Call to review rule on commercial cray catch

RECREATIONAL rock lobster fishers want a rule allowing commercial operators to take 30 crayfish each for “personal reasons” to be reconsidered.

Michael Holmes of Hobart who is a recreational fisherman unhappy with the crayfish quota. Picture Nikki Davis-Jones

TASMANIA’S recreational rock lobster fishers want the State Government to reconsider a rule that allows commercial operators to take 30 crayfish each for “personal reasons” each season.

The Government is planning to amend the Rock Lobster Fishery Management Plan in a bid to allow stocks to rebuild on Tasmania’s East Coast.

There are more than 300 commercial rock lobster fishers in Tasmania and each season they are collectively allowed to take 9000 crayfish for their own use.

Michael Holmes and Don Paton from Recreational Fishing Tasmania said it was time that rule was revisited.

Minister for Primary Industries and Water Jeremy Rockliff said the issue would be looked at in the context of East Coast stock rebuilding, but preliminary data from IMAS indicated that the number of lobsters retained by commercial fishers under this provision was low.

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“I will ask the Crustacean Fishery Advisory Committee to review the log book data and provide advice on this issue,” Mr Rockliff said.

Mr Holmes says the recreational sector was bearing the brunt of the Government’s push to rebuild stock numbers, and many of the 20,000 individuals who bought a recreational licence would not bother any more.

Under the proposed changes, recreational fishers would have their daily bag limit reduced from three to two, and the maximum boat catch limit would fall from 15 to eight.

The commercial fishing sector already supported the proposed changes, saying a cut to recreational limits would help stocks rebuild.

Mr Holmes said Tasmania did not benefit a great deal from commercial rock lobster fishing, but the recreational sector buoyed small fishing towns and the 60,000 licences issued each year at a cost of $52 each boosted government coffers.

“Most of the fish caught by the commercial operators are exported live, so there is no GST charged and taxes are paid to the Commonwealth, not Tasmania,” he said.

Mr Paton said recreational fishers had seen their potential catch reduced by 60 per cent over the past two years since a 10-year strategy to rebuild stock numbers was introduced. The commercial catch limit had been cut by about 15 per cent from 140 tonnes to 199 tonnes in the same period.

‘‘In New Zealand, recreational fishers get first access and then the commercial operators can move in if anything is left,” Mr Paton said.