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Letter to the Busselton Dunsborough Times
Date: Monday, 27 July 2009
Letter to Editor Busselton Dunsborough Times
from Fisheries Department CEO, Stuart Smith.
I wish to address the letter of 24/7 (Fishing fees are not the answer to low stocks), by Howard George of Busselton.
The new recreational fishing regulations have been introduced as a vital tool to sustain Western Australia’s most popular recreational fisheries and will also be used to create a database of boat-based recreational fishers in Western Australia.
This move aims to benefit everyone who wants to see sustainable fish stocks for our future generations.
Stocks of the popular demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish, such as West Australian dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper, are at risk.
Independent reviews of the Department of Fisheries' scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicate that WA’s fisheries are at risk unless immediate action is taken.
The biology of these popular species, combined with population growth and the greater use of equipment such as GPS and echo sounders has made a huge impact on fish stocks.
The use of GPS means fishers can return to the same locations repeatedly to target fish, meaning numbers of fish in a small area can be depleted very rapidly.
Recreational fishers retain significant numbers of fish, including more than 50% of the total West Australian Dhufish catch in the West Coast Bioregion.
The commercial sector in the west coast demersal fishery has already achieved a 50% reduction in catches from 2005/6 levels through substantial changes in management. For example, the number of commercial boats licensed to fish has been reduced from more than 1100 to less than 60.
The recreational sector must now also play its part and reduce its effort and catches for the sake of sustainability.
It is also important to realise that fish stocks are owned by all Western Australians, not only those who fish.
Management of all fishing sectors is required to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stocks and the ability to catch or buy these fish in the future. We all have a responsibility to ensure that this is the case.
Yours sincerely,
Stuart Smith
CEO, Department of Fisheries.
from Fisheries Department CEO, Stuart Smith.
I wish to address the letter of 24/7 (Fishing fees are not the answer to low stocks), by Howard George of Busselton.
The new recreational fishing regulations have been introduced as a vital tool to sustain Western Australia’s most popular recreational fisheries and will also be used to create a database of boat-based recreational fishers in Western Australia.
This move aims to benefit everyone who wants to see sustainable fish stocks for our future generations.
Stocks of the popular demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish, such as West Australian dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper, are at risk.
Independent reviews of the Department of Fisheries' scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicate that WA’s fisheries are at risk unless immediate action is taken.
The biology of these popular species, combined with population growth and the greater use of equipment such as GPS and echo sounders has made a huge impact on fish stocks.
The use of GPS means fishers can return to the same locations repeatedly to target fish, meaning numbers of fish in a small area can be depleted very rapidly.
Recreational fishers retain significant numbers of fish, including more than 50% of the total West Australian Dhufish catch in the West Coast Bioregion.
The commercial sector in the west coast demersal fishery has already achieved a 50% reduction in catches from 2005/6 levels through substantial changes in management. For example, the number of commercial boats licensed to fish has been reduced from more than 1100 to less than 60.
The recreational sector must now also play its part and reduce its effort and catches for the sake of sustainability.
It is also important to realise that fish stocks are owned by all Western Australians, not only those who fish.
Management of all fishing sectors is required to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stocks and the ability to catch or buy these fish in the future. We all have a responsibility to ensure that this is the case.
Yours sincerely,
Stuart Smith
CEO, Department of Fisheries.
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