RLIAC met last Friday (8 January 2010) to review progress towards catch targets for this season’s West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery.
Department of Fisheries CEO Stuart Smith said the adjustments were part of the adaptive management approach the Minister had forecast, prior to the season, to ensure the overall catch remained around 5,500 tonnes.
“The most immediate change will be closure of C zone, which includes the port of Jurien, the Perth coast and South-West waters to Cape Leeuwin,” Mr Smith said. “C zone will be closed to rock lobster fishing from 18 January until 31 January, following the existing weekend closure.
“Fishing will resume in C zone on 1 February through until 11 March, using the balance of the catch target for the full C zone season. There will be a further C zone closure from 12 March to 11 April, with fishing resuming on 12 April if that target has not been exhausted. When C zone is open, fishing will be restricted to four days per week.”
Mr Smith said in B zone, which stretched from north of Jurien to North West Cape, the current closure was due to end on 24 January, when additional management changes would apply.
“A zone commercial rock lobster fishers will fish in B zone from 25 January until the catch target for the first half of the season is exhausted,” he said. “After that, A zone licensees will then cease fishing until the Abrolhos Islands (A zone) season opens on 15 March.
“B zone commercial fishers will fish from 25 January until 11 March. B Zone will then be closed from 12 March to 11 April, with fishing allowed again from 12 April.”
The CEO said details of the new arrangements for the 2009/10 season had been sent out to the commercial rock lobster industry today and there would be another progress review of the management arrangements during the second half of February.
“The aim of restricting the catch in 2008/09 and in this season is to increase the number of lobsters available during the coming seasons, as the impact of the recent low puerulus settlement years flows into the fishery,” Mr Smith said.
“The revised rock lobster fishing arrangements and new closure periods do not apply to recreational fishers, as they have been subject to other management measures.”
