Have Your Say on Two Inland Fishery Management Plans
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Issue 237, 15 January 2009 ISSN 1443-0592 Have your say on two inland fishery management plans The Minister Responsible for Fisheries, Joe Helper has announced the release of Draft Fishery Management Plans for the Wimmera and the Port Phillip and Western Port fisheries. The area covered by the Port Phillip and Western Port Fishery Management Plan aligns with the inland and estuarine waters administered by Melbourne Water and the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority. Waters include the Yarra, Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers, Sugarloaf Reservoir, Family Fishing Lakes such as Rowville, Emerald and Karkarook, and Lillydale Lake which is managed as a ‘Premier Lake’ through the Go Fishing in Victoria initiative. The Port Phillip and Western Port inland fishery supports high quality brown and rainbow trout, mulloway, black bream, redfin, Murray cod, Macquarie perch and river blackfish recreational fisheries. The area covered by the Wimmera Fishery Management Plan aligns with the inland waters administered by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. The Wimmera fishery includes trout fisheries such as Wartook Lake, Bellfield Reservoir and Fyans Lake and native fisheries such as Taylor Lake and the Wimmera River. The Draft Fishery Management Plans outline strategies for the sustainable management of these fisheries. Strategies include encouraging responsible fishing behaviour, stocking fish to enhance recreational fishing and improving angler access. The Draft Fishery Management Plans are now being distributed to key stakeholder groups and are available to the public for comment. Copies of the draft management plans can be obtained from the DPI website at www.dpi.vic.gov.au/fishing > Managing Fisheries or by contacting the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186. Submissions should be addressed to: Ms Candice Basham Fisheries Planning Officer GPO Box 4440 Melbourne VIC 3001 Email [email protected] Fax (03) 9658 4203. Submissions should be made on or before 12 February 2009 for the Wimmera Fishery Management Plan and 15 February 2009 for the Port Phillip and Western Port Fishery Management Plan . Tagged bay snapper recaptured nine years on An undersize snapper returned to the water in 1999 has been recaptured by a recreational angler nearly nine years after its release. The snapper was caught, tagged and released on 27 December 1999 in Corio Bay, Geelong. It measured 22.8 cm and was caught in five metres of water during a scientific assessment of the Port Phillip Bay snapper population, jointly funded by Fisheries Victoria and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. The tagged snapper was subsequently recaptured at 70 cm in 18 metres, off Carrum on 21 November late last year. The recreational angler reported it to scientists at the Fisheries Research Branch at Queenscliff. During the 3,242 days at liberty the snapper had grown 47 centimetres and increased in weight to approximately 4.5 kilograms. The recapture confirms that if anglers carefully return undersized fish to the water, other people can enjoy catching them again as a much larger fish in the future. This is a great way anglers can contribute to the management of Victoria’s fisheries resources. Recapture reports like this help fisheries scientists understand what is happening to fish populations, particularly in relation to growth and movement. Anglers who catch tagged fish should write down the date and location of the capture, the fish’s length and the tag number. If anglers intend to keep the fish, which they are entitled to do if it is a legal size, they should retain the tag and freeze the fish frame. If the tag does not display a phone number, anglers can report the recapture to 1800 652 598 or VICTAG on 1800 677 620. Gippsland lakes bream fishery – size matters A new Fisheries Notice has maintained the minimum size limit for black bream in the Gippsland Lakes system at 28 cm for a further 12 months from 18 December 2008. The size limit was increased from 26 cm in December 2003 after concerns bream stocks were declining in the Gippsland Lakes and its tributaries. While the decline has been primarily due to unfavourable habitat and environmental conditions, it is important to ensure that fishing pressure does not exacerbate the situation. The minimum size limit of 28 cm will be maintained for both the commercial and recreational fishing sectors. The public can help authorities enforce regulations and protect our valuable fish stocks by reporting suspicious activity to Fisheries Victoria 13 FISH (13 34 74) reporting service, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fishy fact – Nannygai Have you ever been fishing for snapper or flathead and pulled something up that looks more at home hundreds of metres below the surface; bright red in colour with a large upturned mouth and a short compressed body? Then chances are you’ve caught a nannygai or redfish. Nannygai are found in waters from southern Queensland through to South Australia. They are known to congregate around reefs and across bare patches of sand and are often caught by anglers targeting species such as snapper, flathead and whiting. Nannygai are thought to take up to four years to mature and will spawn from late summer into autumn. Anglers can catch them from shallow coastal waters, all the way through to depths of 450 m using baits such as pilchards or squid. © State of Victoria, Department of Primary Industries 2008 Reproduction is authorised – call 136 186 for conditions. This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purpose and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Issue 238, 29 January 2009 ISSN 1443-0592 Port Phillip Bay snapper fishery booms again Recreational fishers have again had a great opportunity to catch some large snapper, known as ‘big reds’, which arrived in large numbers in Port Phillip Bay in late spring on their annual spawning run. The snapper season has boomed with substantial quantities of fish between 4 and 6 kg, and a good run of smaller fish in the 1-2 kg range. Fisheries Victoria monitoring programs indicate that most of the large snapper caught recently result from highly successful spawnings in the spring/summer of 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1997/98. The smaller fish are from good spawnings in the spring/summer of 2000/01. Fisheries Victoria scientists also suggest that more recent strong spawnings in 2003/04 and 2004/05 should see the good snapper seasons continue for some time to come. Anglers are urged to ‘know their limits’ so that everyone gets a fair share of the fantastic fishing, now and into the future. The current minimum legal size limit for snapper is 28 cm and the daily bag limit is 10 fish, of which only three may equal or exceed 40 cm. Anglers are reminded not to exceed catch limits. Fisheries Officers regularly patrol popular boat ramps and are well aware of the most productive areas of the bay. Ensure your seafood is safe Fisheries Officers and local council Environmental Health Officers will be working together to send the clear message that it is illegal for recreational fishers to sell or trade their catch, or for a food business to purchase fish from recreational fishers. Recreational fishers are reminded that it is an illegal activity to sell your recreationally caught fish or seafood - a practice known as illegal take for sale. Popular species such as abalone, snapper, King George whiting, calamari, flathead and Murray cod are targeted. Restaurants and seafood businesses purchasing fish illegally risk the health of their customers and their reputation. These risks can be avoided by purchasing seafood from legitimate seafood sellers. Commercial fishers are licensed under fisheries and food safety legislation. This ensures the catch is sustainably harvested and safe to eat. Selling your catch without a commercial licence may result in significant fines and possibly jail terms. Restaurants and seafood business found retrieving or selling recreationally caught seafood can be prosecuted and fined up to $120,000 as an individual or up to $200,000 as a company and face up to ten years in jail under the Fisheries Act 1995 . The risk of selling seafood illegally is just not worth it – for the sake of your customer’s health and for the sustainability of Victoria’s fisheries resource, do not sell recreational catches. To report illegal fishing activity, phone the Fisheries Victoria reporting line on 13 FISH (13 3474), which operates 24 hours, seven days a week. © State of Victoria, Department of Primary Industries 2008 Reproduction is authorised – call 136 186 for conditions. This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purpose and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. All information will be treated in strict confidence and will assist in planning patrols and enforcement operations when no immediate field response is possible. Study reveals secrets for catching Eildon brown trout The opportunity to enjoy fishing for brown trout during summer has just been made even better thanks to a recent study revealing the seasonal habits of brown trout in Lake Eildon. In a project funded from recreational licence revenue, scientists found that as surface water temperatures rise, brown trout become restricted to an increasingly smaller section of the lake.