REGIONAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STATEMENT Agency Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) Fisheries and Aquaculture 1. Title of the initiative Implementing a new registration system, 4. Stakeholders Affected by the proposed management arrangements and fee structure initiative for recreational mesh net fishing in Lake Recreational fishers with current netting George. registrations 2. Issue to be addressed Recreational fishers with an interest in gaining The recreational fishing sector is a significant a registration contributor to the State’s economy as well as being a major recreational pursuit of South Wattle Range Council and the Lake George Australians, and interstate and international Management Committee visitors. Recreational fishers target a variety of RecFish SA and its associated organisations species from different platforms including boats, beaches and jetties using a variety of 5. Stakeholders Consulted gear types, including mesh nets in specific Recreational fishers with current netting areas, including Lake George in the South registrations East. RecFish SA Currently, individuals who hold a recreational net registration can register one or two nets for Lake George Management Committee use in Lake George for a three-year period Wattle Range Council with a right of application to renew; however, these nets may only be used by the individual 6. Consultation who has registered them. The existing PIRSA has liaised with the Wattle Range legislation does not allow any other person to Council and Lake George Management apply for a recreational mesh net registration, Committee throughout this process. Targeted with no new registrations being issued since and public consultation has occurred with local 1995. Councils, RecFish SA and regional recreational fishing committees through a In 2013, the Wattle Range Council and Lake workshop in early 2014, the release of a George Management Committee presented a discussion paper in September 2014, and a proposal to PIRSA for restructuring the public meeting in Millicent in November 2014 management framework for recreational mesh on the issue. Following the outcome of the net registrations in Lake George. The proposal consultation process, PIRSA met with the Lake was for existing net registrations to be George Management Committee to inform extinguished, and subsequently issued on them of the results of the public consultation application on an annual basis for a period of and the refinements that have been made to one year, similar to the current recreational the proposed management arrangements. rock lobster pot registration system. 3. Region(s) impacted by the proposal The Limestone Coast, specifically around Beachport and the area of the Wattle Range Council 1 | P a g e REGIONAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STATEMENT Given the possibility of an increase in 7. Summary of Impacts and Analysis recreational net registrations under the proposed new arrangements it is important to monitor numbers of individuals who may 7.1 Economic Factors access the aquatic resources of Lake Positive economic impacts are also likely George on an annual basis and manage to occur through increases in tourism and their activities. New marking and tagging associated business activities in the requirements have been developed to Limestone Coast region, in and near support an effective licensing and Beachport. compliance program. Effective research Throughout the process to develop these and monitoring of fish stocks by SARDI arrangements, including the public Aquatic Sciences is also important, in consultation period, stakeholders were order to manage the impact of any advised that an annual fee would be the increase in fishing activities on the fish mechanism used to recover all additional stocks in Lake George. Managing an costs for new activities associated with annual system of recreational mesh net research, compliance, licensing and registrations (rather than the existing management of these fishing activities. framework of registrations with no end The undertaking of these activities by date) would enable PIRSA to more PIRSA is critical in ensuring the effectively respond to and manage any sustainability of proposed recreational negative impacts of recreational net fishing netting activities and is consistent with the in Lake George. management approach PIRSA applies 7.4 Equity Factors towards achieving sustainable outcomes The proposal aims to allow anyone with an relating to other fishing activities interest in recreational net fishing in Lake administered under the Fisheries George to access the resource in the Management Act 2007. future, thereby improving equity for all 7.2 Social Factors recreational fishers. The benefits of these changes include 8. Mitigation positive social impacts through increased Mitigation strategies are included in the and more equitable participation in impacts sections of the RIAS recreational net fishing activities in Lake George, particularly for younger family 9. Coordination members The following Government agencies were 7.3 Environmental Factors consulted in relation to this issue: Department of the Premier and Cabinet Requirements for fishers to be in Department of State Development attendance of nets and restrictions on the Department of Primary Industries and Regions mesh size, length, depth and position of – Regions SA nets set in the water column have been Department of Environment, Water and developed to manage impacts on the Natural Resources primary target species Yellow-eye Mullet, and mitigate impacts on non-target species. 2 | P a g e REGIONAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STATEMENT 10. Local Government Wattle Range Council are supportive and have been involved in all stages of developing this 12. Agency Contact Details proposal Keith Rowling | Program Leader, Community 11. Preferred Option Based Fisheries, Fisheries and Aquaculture The preferred option was consistent with the management arrangements that were outlined Primary Industries and Regions SA - PIRSA in the discussion paper. Level 14, 25 Grenfell Street, Adelaide, 5000, South Australia | GPO Box 1625, Adelaide, SA, 5001 | One change that occurred following the public DX 210 comment was the lowering of the annual fee Ph (08) 84290513 | Email [email protected] from $200 per annum to $150 per annum. 3 | P a g e .