Net-free legislation passed
Legislation to end commercial netting in Port Phillip Bay has been passed through Parliament without changeThe Fisheries Amendment Bill 2015 was passed this week with the aim being to get more people fishing, more often, under the Victorian Government’s Target One Million plan, which regular readers will know aims to get one million people fishing in Victoria by 2020.
According to the latest
The Economic Study of Recreational Fishing in Victoria, as reported in this link and news story on our sites, there are a whopping 838,000 recreational fishers in Victoria generating $7.1 billion in economic activity.
Rec fishing in Port Phillip Bay alone injects $1.3 billion to the Vic economy, supports 8403 full time jobs, and amounts to more than 50 per cent of the state's fishing output.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said the phasing out of commercial net fishing in Port Phillip Bay over the next seven years will increase recreational catch rates and the size of fish available for anglers.
"Phasing out commercial net fishing in Port Phillip Bay is the flagship commitment of our Target One Million plan. It will get more people fishing, more often, right here on Melbourne’s doorstep," Ms Pulford said.
The Bill specifies how net fishing will be phased out by 2022, including the total closure of Corio Bay to all netting by April 1, 2018.
"Removing netting from Port Phillip Bay will help attract more visitors to this prime fishing destination, boosting local economies and supporting local businesses," said Ms Pulford
The Bill also specifies how compensation payments will be determined for the 43 commercial licence holders and provides for a limited non-net commercial fishery, consisting of up to eight licence holders, to operate from April 1, 2022.
The Bill includes a revised, more generous compensation package, with payments to reduce over the seven-year period to encourage early exit from the fishery.
Following the Bill’s gazettal in coming weeks, formal offers of compensation will be sent to affected licence holders with the first licences to be surrendered from April 1, next year.
Compensation payments will be made depending on catch histories, and will provide proper recognition of individual investment and loss of income to licensees.
The above 2014 Economic Study of Recreational Fishing in Victoria, undertaken by Ernst & Young and commissioned and overseen by rec-fishing body VRFish, shows the economic contribution for this region contributes a staggering $1.3 billion.
VRFish General Manager, Dallas D’Silva, said: "The Port Phillip region, with its centrepiece Port Phillip Bay, provides 8403 full time jobs and accounts for more than 50 per cent of the States' economic output. On top of this, the results show 73 per cent of the States fishers live in the Port Phillip Region.
Rob Loats, VRFish Chairman added: "The data in this report highlights the importance of planning for future growth in our biggest recreational fishery, Port Phillip Bay, and the benefits of re-allocating part of the commercial catch to recreational fishers by halting commercial netting."
The report provides the Government, fishers and the community a baseline to plan and measure growth in the sector. It will support strategic planning and guide future investment in infrastructure and facilities that are vital for continued growing in recreational fishing across all of Victoria as we push towards one million fishers by 2020.
Photos: Friends of Corio Bay and VR Fish.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
