Recfishwest has received an excellent response to our west coast demersal survey so far as part of the first phase of a five-month consultation process to give recreational fishers the chance to have their say in the future of the fishery.
Read more about the consultation process here.
The survey wraps up this Friday (29 April), so if you haven’t already done so, Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland is encouraging everyone who values these special fish to have their say.
“The survey will help us understand your preferences for potential management approaches — as well as hearing any other ideas you may have about how the sustainability targets might be achieved,” said Dr Rowland.
“This will help us develop our advice to DPIRD to inform their consultation process planned for June/July.
“We want to hear from as many of you as possible, so with less than a week to go, please consider filling out the survey if you haven’t already done so and encourage your family and friends to do the same.”
The consultation process follows DPIRD’s west coast demersal stock assessment which has shown that while there are some signs of recovery, west coast demersal stocks are not recovering fast enough to meet the 2030 sustainability target set in the recovery plan launched for these species in 2010.
Read our west coast demersal science FAQs here.
As part of the consultation process, Recfishwest has also set up a West Coast Demersal Expert Working Group, comprising of leading members of the fishing community with significant interests and experience in this fishery. The expert working group will assess ideas and feedback from the survey and provide us with advice about preferred management options.
This group recently had its first meeting – you can read the report here.
