WA Tourism Under Threat by WA's State Government

I will let the following letter speak for itself.

Hon. Sheila McHale MLABA., Dip. Soc. Sci. JP

Minister for Disability Services; Tourism; Culture and Arts; Consumer Protection.



Dear Minister



Below are some serious concerns that I wish to bring to your attention on the fisheries minister’s new rules for amateur fishing,



If the rules are implemented as proposed, it will be a disaster for tourism on the south west coast. I have already advertised my boat for work in the oil industry, and know the other operators in Kalbarri are looking for work elsewhere. This doesn't only mean an end to fishing charters in Kalbarri but also to Whale Watching and scenic Ocean cruising. As you will be aware the Kalbarri coastal cliffs are spectacular, especially when viewed from the ocean and are a major draw card for visitors to Kalbarri.



There is no way we can survive with this closure!!



I don't claim to have a detailed knowledge of fishing south of Geraldton, but believe my 30 years experience skippering fishing boats out of Kalbarri, and a background as a tackle shop owner, gives me an invaluable insight into the fisheries off Kalbarri.



The fishing within 40 kilometres of Kalbarri has never been better which raises the question as to the depletion of stocks as claimed by the Minister for Fisheries!



The Department of Fisheries advised the minister that the fishing south of Port Gregory needed help. There was no mention of fishing north of Port Gregory. In fact I will guarantee that this department has never undertaken any research on fish stocks around Kalbarri.



My major concerns with the new regulations cover two main areas: the adverse impact they will have on fish stocks and the impact on tourism.



The Department of Fisheries’ own research indicates that between 70% and 90% of fish released into deep water (over 25 metres) die. My own experience gleaned from 30 years as a skipper fishing out of Kalbarri, is that the mortality rate is far closer to 90% than 70%. We have an Oceanarium showcasing local fish species, and have experimented with bringing fish into our tanks from deep water and have found almost a 100% mortality rate for fish caught in deep water.



The complete thrust of Minister Ford’s conservation policy is the return of fish caught out of deep water.



My greatest concern is that these conservation measures will in fact have an adverse affect and result in more fish deaths.



The increase in legal size for snapper will in fact kill more fish. While a fisher attempts to catch his quota of bigger snapper, it is very likely that he will have to release many smaller snapper before he gets his two bigger fish, killing at least 70% of the snapper returned to the ocean (the 70 % figure is according to Fisheries’ own research but closer to 90% as I have already stated.).



The attempt to restrict the ‘endangered 5’ will also negatively affect fish stocks. As fishers have no control over which fish is biting at their bait, they cannot avoid catching and landing species of the endangered 5. By adhering to the new regulations they will simply throw these fish overboard to die (as mentioned above bringing up fish from deep waters kills them). As they are unable to keep the fish they’ll continue fishing for more species, killing more in the process.



I am all for fish conservation, my business depends on it, and have for many years suggested that the bag limits for amateurs too high. The minister reduced the bag limits for charter boats from 7 category one fish to 4 category 1 fish in May this year, a move we all supported. Now, before giving any time to see the result of the reduced bag limits, he is further reducing the bag to 2 category 1 fish.



Fisheries’ own data tells us that the charter boat industry takes less than 5% of the catch. The charter boat operators perform a very important part of the education of amateur fishers by educating them on the rules, (most have no idea of the fishing rules) and strictly enforcing both size limits and bag limits.



In my opinion most charter customers justify the $210 fare by saying that at least they may catch a few fish to offset the cost. Now I can see very few spending $210 to catch a bag limit of only 2 fish.



To stop us from catching the "endangered 5" fish for 3 months a year, is in fact stopping us from operating at all, as 90% of our catch is from the so called endangered 5 fish.



On top of the damage the minister is going to cause to charter boat operators, the overall loss to coastal tourist communities will be extreme. Boaties will just travel north to Shark Bay or Ningaloo and bypass us altogether on their fishing holiday.



Further more as an added blow to tourist destinations such as Kalbarri, fishing for the "endangered 5" is completely banned for the Xmas school holidays from 2009 onwards.



The minister is trying to soften up his new regulations by saying we can all still go fishing as long as we don't catch fish from the "endangered 5" group, the reality however is that almost our entire catch and that of all armatures is made up of fish from the "endangered 5" group of fish.



The bottom line is fishing becomes a vicious circle with us killing fish from the "endangered 5" species in our endeavours to catch fish from the allowed species.



Lastly I am concerned that this is being treated by government as purely a "fishing" issue with no connection to tourism. The reality is that charter boat fishing is tourism and the impacts will be far reaching.



Minister I would urge you to seriously consider the implications of these impending regulations on not just the tourism industry but also the flawed rationale behind the Department of Fisheries management of our fish stocks.







Regards,



Bob Mitchell - Kalbarri Explorer,



POB 264
Kalbarri 6536



Phone 0899372027



Web www.kalbarriexplorer.com.au









So why is the Western Australian Government over-regulating the fishing industry as well as banning fishing by recreational fishers in peak times?