In case you missed it, below is Western Angler Editor Scott Coghlan’s column in yesterday’s edition of the Sunday Times where he provided his opinion on last week’s statewide demersal fisheries changes announcement by the State Government:
Ban short-term pain for long-term gain
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or maybe been out at sea, then you will already be aware of sweeping changes to demersal fishing rules in WA announced this week.
Affecting both recreational and commercial offshore fishers, they mark the biggest shift in fisheries management in our State’s history.
Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis on Wednesday morning made the announcement of the new rules — most notably an immediate 20-month closure of demersal fishing in the West Coast Bioregion (Augusta to Kalbarri) to assist recovery of dhufish stocks — and it instantly caused a storm of comments on social media and talkback radio.
The minister made some very tough calls and there were a lot of very negative responses from all fishing sectors in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, when the emotion was most raw.
For recreational demersal fishers in the West Coast Bioregion, it effectively means an extra 11 months or so off the water compared to what would have happened under the previous rules.
That upset many anglers but it should be pointed out that about 1,000 km of coastline becomes a recreational fishing zone for key species like dhufish and pink snapper when the ban is lifted, and the State Government has guaranteed it will be, in September 2027.
Understandably, many people have queried whether that will actually happen, given the ongoing extensions of the snapper closure in South Australia, but supposedly the State Government’s position is that this is non-negotiable.
Hopefully, this closure encourages many people to broaden their offshore fishing horizons and embrace angling challenges other than big dhufish and snapper.
Commercial fishing will be bought out and it is easy to understand the frustration and disappointment the pros will be feeling, especially given the short timeline.
Hopefully there will be fair compensation for many family businesses, some of which have spanned generations and played an important role in regional communities, as well as supplying fish to WA consumers.
Outside the west coast bioregion, commercial takes will be cut by 50 per cent, which should leave their overall share of the demersal catch in WA about 80 per cent.
Unfortunately, the need to tightly control dhufish stocks after many years of failed measures meant there was always going to be a lot of eggs cracked in order to ensure that dhufish recover.
As many people pointed out, effort shift will need to be accounted for over the next 20 months and there are Statewide bag-limit changes to come in the second half of next year.
Recreationals are also likely to face new catch reporting guidelines, and an advisory committee, put together by the Fisheries Minister, will work towards an effective plan from 2027 onwards.
Ms Jarvis said there had been almost $30 million allocated to support recovery efforts, including the buyouts for commercials and assistance for tackle shops on the west coast who are likely to be significantly affected by the closure.
Recfishwest said the changes were tough in the short term, but would deliver major long-term wins for dhufish, other demersals and the future of fishing.
“The winner right now is dhufish – and that matters,” Recfishwest Chief Executive Dr Andrew Rowland said.
“Fishers have been calling for stronger protection and this decision delivers that.
“It’s short-term pain for long-term gain – the winners in the long run will be the fish and the fishing community.”
The closure should mean more than 500 tonnes of dhufish, pink snapper and other demersals remain in the water for their next two spawning periods, which will hopefully underpin much-needed stock recovery.
I must say I met the minister in Pemberton a couple of months ago and was very impressed by not only her knowledge of fisheries management issues, but her willingness to make tough calls.
She seemingly didn’t shy away from that this week.
She has overseen the biggest shift in fisheries management in my lifetime, if not ever, and while not everyone agreed with the changes, we have to hope that we are finally on a path that leads out of more than 20 years of concerns over the future of WA’s iconic dhufish.
