aimed at saving some of the State’s fish by improving the management of recreational fishing off a section of the WA coast (between north of Kalbarri and east of Augusta, called the West Coast Bioregion).

Mr Ford said a new approach to managing recreational fishing was imperative to ensure the survival of some of the State’s most sought-after fish—especially the ‘Vulnerable 5’—dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper.

The Minister said recent scientific research showed that populations of some of the State’s most vulnerable and iconic species were at risk of collapsing because of overfishing, including the burgeoning recreational fishing sector.

“These warning signs tell us that we have to act now to save our vulnerable and iconic fish,” he said.

“A balance between preserving the enjoyment of the recreational fishing experience and saving our iconic fish is achievable.

“The package is designed to achieve a 50 per cent catch reduction of these key species in the West Coast Bioregion.

“The changes that I am recommending will allow recreational fishers to still catch a wide range of fish species.

“Specifically, the proposed package will not apply to people fishing for the usual fish species that are caught from beaches, jetties and groynes.

“Nor will changes apply to people fishing for species such as squid, whiting, skippy or fishing for ‘pelagic’ fish such as Spanish mackerel and tuna.”

The proposal for a split seasonal restriction would prohibit the take of the ‘Vulnerable 5’ in two parts; October 15 to December 25, and February 1 to March 31.

Relevant documents and submission details can be found online at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm, Wednesday, April 30.

Source : Augusta Margaret River Mail

THE WA government has moved to introduce a 50 per cent catch reduction of iconic fish species at risk from overfishing.
Eleven recommendations aimed at saving some of WA’s most vulnerable fish, including dhufish, pink and red snapper, baldchin groper and breaksea cod, were released today.

WA Fisheries Minister Jon Ford said a new approach to managing recreational fishing was imperative to ensure the survival of the sought-after fish.

Scientific research had shown those fish populations were at risk of collapsing because of overfishing, the minister said.

The proposed package is designed to achieve a 50 per cent catch reduction of key species from north of Kalbarri in WA’s midwest to Augusta in the state’s south.

“Our best scientists say this is a necessary target to help stabilise and replenish these fish populations,” Mr Ford said.

The measures include reduced bag and boat limits for certain species, increased size limits for pink snapper, a split seasonal restriction for the vulnerable species and greater protection for fish in the Abrolhos Island fish habitat area.

Mr Ford said it was vital for West Australians to note the package of recommended changes only applied to iconic species most at risk.

“The changes that I am recommending will allow recreational fishers to still catch a wide range of fish species,” he said.

“Specifically, the proposed package will not apply to people fishing for the usual fish species that are caught from beaches, jetties and groynes.

“Nor will changes apply to people fishing for species such as squid, whiting, skippy or fishing for ‘pelagic’ fish such as Spanish mackerel and tuna.”

Source : PerthNow

AS IF cane toads aren’t enough, an aggressive, fast-breeding invasive fish species is muscling its way into the waterways of northern Australia.

The Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), introduced into Australia as an aquarium fish, has spent the past 30 years entrenching itself in waterways throughout Queensland and Western Australia, researchers say.

While they may look beautiful in a tank, in the wild tilapia compete with native fish, out-breeding and out-eating them.

“In one case, nine tilapia went into a pond system,” says Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre chief operating officer Andreas Glanznig.

“When they poisoned it several years later, the only thing living in there were tilapia - and they dragged out 13 tonnes.”

From cane toads and rabbits to foxes, cats and buffalo, many introduced species have made Australia home, kicking out locals in the process.

“The number of exotic fish that have invaded Australian waters has jumped from 22 in 1990 to at least 34 today,” Mr Glanznig says.

“All but one of these newcomers originated from the aquarium trade. (People) should not dump unwanted invasive aquarium fish that can have a huge impact on aquatic ecosystems and wildlife.”

Australia’s experience with carp has already demonstrated just how devastating a problem introduced fish can become.

While not an aquarium species, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is one Australia’s most infamous freshwater fish invaders.

Introduced into Australia in the early 1900s for food and recreational fishing, extensive flooding has seen carp escape from farm dams and move into the waterways, including the extensive Murray-Darling river system.

“Carp create conditions that aren’t as conducive to native fish and therefore numbers (of native fish) fall,” Mr Glanznig says.

He believes this demonstrates the need to control the tilapia before they become the “carp of the north”.

Efforts to eradicate tilapia are being made more difficult by the actions of unthinking locals.

Last month, officers from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries found tilapia they believe had been illegally released in the

Gulf region.

“Most tilapia infestations are caused by people moving fish between waterways,” Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries biologist Malcolm Pearce says.

“Once established in a waterway, they are almost impossible to eradicate,” he said.

“If the spread of the fish isn’t controlled, tilapia could significantly affect our commercial and recreational fisheries.”

Source: Adelaide Now

The Department of Fisheries says the marron season will start two weeks later than usual in south-west Western Australia and the Great Southern region.

