Bag limits slashed in South Australian fishing overhaul

The biggest changes to recreational fishing rules and regulations in South Australia in two decades have been formally announced today (November 2, 2016) and will apply to 26 different marine and freshwater species, with additional
protection introduced to safeguard the iconic King George Whiting.

SA Fisheries Minister Leon Bignell said each year
more than 277,000 men, women and children take part in recreational
fishing in South Australia and that the new fishing limits will come into effect from December 1, 2016, to support the sustainability of the State's fish stocks.

"For grandparents to be able to continue to take their
grandchildren fishing we need to have a balanced approach to how many
fish we take.

"These
are vital measures to support the sustainability of our fish stocks,
allow for a fair day's fishing, maintain quality recreational fishing for
future generations of South Australians and to ensure each fishing
sector is operating within its allocated catch share for each key
species," Mr Bignell said.

KEY SA FISHING CHANGES
>> Reduced bag/boat limits for Garfish, Samsonfish, Western Blue Groper, large Yellowtail Kingfish, Australian Herring (Tommy Ruff), Scallops and Blue Swimmer Crab/Sand Crabs.
>> Increased size limits for Bream, Mulloway (marine waters) and Samsonfish;
>> Reduced bag/boat limit for Snapper in Spencer Gulf;
>> Increased bag/boat limit for Spangled Perch;
>> Introduction of recreational limits for Albacore, Whaler Sharks, Congolli, Bloodworms, Sea Urchin, Trevally, Wrasse and Harlequin Fish;
>> Introduction of a vehicle limit on Pipi and boat limits for Mulloway in the Coorong and Yabbies;
>> Simplified limits on Hyrtl’s Tandan Catfish;
>> Removal of limits on Yellowfin Tuna and protection for Cooper Creek Catfish.

BIG CHANGES TO KING GEORGE WHITING REGS
New arrangements to improve the stock status of one of SA’s most iconic and popular species, King George Whiting, are also being introduced. The changes are:
>> Reduced State-wide daily bag limit to 10 and boat limit to 30 (previously 12 and 36)
>> Increased legal minimum size limit to 32 cm in all waters East of Cape Catastrophe on the tip of the Eyre Peninsula at 136 °E (previously 31cm). West of this point, the size limit will remain at 30cm.
>> Introduction of a spatial spawning closure for King George Whiting May 1-31 in an area of southern Spencer Gulf, southern Gulf St Vincent and Investigator Strait to protect this key spawning area during a critical reproductive period, where the taking and possession of King George Whiting by all fishers will be prohibited.

THE CONSULTATION
The changes to legal limits and management arrangements follow extensive State-wide community consultation earlier this year.

In early 2016, the SA State Government released three key documents for
public consultation, outlining proposed ways to manage recreational
fishing into the future.

Fisheries Minister Bignell said that more than 800 people had attended
12 public meetings which were held across the State between February and
April – and more than 900 submissions were received during a
three-month consultation period.

Mr Bignell said the State Government reviewed and considered all the submissions and information received
during the consultation process together with the best available
biological and fishery data to guide its final decisions.

Along
with changes to fishing limits for certain species, the review focused
on measures to improve the ‘transitional-depleting’ stock status of King
George Whiting stocks in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent, where
research has indicated fishing pressure is too high.

The changes will
also address an increase in the recreational catch of King George
Whiting to 58.1 per cent — above the recreational sector’s allocated
catch share of 48.5 per cent.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FISHING ALLIANCE
But there's
discontent over the increase of the commercial take of some species and
a lack of limits on others in what's being touted as rough justice for
rec fishers and a shift in resource ownership.

The South
Australian Fishing Alliance makes the point that snapper, blue crabs,
garfish (especially) are all grossly overfished by commercials, still
have no quotas imposed, while anglers get 50 per cent cuts based on no
scientific evidence. So as the commercials continually deplete stocks
(remember no quota), rec bag limits shrink, the lobby group laments.

The bag limit for garfish will be cut by half to 30 fish per person and tommy ruffs by a third to 40 fish per person per day.

The bag limit for small snapper and blue swimmer crabs in waters other than Gulf St Vincent will be halved – making them uniform statewide.

The limit for sand crabs will be halved from 40 per person to 20. The reduction in bag and boat limits for blue crabs has been imposed despite the quota for professional operators secretly being increased from 196 tonnes to 245 tonnes last year.

Meantime, it’s important all fishers familiarise themselves with the new regulations and play by the rules. For full details on the changes visit the new SA Recreational Fishing Rules page and download the Recreational Fishing Guide app from Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).