Eco Abrolhos, Batavia Sea Safaris continue business operations with Fisheries ‘catch to cook’ announcement

A new “catch to cook” model for demersal fish has provided some relief for businesses following a quota system that left dozens of charter operators in the lurch. Charter operators will be allowed to reel in prized fish species provided the catch is cooked and consumed on board before returning to shore following a new announcement this week. Fisheries Minister Don Punch’s decision to distribute 6000 tags among only 21 operators earlier this month — coming into effect July 1 — caused outrage in the charter community. Operators allocated a quota will be permitted to bring demersal fish ashore, but those who went without were unable to offer customers the opportunity to bag a prized WA demersal species like snapper and dhufish. Eco Abrolhos tour operator Jay Cox said the ‘catch to cook’ compromise was a positive result for his business, but other operators would still miss out. “It’s a good result for Eco Abrolhos but it’s still not perfect for everybody,” he said. “We stay out for five days at a time so we just eat the fish on board, whereas there’s little boats that go out for a day . . . all those boats depend on taking a fish home to eat.” Mr Cox said the disparity of tags downplayed the viability of tour operators who have diversified and offering sustainable fishing tours. “No FTL should be worth more than another FTL, they can’t be all be worth something different. It’s got to be streamlined and the bane of everyone’s licence should be the same like it’s always been,” he said. “We all want to go to one fish per day, whether you eat it or take it home, it doesn’t matter. That’s a fair 50 per cent reduction.” Batavia Sea Safaris tour operator Steve Smith said the catch to cook decision was a step forward in the right direction. “It’s a lifeline in the short term, but it certainly doesn’t resolve some of the other issues with the quota system and it’s not going to work for all operators,” he said. “Some of my clients want to go out from Geraldton and catch a fish to take home to their family that night and cook it and eat it at home. “It just allows me to cater for some of my clientele, not all of them.” Mr Punch said the catch and cook model allowed operators without tags to catch demersal fish without undermining sustainability. Charter operators continue the fight for an even 50 per cent reduction across the industry.