Fisheries Minister Don Punch has poured cold water on a rethink of demersal fishing limits, claiming they are necessary to avoid complete collapse of the fishery.
A Mid West charter boat owner is on the verge of pulling its lines and a tackle shop company closed two stores in the wake of the state government’s tightening of demersal fishing limits.
New rules introduced this year tripled the ban on demersal fishing between Kalbarri and Augusta to six months, spread over three two-month closures.
Some 6000 tags were handed out to charter boats, the bulk of which went to a handful of operators heavily reliant on demersal fishing.
WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam today urged the state government to rethink the ban which she said left 80 per cent of charter operators facing closure.
But Fisheries Minister Don Punch disputed that figure and poured cold water on a rethink, claiming the ban was necessary to avoid complete collapse of the fishery.
Seaestar Boat Charters owner Kristen McCarthy said she already had laid off a staff member and uncertainty surrounded her other eight employees.
“We have two to three months for work this year and then we have no work for five months next year,” she said.
“We don't know what we're doing and I can't even tell my staff what they are doing past Christmas this year.
“Not only do we not have income for next year, we've lost all of our savings for next year and we have expenditure for the boat coming up, which we don't know if we can even put into the boat.”
Ms McCarthy said a $5000 relief package for boats which didn’t receive fishing tags did not go far, with one tank of fuel costing $1000.
Mr Punch said that relief package was to help businesses advertise other offerings such as lobster and mackerel charters, or venturing beyond the limit zone where the ban does not apply.
“I cannot compensate for fuel prices on a commercial vessel, but I can look at how I can best support businesses in a very difficult time when we have a fundamental problem with the availability of the fish,” he said.
“I could take the easy way out, I could say go fish, go and run your business any way you need and have no regard for the tonnage that's taken.
“But I can absolutely guarantee you that in a couple of years’ time a future fisheries minister will be standing in front of you and having to close this whole fishery down or risk actually losing the species altogether.
“That sounds dramatic, but that's the science evidence that I was presented with.”
Mr Punch said tackle shop owners he had spoken to were still selling plenty of beach fishing gear and had options to diversify.
Tackle World Miami owner Ashley Ramm said shop owners did not have confidence in the future of the industry to re-sign shop leases.
“We are and do everything we can to keep our businesses viable but unless there's a rethink about the policy… it is a bleak outlook,” he said.
“It is time to get back around the table and just have a look at the policy in its entirety.”
Ms Mettam said allocation of tags needed to be fairer to small operators and more consultation was needed with operators on limits and support.
“While no one disputes the need for a sustainable fishing industry, the Cook Labor Government’s ban is an overreach that is having a dire impact on a number of charter fishing operators, small businesses and recreational fishers in the West Coast Bioregion.”
The ban affects fishing for species such as dhufish and pink snapper.
