Under the new fishing rules there is some fees for recreational fishers that could lead to a flood of illegal fishing activity, claimed experts. Editor of Western Angler Magazine, Scott Coughlan, said high fees would encourage people to take more fish than they were entitled to. He told that if you pay $180 to go fishing some people will want to get their money’s worth by keeping however many fish they think is worthwhile for $180.
Coughlan informed that he would like to see fishermen fill in compulsory logbooks as a way of monitoring catches. He also told that general licences for all recreational fishermen, such as those used in New South Wales, which cost only $70 for three years. He opined that there will be some positives for the management of the fishery in terms of sustainability, but the cost has just thrown people off.
It is said that the State Government this week introduced strict new restrictions on recreational fishermen. They include a ban on demersal scalefishing from Kalbarri to Augusta, from October 15 to December 15 each year. Some fishers now have to pay up to $180 for licences. Fishers will not need a licence to fish from beaches or jetties unless there are existing licences that still applied.
Minister for Fisheries Norman Moore said that from mid-October, people fishing from boats anywhere in WA would need a $30 licence. The restrictions will also apply to charter boats. Mixed bag limits will also change under the new restrictions. Accoridng to the Fisheries Department the measures aimed to reduce the catch of demersal fish in the region by 50 percent.
