Recreational and commercial fishers in the Mid West will have the opportunity to be briefed and provide feedback on how catch shares of west coast demersal scalefish, such as dhufish and baldchin groper, are proposed to be allocated between each fishing sector.
The Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee (IFAAC) has been given the task of developing recommendations on how the total catch for the fishery is shared between each sector.
Recfishwest will be facilitating IFAAC’s meeting for recreational fishers in Geraldton. The meeting will be held at the Casa Blanca Dance Centre, 230 Eighth Street, Wonthella from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Wednesday (21 July) evening.
The issues are complex and all interested parties are urged to attend and there will be plenty of time for questions to be answered.
Although IFAAC has proposed two-thirds of the resource be allocated to the commercial sector and one third to the recreational sector, there are additional recommendations to ensure that the take of dhufish by either sector does not increase beyond historical proportions.
IFAAC will be visiting Geraldton on Wednesday, 21 July, to meet with recreational and commercial fishers to discuss the draft recommendations and seek feedback on the proposals, which close on 30 September.
West coast demersal scalefish include about 200 species including some of WA’s most iconic finfish species such as dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper.
Separate meetings will be held for the commercial sector to seek their input on the proposed allocation.
