Fish ban ends Wednesday

The region’s recreational fishermen have respected the ban on demersal scalefish fishing with only a few minor warnings given out during the two month period.

The ban, which applied to bottom-dwelling fish such as pink snapper, baldchin groper and dhufish between Kalbarri and Augusta, will wrap up on Wednesday.

Fisheries Southern region compliance manager Steve Embling said one of the warnings that had been given was for the spearing of a fish close to shore.

“[But] people have accepted there is a need for something to be done and they are generally toeing the line and doing the right thing,” he said.

Mr Embling said Fisheries had patrols out all the time including a recently established recreational mobile patrol with two fisheries officers which was specifically for recreational fishing with its main priority the west coast scalefish.

“All the standard fishing rules including bag limits and size limits still apply when the ban is lifted,” he said.

“People also need to have a recreational boat fishing licence before they get out there on December 16.”

Mr Embling said he expected recreational fishermen to be out in force when the bans were lifted.

“We’ve had a lot of people coming in to confirm what date the season starts, and they are getting ready to be out there the first day possible,” he said.

Recreational fisherman Howard George said as soon as fishermen were allowed to start fishing they would.

“We’re sweating on it,” he said.

Mr George said the bans had been a success because they reached their target of cutting the recreational catch by 50 per cent.

“We understand why it’s happening, even though we’re recreational fishermen we are still environmentalists and we want to save fish stocks like everyone else,” he said.