Western Australia waters will soon have new regulations in force to prohibit the ‘at sea’ possession of plastic bait bands. Bait bands are the plastic packaging straps that secure cartons of bulk bait. Department of Fisheries’ Senior Management Officer Graeme Baudains said the possession of these plastic bands posed a significant risk to a range of marine life.
He added that sea lions, seals and sharks are particularly susceptible to injury or death through entanglement in uncut plastic straps. He also told that cut and uncut bait bands also contribute to plastic debris washed up on shorelines. The Department of Fisheries would like to thank WAFIC and Recfishwest for their support of this initiative and working with and informing their members.
New regulations are said to apply to all recreational and commercial fishing vessel in WA waters and it is carrying a maximum penalty of $2,000 if violated. He said that the move is another positive step in providing high environmental credentials in support of the State’s valuable commercial and recreational fisheries. Baudains said the regulations allowed for some tightly managed exceptions for carrier boats and tender dinghies operating in the West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery and rock lobster vessels transporting bait from carrier boats to their home islands in the Abrolhos.
