Fishers lobby WAFIC over boat ban

Commercial fishers are petitioning the WA Fishing Industry Council for the right to recreationally fish for demersal scale fish from commercial vessels.

The council is the peak industry body for commercial fisheries in WA and represents the interests of its members in industry-related matters.

However, a portion of its members are disgruntled because they feel they have been “abandoned” by the council in their campaign to regain the right to catch a bag of demersal scale fish from their commercial vessels.

On January 1, 2008, the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery management plan came into effect which removed commercial fishers’ right to carry line and have demersal scale fish onboard their vessels.

Geraldton Professional Fishermen’s Association president Terry Mouchemore said the signatories to the letter were demanding the board reconsider its decision not to support its members in their plight for equal rights.

“The majority of fishers feel they’ve been abandoned by WAFIC,” he said.

“We want to be able to enjoy the same level of amenity that every other member of the Western Australian community has — to use a boat to catch a fish.

“There is no threat to sustainability of the resource, we are bound by the same licensing provisions as every other recreational fisher.

“We’re feeling like second rate citizens in the WAFIC structure.”

WAFIC reportedly went against the majority industry recommendation in June and gave its support to the Department of Fisheries in maintaining the current ban.

This position also has the support of Recfishwest.

Currently, commercial fishers who wish to use their commercial vessels for recreational fishing can delist and relist their licensed fishing boats through the Department of Fisheries’ licensing system at a cost of $450 per use.

Latitude Fisheries director Bert Boschetti said the department claimed allowing recreational fishing from a commercial vessel could create a sustainability issue.

“At the same time the department continues to issue recreational licences to target the same fish to members of the community, with no mention of a sustainability problem,” he said.

There is no cap of the number of recreational licences issued by the department.

He said WAFIC had “failed” its rock lobster members by supporting the Department of Fisheries.

He said the Fisheries Minister should address the discrimination that currently existed between commercial and recreational fishers either permitting recreational fishing from a commercial fishing boat, or if he believed there was a sustainability issue, to stop the department issuing any further recreational licences.

Department of Fisheries strategic fisheries policy manager Nathan Harrison said the current policy reflected a pragmatic approach to managing potential stock impacts, compliance issues and allocation of catches for resources sharing purposes.

A WAFIC spokesperson said the board would consider the fishers’ position and respond in due course.