Fishing ban lifted

Recreational fishermen in the Capes region are poised to drop their lines today as the two-month demersal-fishing closure is lifted.

Picture by Becky Felstead

The ban, which was in its third year, applied to bottom-dwelling fish such as pink snapper, baldchin groper and dhufish.

Busselton recreational fishermanMark Holland told the Times he would be out on the water today, “weather permitting”.

Mr Holland said he believed the two-month ban was proving to be ineffective.

“While amateur fishers aren’t allowed to fish, professional fisherman can still go out,” he said.

“When the ban is over, I’ve noticed all the female dhufish we catch are still full of roe and haven’t dropped the eggs yet.”

Mr Holland said sanctioned fishing zones could be the answer to overfishing of certain species.

However, Department of Fisheries strategic fisheries policy manager Nathan Harrison said monitoring indicated measures were effective.

The recreational ban, he said, was undertaken with a 50 per cent reduction in the commercial catch for demersal species.

Mr Harrison said dramatic changes were unlikely in a single year as demersal species were long-lived.

“However, it is likely that the new stock assessment, which will be delivered in 2012, will detect any recovery that has occurred,” he said.

Busselton angler Mark Holland is happy the fishing ban is being lifted.