The season will open on the January 25 and close the February 17, to take advantage of a darker moon phase which will provide the best opportunity to catch marron.

The department’s Peter Godfrey says the season will only run for 23 days to sustain wild marron stocks.

Mr Godfrey says people caught fishing outside of those dates will be fined, and says strict bag and size limits will apply.

“We’d like to remind people that the season does open on Friday 25th and not before,” he said.

“Fisheries and Marine Officers will be conducting patrols right throughout the south-west.

“Also, when the season does open, fishers require a licence.”

Source: ABC News

FISHERS are reminded that the 2008 marron season will commence almost two weeks later than last season, and a licence is required.

Each season’s start date relates to the moon phase providing the best opportunity to catch marron.

For 2008, it runs from noon Friday, January 25 to noon Sunday, February 17.

As with last season, there will be 23 days for recreational fishers to pursue marron.

A new brochure for the season is available from Fisheries Department offices or can be downloaded at www.fish.wa.gov.au

The brochure describes the legal fishing gear, how to measure marron properly and where you can and can’t go marroning, plus other rules and limits.

Southern Region compliance manager Peter Godfrey said from now until the season is under way, Fisheries and Marine officers and other Government agencies will watch for people who jump the gun.

“In recent years, there have been several prosecutions of marron fishers, who were caught fishing out of season, so we play close attention to this possibility,” Mr Godfrey said.

“The rules for wild-catch marron fishing are required to keep natural stocks sustainable, so the opportunity to go fishing for the popular species is still there in the future.”

In the lead up to the 2008 season, Fisheries education officers will hold information sessions.

“These sessions are conducted in collaboration with Department of Environment and Conservation Officers and are highly valuable for anyone who enjoys the fun of fishing for marron along our South West rivers or at the accessible public dams,” Mr Godrey said.

For the Blackwood River, they will be from 2pm to 3pm on Tuesday, January 22 at the Warner Glen Campsite, and for Margaret River, from 4pm to 5pm on Tuesday, January 22 at Sue’s Bridge Campsite, and from 10am to 11am on Wednesday, January 23 at Rotary Park.

Source: Margaret River Mail

The Department of Fisheries are reminding people that pink snapper fishing in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds is illegal from October to January this year.

The prize catch is banned for four month’s of the year to protect stocks during spawning - necessary to allow the species to replenish itself.

Recent stock assessment of pink snapper on the West Coast has revealed that pink snapper are being overfished; a finding which if not observed could spell disaster for the species.

“Pink snapper is a slow-growing and long-lived species. Its slow growth rate makes the species less able to recover from overfishing and rapid environmental change,” said Department of Fisheries Principal Management Officer, Nathan Harrison..

“They can live to 30 years or more and this long life increases each pink snapper’s chance of reproducing successfully, so it is vital to keep a balance of older and younger fish in the West Coast population for their long term sustainability.

“In the past, pink snapper have been caught weighing almost 20 kilograms and measuring over a metre long. These days it is rare to see pink snapper weighing more than 10 kilograms.”

Offenders caught fishing for Pink Snapper while the season is closed will face fines of up to $5000 for recreational catches.

Source: PerthNow

Phil Stanley and Hal Harvey

SQUID are teeming along the metropolitan beaches this week while chopper tailor, bream and flathead are biting in the Swan River.

Metropolitan

Squid have remained popular, with good hauls from Cockburn Sound and Hillarys, where bags have improved significantly. Grant St Reef has yielded decent tailor, with better catches available from northern metro beaches. The Swan has also fished well for choppers, with trolled lures worked along the edges of channels likely to bring a result. You need to watch the legal size of the river tailor (300mm), with low tides best to catch them. Yellowfin whiting have moved into the lower Swan, but the general size for them is smaller than in a normal season. Black bream are widespread in the Swan, with some saying they are spread from the Causeway right up to Maylands and Ashfield. Try the Burswood area for flathead, and also the Fremantle bridges to Point Roe. Gummy sharks have turned up at Quinns Beach and the Five Fathom Bank has produced pink snapper. Excellent sand whiting catches have been taken between Rottnest and Fremantle, with skippy found 6-10km off Mindarie and big king george whiting around 25km off the coast.

Moore River

The Three Mile Reef has fished well for tailor, with black bream better pursued towards the river mouth as algae has made things harder upstream.

Mandurah

An amazing run of jewfish has surprised some. John Klaus, a rod builder at Totally Wild, was among those who could not get away from them. Initially fishing out wide from Mandurah, his party caught and released jewies, keeping some from 12-15kg. When they moved closer to shore to try for skippy and whiting, they still hooked jewies. Dawesville Cut juvenile salmon have provided fun and been a good size, while herring have bitten better on an ingoing tide. On the beaches, tailor have been bigger south of the Cut, including some of 50-55cm, with those north of town generally smaller. Most of the crabs around have been undersize. Bream fishing in the Serpentine and Murray rivers continues to improve as the salt water moves upstream.

