Victor Harbor calls for help to deal with fisher influx once South-East’s annual snapper fishing ban ends
Victor Harbor is expecting a huge influx of fishers to hit its shores once the South East’s annual snapper ban lifts in February, putting huge pressure on the town’s infrastructure, and its fish stocks.
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Victor Harbor will be overrun with fishermen once the South East’s snapper ban lifts, locals have claimed, and they are worried the rush to get back in the water could cause safety, congestion and health issues.
While the majority of the state faces a three-year ban on snapper fishing, the South East, between the west coast of Kangaroo Island and Victorian border, faces annual bans from November to January.
Commercial fisherman Rod Ness, who also runs charters and has a fish shop in Victor Harbor, expects recreational fishers to travel to travel there from across the state, come February.
“All the fellas that have got $150,000 boats that normally fish in the gulf won’t be putting them in the shed for three years,” Mr Ness said.
“Our fish, our boating facilities and everything will be swamped with the pressure.”
He said Kingston was the next closest port to Adelaide in the South East area, and the 300km drive from the capital would instead direct fishers to the South Coast.
“The boat ramp here is absolutely swamped here now anyway and it’s just not set up to take three or four times the amount of traffic – it’s not physically possible,” he said.
“There should have been a cap (on snapper) 15 years ago so the stocks weren’t depleted as much as they have been. I would rather they just close the whole state down and let them breed up and see what happens.”
Victor Harbor Mayor Moira Jenkins estimated her town might host hundreds of extra people each day at peak times.
She said Victor Harbor’s main boat ramp, near The Bluff, did not feature wash-down facilities and the nearest toilets were about 500m away.
“There’s implications for safety in the region with so many boats coming to us, and it could also bring health impacts,” Dr Jenkins said.
“I’m concerned that the ratepayers are going to be impacted by the greater use of our facilities that have not been built to accommodate the increased use.”
The council was due to dredge the channel to the boat ramp next year, but is instead starting the $535,000 project this weekend to address the potential safety issues.
Dr Jenkins hoped the State Government would help the council deal with the influx, part-funding costs such as temporary toilets.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone said controlled snapper fishing was permitted in the South East during the non-spawning period, from February 1 to October 31 each year, as the area’s stocks were “sustainable”.
He was setting up an advisory committee to look at ways to stop South East snapper stocks from being overfished.
Control measures might include setting a total allowable catch for each of the sectors.
“Fishing for snapper will be controlled in the South-East so there is no reason for jetties to be overrun significantly more than usual during the peak recreational fishing season,” Mr Whetstone said.
He said local government was responsible for jetties, boat ramps and their amenities but he would consider the council’s request.
michelle.etheridge@news.com.au