LETTER: NSW Government must stop attacking recreational fishing

DEAR News Of The Area,

THE NSW Government’s proposed changes to bag limits for snapper and yellowtail kingfish should concern every recreational fisher in this state.

Once again, recreational fishers appear to be the easiest target when the Government wants to be seen to be doing something about fish stocks. But where is the evidence that simply cutting bag limits will deliver the outcomes being claimed?

There is an even bigger question the Government needs to answer: are our current legal size limits actually allowing these fish to reach breeding size before they can legally be taken? The current NSW minimum legal length for snapper is just 30cm. Yet NSW Fisheries’ own stock assessment states that snapper reach maturity at around 26cm in northern NSW and 32cm in southern NSW. That means the legal size in southern NSW can actually be below the size at which 50 per cent of snapper have reached maturity. (NSW Department of Primary Industries⁠).

The situation with yellowtail kingfish is even more concerning. The current minimum legal length is 65cm, while NSW Fisheries research estimates that 50 per cent of female kingfish reach maturity at approximately 83cm fork length. Kingfish can legally be removed from the fishery well before a significant proportion of females have reached maturity. (NSW Department of Primary Industries⁠).

NSW Fisheries itself says minimum size limits are a management tool designed to ensure that most fish have the opportunity to grow to breeding size and spawn at least once before being caught. (NSW Department of Primary Industries⁠). So before the Government reaches for another bag-limit reduction on recreational fishers, perhaps it should explain why the existing management settings allow fish to be legally harvested before many have even had the opportunity to breed.

This raises serious questions about whether the Government is actually managing the resource properly or simply continuing to place restrictions on recreational fishers because they are an easy political target.

Recreational fishers are not the enemy of our fisheries. They are among the biggest stakeholders in NSW’s marine environment and contribute enormously to coastal communities through spending on boats, fuel, tackle, bait, accommodation, tourism and local businesses.

They also pay a recreational fishing fee that is supposed to support recreational fishing and fisheries management.

If fish stocks are genuinely under pressure, then the Government should provide the public with the full science behind its decisions, identify all sources of fishing mortality, and demonstrate that every sector is being treated fairly. Simply reducing the recreational bag limit does not address the fundamental question of whether the fishery is being managed for maximum sustainability. We need a fisheries department that understands the biology of these species, listens to the people who spend their weekends on the water, and manages fish stocks based on sound science rather than political convenience.

Recreational fishers are willing to support sensible, evidence-based conservation measures. What they will not accept is being continually singled out while fundamental questions about fisheries management remain unanswered.

Stop attacking recreational fishing. Start managing the resource properly.

Regards,

Troy Radford,

Tanilba Bay.