Rec fishers causing a tonne of trouble at Shark Bay, says council

Shark Bay council wants tighter limits on recreational fishers as cleaners deal with more than a tonne of fish carcases daily on the foreshore. The council has asked the State Government to halve the possession limit to 10kg of fillet per person. Cr Mark Smith said Shark Bay Shire had experienced a greater than normal increase in recreational fishing since the lifting of travel bans within WA. He said locals had approached the council concerned about the amount of fish being taken from waters around the Shire. Shark Bay Cleaning Services, paid by the Shire to remove offal at foreshore fish cleaning tables, reported more than 1000kg of fish carcases being removed daily. “This is the highest amount ever recorded with over 16 bins in one day,” director Barry Beales said. “I am deeply concerned with regards to the recent increases of fish stocks being both caught and taken from the region.” The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development aquatic resource management director Nathan Harrison said anecdotally fisheries officials had seen a doubling of visitors fishing off the coast. “It’s likely not going to be a threat to the sustainability of stock,” he said. “But certainly an increase in pressure could lead to localised depletion.” He said the original limit of 20kg was introduced Statewide in 2003. “In some places like the Abrolhos Islands we’ve managed to lower take limits to line up with local resources and expectations,” he said. “The increase in fishers is not unique to Shark Bay and is being seen along the WA coastline.” Shark Bay resident Leon Deschamps, who has been advocating for the change, said the community didn’t want to push away visitors to the region but preserve the stocks for generations to come. “It is about saving our commercial fishing, recreational fishing and tourism industries from extinction by protecting our threatened sea grass meadows and fish stocks,” he said. Mr Harrison said there was no evidence fish stocks in Shark Bay were threatened but this was a live issue and a Statewide survey was under way. “WA already has some of the nation’s tightest recreational management restrictions in place,” he said. He said DPIRD would work with Recfishwest and the community if changes were going to be made.