The Western Australia Fisheries Minister has announced demersal ban WA changes, leaving 700,000 West Australians without the ability to catch dhufish and pink snapper.
As a result of this decision, Recfishwest is deeply disappointed, as they presented clear, science-based proposals that would have reduced recfishers’ catches by 50% and met sustainability targets at the same time.
Demersal Ban WA benefits commercial operators at the expense of the public good.
The ban, which covers the west coast of WA from 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022, has been described by Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland as “unnecessary”.
He said that the recreational fishing sector has a strong-track record in putting the fish first and this decision goes against that.
Recfishwest has long been advocating for sensible and effective fisheries management, in an effort to ensure our fishing stocks remain healthy.
Recreational fishermen will be disproportionately affected by the ban, Rowland said, as they will not have access to favorite spots or be unable to catch dhufish and pink snapper.
Recfishwest is deeply disappointed with this decision, which goes against Recfishwest’s values of responsible fishery management and allowing West Australians access to fishing opportunities.
A sustainable fishery resource management strategy must ensure recreational access and reach sustainability targets.
Dr Andrew Rowland, Recfishwest CEO said: “We have consistent research that shows the western rock lobster fishery is in a healthy state and any limits should be proportionately implemented across the different sectors to ensure that all users can enjoy this amazing resource.”
“We are deeply disappointed that these proposals have been overlooked in favor of an extended ban on recreational fishing which will mean West Australians being unable to access dhufish and pink snapper for six months of the year,”
Dr. Andrew Rowland, Recfishwest CEO
The Minister’s decision to impose a ban on demersal fishing in WA waters has been met with widespread condemnation from recreational fishers across the state.
“The recreational fishing community has long been asking for a commercial license buy-back and this inclusion is welcome news,” said Andrew.
“At the moment there is an inequitable division of resources between recreational and commercial fishers with only a 12% reduction of catch for commercial operators, compared with a 50% reduction for recreational fishers. A buy-back of commercial licenses should help to address this imbalance and ensure fairer access to the Demersal Fishery for all sectors of the community.”
Today’s announcement limits recreational fishers to an annual catch of 115 tones, a reduction of more than 50 per cent on current catches, while commercial operators will be able to catch 240 tones, a reduction of only 12 percent on current catches.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) Demersal Ban WA changes.
According to the department these changes are an important move that will help to protect and recover demersal scalefish stocks from Kalbarri to Augusta, including dhufish, baldchin groper, breaksea cod, and pink snapper.
- The changes to the regulations will come into effect from 1 February 2023
- For recreational fishers in the West Coast Bioregion, extending the current two-month demersal closure by four months.
- For commercial fishing activities, the new rules will start on 1 January 2023 and for charter operators, they will commence from 1 July 2023.
The new regulations are the result of extensive consultation with the recreational fishing community and industry stakeholders including commercial and charter operators.
The Demersal Ban WA 2022 will give these species a much-needed reprieve and allow them to regenerate in their natural habitats, ultimately leading to healthier and more sustainable fish populations.
The Department of Fisheries is committed to working with recreational fishers to help them adjust to the new rules, which will apply from 1 February 2023.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)
Recfishwest Expresses Deep Disappointment
Recfishwest has expressed its deep disappointment with the decision of the Minister to impose a ban on catching demersal scalefish from boats in Western Australia.
- The ban, which will be effective from 1 February to 31 March (inclusive) and 1 August to the beginning of the September/October school holidays, is part of a management plan to protect fish stocks and reduce recreational fishing pressure on the West Coast Bioregion.
- The ban is part of a suite of changes which also include limits on the number of demersal scalefish charter operators can keep each year, boat limits of 4 demersal per vessel for recreational fishers and expanded spawning protections and gear limits.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is monitoring the impact of the changes, which are in place until 2030.
Understanding of the Demersal Ban WA
Demersal Ban WA may spell a threat to the fishing industry in Australia. Demersal Ban WA is a region spanning between Northwest Cape and Exmouth Gulf off Australia’s western coast which has been closed to trawling since 2002.
The ban was initially intended to protect fish stocks, promote biodiversity and enable sustainable fishing practices within the region as of 2022 onwards – while Demersal Ban WA’s fisheries recovery has provided abundant harvests, it poses a huge risk to food security and diminished marketability of its species.
Moreover, it has rendered thousands of fishing workers jobless or low-income insecure, hindering government aid towards them.
This has caused quite the uproar among stakeholders who are now pressing for more concessions for alternative methods of fishery management and support for affected local communities in the process.
If Demersal Ban WA continues as planned, it will lead to an overall reduction in access to seafood across Australia with far-reaching consequences on its fishing industry.
The Demersal Scalefish Recovery Plan was created in 2010 to protect and rebuild the stocks, and has been successful in preventing numbers from dropping further.
To ensure sustainable stocks for the future, the Demersal Ban WA will come into effect from October 1st 2021. This ban prohibits any fishing or taking of demersal scalefish species in the Demersal Ban WA zone, which stretches from Kalbarri to Augusta.
The new Demersal Ban WA is backed by science and aims to reduce fishing pressure on demersal scalefish stocks. This measure follows extensive community and industry consultation and has been introduced to achieve a catch limit of 375 tonnes of demersal scalefish.
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