Rec fishers need managing, Commissioner says

Slow adoption of best practice in the management of commercial fisheries, and limited recognition of the impacts and value of recreational fishing, are imposing unnecessary costs, constraining community benefits from fisheries, and putting pressure on some stocks, according to the *Productivity Commission in a recent draft report.

The Commission says management approaches need to better reflect the fact that there are limits to the catch from wild capture fisheries. Therefore, historical attitudes to prefer one group over another will need to change if Australia is to sustain both recreational and commercial fishing into the future.

"Controls over commercial fishing in most fisheries are too prescriptive. We know that tradeable quotas generally work, but we apply them in only one-quarter of fisheries. Conversely, there is an attitude of almost benign neglect toward recreational fishing. This is despite there being millions of recreational fishers in Australia and that, with the help of technology such as relatively cheap locating sonars, recreational catch now rivals or exceeds commercial catch for some species," said Commissioner Melinda Cilento.

The Commission added that most commercial fishing is still regulated through controls over fishing methods, such as numbers of allowable fishing days or size of boats, which is discouraging innovation and inhibits fishers from introducing more cost-effective practices. Reform across the sector is needed to reinvigorate the commercial fishing industry, the Commissioner said.

Meantime, the Commission took aim at recreational anglers, saying the rising sophistication and affordability of scanning technology and vessels has increased recreational fishers’ ability to fish further offshore and more intensively. The limited knowledge we do have suggests this is putting pressure on some species, it claims, adding that this will likely increase in future with population growth and use of new fishing technologies.

The Commission says a developing issue is weak knowledge of the impact of increasingly
successful but unmanaged recreational fishing on some high-value fish
stocks.

"While there are bag limits and other controls on recreational fishing, the nation doesn’t have a handle on how overall participation is changing or how the level of catch is changing in most areas," said Commissioner Cilento.

"This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to make decisions on how access to fisheries should be shared or what additional services or facilities should be provided for recreational fishers," the Commissioner said.

The Commission recommends that state and territory governments license all recreational fishers, with the focus being on a low-cost licence with higher reporting effort by all parties.

"We recognise that recreational fishing is important to many people and coastal communities; sometimes it is more important economically than commercial fishing," Commissioner Cilento says.

"We have recommended licensing to ensure recreational fishing is sustainable and better recognised in fishery management decisions as a much-loved pastime for many Australians."

The Productivity Commission has just released its draft report on Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture and will be conducting public hearings around Australia where people can talk about issues raised in the report.

To attend a hearing or make a submission for the final report people should go to the website at www.pc.gov.au.

Angling groups have responded to the Productivity Commission's recommendations. Click the story link for more.

*The Productivity Commission is an advisory body. It does not administer government programs or exercise executive power. It contributes by providing quality, independent advice and information to governments, and on the communication of ideas and analysis.