Steep Point

Coastal Angling Club members on their annual Steep Point trip found water temperatures lower than normal for this time of the year, consequently spanish mackerel activity was limited, as were tuna numbers. Pink snapper, baldchin groper and tailor made up the bulk of the moderate catch, with Paul Fathers bagging the best of the pinkies. A combination of high winds and ever-present sharks further hindered their cause.

Source : PerthNow

Fishermen - the 2008 marron season will commence two weeks later than last season and a license will be required to catch the freshwater delicacy.

Each season’s start date relates to the moon phase providing the best opportunity to catch a marron.

Next year it runs from noon Friday, January 25, to noon on Sunday, February 17.

As was the case last season, there will be 23 days for recreational fishers to pursue the popular pastime of catching the world’s largest freshwater crayfish in the South West of WA, in the Moore River near Guilderton, and the Hutt River in the State’s Mid West.

A new brochure for the 2008 marron season is now available from Department of Fisheries offices or can be downloaded from the website, www.fish.wa.gov.au. It outlines the dates for the season, describes the legal fishing gear for catching marron, how to measure them properly and where you can and can’t go fish for marron, as well as other rules and limits that apply.

Compliance Manager for the Southern Region Peter Godfrey said until the marron season officially gets underway government officers will be on the look out for early birds seeking to illegally get the worm.

“In recent years, there have been several prosecutions of marron fishers, who were caught fishing out of season, so we play close attention to this possibility,” Mr Godfrey said. “The rules for wild-catch marron fishing are required to keep natural stocks sustainable, so the opportunity to go fishing for the popular species is still there in the future.”

Mr Godfrey said that in the lead up to the 2008 marron season, department education officers would hold a number of information sessions for people interested in going marron fishing.

“These sessions are conducted in collaboration with Department of Environment and Conservation Officers and are highly valuable for anyone who enjoys the fun of fishing for marron along our South West rivers or at the accessible public dams,” he said.

GIOVANNI TORRE

Source: TheWest.com.au

A ban on crab fishing in Cockburn Sound has been extended for another year to allow stocks to rebuild, Fisheries Minister Jon Ford announced today.

“Research advice indicates that although blue swimmer crab stocks have started to recover in the Sound, breeding stocks and recruitment remain at low levels,” Mr Ford said.

He said researchers would keep monitoring the recovery of crab stocks in Cockburn Sound and and further scientific data and advice would be reviewed late next year to evaluate whether crab fishing could re-start.

“Now that we’ve started down the road to recovery and the signs indicate we are heading in the right direction, we should give the crabs in Cockburn Sound a little longer to rebuild their numbers,” he said.

“If we keep the fishing pressure off the crab stocks in the meantime, this will help speed up the recovery.

“Once the blue swimmer crab numbers return to reasonable levels, our goal is to keep the stocks sustainable through careful ongoing management strategies.”

The Minister said his decision to reduce the bag and boat limits for blue swimmer crabs across the rest of the West Coast Bioregion (extending from Black Point, east of Augusta, to the Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri) was also an important step for sustainability.

“As of November 1 this year, the daily bag limit of blue swimmer crabs in the West Coast Bioregion for recreational fishers has been reduced to 10 per fisher and the boat limit is now 20,” Mr Ford said.

More details about the new rules for blue swimmer crab fishing in the West Coast Bioregion are available from the Department of Fisheries website http://www.fish.wa.gov.au

PETA RULE

Source : TheWest.com.au

Private water co-operative Harvey Water says local irrigators will benefit from a Western Australian Government deal which will see water from the Logue Brooke Dam pumped to Perth for drinking purposes.

Harvey Water has struck a deal with the Government to replace irrigation equipment in exchange for part of its water.

The State Government has announced that from May next year recreational use of the dam will be stopped to allow it to be used for Perth’s drinking needs.

South-West Labor MP Mick Murray says the local community will be upset by the decision.

Mr Murray says he had hoped the water could be treated so the dam did not have to be closed to recreation.

Harvey Water chief executive officer Geoff Calder says the closure was a necessary decision.

“This has been on the table since 2004 and there has been a great deal of organised and constructed discussion and in the end what is the purpose of water in dams, were the dams built for recreation or were they built for usage for other high value uses?” he said.

Western Australia’s peak fishing body has slammed the decision, saying the “lock it up” approach is an example of 19th century thinking.

The executive director of RecfishWest, Frank Prokop, says recreational fishing does not affect drinking water’s safety.

“If you go and throw a lure in there you’re deemed to be impacting on the future sustainability of water in Western Australia,” he said.

“Nearly every other jurisdiction in the world allows recreational fishing in water supply dams, the Water Corporation and the Department of Water need to come to the party, recognise it’s the 21st century.”

Source: ABC