Recfish SA renews calls to the state government stop the netting of Kingfish as aggregations migrate to Upper Spencer Gulf

Recfish SA is renewing calls for the state government to ban the netting of kingfish, fearing the fishery will go the same way as snapper and lead to bans. Have your say.

Recreational anglers are spending thousands for the thrill of catching – and releasing – yellowtail kingfish, which they say are being unjustly targeted by commercial netting.

Recfish SA is renewing calls for the state government to ban the netting of kingfish, or impose a daily limit of three fish for professionals, before the fishery becomes unsustainable.

It follows a series of meetings across the state with some of its 360,000 members, who also demanded greater compliance, particularly of illegal catches of abalone and lobster.

Joshua Quinn and his son Cohen, 3, fishing off the Grange jetty. Picture: AAP/Russell Millard

Recfish SA executive officer Asher Dezsery said wild kingfish – which can reach 30kg – continued to be “heavily netted” by one or two professionals and the community was “livid”.

“It’s affecting regional tourism as recreational fishers are spending $700-$1200 each to be out there and then a school of fish are being netted in front of them,” Mr Dezsery said.

“One kingfish recently killed had been caught and released four times, so that fish contributed four times to the economy before being killed.”

Mr Dezsery said despite the issue being raised over many years with the relevant agriculture minister, there was “no concern for sustainability”.

“There is no social licence left, everyone has been demanding action for years and it’s reached a point of aggression and real upset,” he said.

Tackle World Port Lincoln owner Shane Hodgens opened a shop in Port Augusta based on the sport’s popularity in the Upper Spencer Gulf, where spawning aggregations head in October/November.

“In Port Augusta, it (the sport) would conservatively be worth $1m just looking at what people are spending in tackle shops, accommodation, fuel and food,” Mr Hodgens said.

“There’s a small minority of some very serious people that spend serious money chasing kingfish and stay for the two months.”

Mr Hodgens said there were concerns the fishery would end up like the snapper fishery which saw large schools caught, leading to the collapse of the biomass and current bans.

Game Fishing Club of SA president Will McLeay said over 10 years they had tagged 3900 kingfish and more than 600 had been recaptured and they’re “too good to be mismanaged”.

“There was a fish last year that was caught after 4500 days – that’s 12 years swimming around and then being recaught last year,” Mr McLeay said. “When you see them getting caught one, two or three times it shows they’re being treated well … and are put back.”

A spokesman for Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said kingfish stocks were sustainable, so no changes were currently being considered.

“Should concerns for the sustainability of the stock emerge, or an outcome from an allocation assessment recommend a sector needs to be managed back within their allocated share, further management arrangements for yellowtail kingfish may be considered,” the spokesman said.

“However, the minister is open to discussions about how the competing interests of both sectors can be me.”

He said the statewide commercial catch rarely exceeded five tonnes per year and during the previous five years until June 2023, the average catch was 2.7t.

The Marine Fishers Association has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Recfish SA renews calls to the state government stop the netting of Kingfish as aggregations migrate to Upper Spencer Gulf