Recreational fishers and marine conservationists have welcomed the state government’s plan to ban commercial netting in Port Phillip and Corio bays.
State Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford last week said $20million would be allocated to phase out the practice over eight years.
“This will increase recreational fishing numbers and economic activity, leading to more jobs in the sector and offer a clear and fair exit strategy for commercial licence holders,” she said.
“By supporting clubs and phasing out commercial netting, we can increase the number of recreational fishers to one million by 2020. We want to reassure the industry that this will be undertaken in close consultation with the industry and relevant stakeholders.”
Williamstown’s Dallas D’Silva, of VRFish, said the peak body representing recreational fishers in Victoria supported the plan to halt netting and increase the availability of fish stocks for recreational anglers.
“Conflict between commercial netting and recreational line fishing has been a longstanding issue in Port Phillip Bay. We’re keen to see a timeline with key steps and actions for implementation over the next four years.”
But Williamstown commercial fisher Rob Carabott said he believed the government was “making a big mistake” and the ban would take away the main income source of more than 40 licence holders.
“But what it means for people of Victoria is more substantial because they rely on us to harvest the local product so they can have fresh fish,” Mr Carabott said.
“The bay can sustain both recreational and commercial fishing and I really think the government needs to have a serious look at what the commercial sector does in Port Phillip, how we fish and what the true value of our catch is.”
Ivan Bereza, president of the Friends of Corio Bay Action Group, which has long campaigned for a commercial netting ban, said commercial fishers would still be able to net for pilchards and sardines.
“The government will not be phasing out purse seining for bait; that’s for bait and pilchards,” he said.
“It is only mesh netting and haul seining – the destructive methods used in the bay, which kill too many juvenile fish and wildlife.”
