Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) latest stock assessment for the Cockburn Sound crab fishery has shown signs of recovery but suggests reduced productivity in the sound.
The fishery may not return to a level capable of supporting commercial fishing and will be opened as a recreational-only fishery this summer from 1st December.
The commercial sector is shocked that the decision has been made without government offering fair and equitable compensation to commercial fishers who no longer have access to the resource. The industry is now struggling to comprehend why the government’s offer to commercial fishers to exit the fishery is only a fraction of the value of a licence.
Chair of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Adele Farina expressed disappointment with the decision and has advocated that the fishers need to be fairly and equitably compensated should they be required to relinquish their fishing rights to make way for a future recreational-only fishery.
‘The compensation currently being offered to commercial fishers is woefully inadequate and totals a fraction of the level of investment, sacrifice and uncertainty the industry has grappled with for decades as they have put their livelihoods on hold for the sustainability of the resource,’ she said.
‘The rationale behind the current situation is difficult to comprehend and WAFIC will continue to work with licence holders and make representations to Government for a fairer outcome.’
WAFIC is now calling upon government to implement better monitoring of recreational catch and effort, including implementation of electronic real-time reporting, to ensure the recreational catch remains at sustainable levels.
