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NEWS
NT anglers, pros and fishing guides face tighter regulations
Moves to save depleted reef fish stocks and reduce marlin catchThe Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPIF) is seeking comments on the recently released discussion paper Proposed Changes to Northern Territory Recreational Fishing Controls 2012.
The discussion paper focuses on popular coastal reef fish species, including golden snapper and jewfish, which require increased management to ensure a sustainable recreational fishing experience into the future. ??
NT Director of Fisheries, Mr Ian Curnow, highlighted that the sustainability of several popular reef species has come under threat in recent years because they are now being targeted more efficiently than before and they have biological traits, such as a schooling behaviour, slow growth rates and susceptibility to being caught before becoming mature, that make them vulnerable to over fishing.
“Anglers have noticed there are declining numbers of reef fish in highly fished areas around the Territory, particularly around the Darwin area, and our scientific data backs this up,” Mr Curnow said.
?“In the case of golden snapper, the vast majority of all fish are taken by recreational anglers, and that is why we need to put in place recreational fishing management initiatives to ensure the future of our most popular fish stocks. ??
“Not acting today to promote sustainability will raise the likelihood that much stronger management measures will be needed in the future to assist the recovery of stocks following significant depletion.
“If we allow the over-catch trend to continue, the need to reduce our catches will escalate to even greater levels and the closure of fishing areas may be the only option to achieve that.
?“The paper also proposes some important changes for other species based on feedback from the NT's amateur fishing association and recreational anglers, to better reflect social expectations of what is an appropriate daily limit for species such as billfish,” Mr Curnow said.
A copy of the Proposed Changes to Northern Territory Recreational Fishing Controls 2012 is available on the DPIF website, along with a link on how to submit comments at www.nt.gov.au/d/Fisheries/. Comments for all papers close COB Friday, January 18, 2013.
Photo of a nice Darwin-caught golden snapper (fingermark) courtesy Darwin Reef `n` Wrecks Fishing Charters.
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