Action to protect Victorian snapper stocks

by Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) on 8 Sep 2010 Fisheries Victoria is taking action to protect the rights of Victorian recreational and licensed commercial fishers to catch snapper, and the sustainability of the snapper fishery.

Snapper is one of our most important species, particularly in Port Philip Bay, Western Port and along parts of the west and east coast.

Snapper is recognised as a State species under an agreement signed by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments in 1997. The agreement includes a limit on the amount of snapper that can be landed by Commonwealth licensed trawl fishers of 50 kilograms per trip, in recognition that there would be some unavoidable catches of snapper.

However, the trip limit has not been implemented to date and the total amount of snapper caught by Commonwealth trawl fishers has increased significantly in recent years. Spawning aggregations of snapper are particularly vulnerable to targeted fishing.

Fisheries Victoria has therefore requested the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to immediately implement the agreed 50 kilogram trip limit for snapper; to deter any further intentional targeting by some Commonwealth licensed commercial trawl fishers.

We believe that a better way should be developed to avoid, or at least minimise, any potential discards of snapper in the future, subject to maintaining the intent of the 1997 agreement for snapper to be a State species.

This would require careful assessment of trawling operations and catch data, development of appropriate management arrangements, and consultation with all relevant Commonwealth and State fishers.

Fisheries Victoria has offered to meet as soon as possible with representatives from the Commonwealth commercial trawl fishery, State licensed commercial and recreational fishers, and AFMA to get this work started, with an initial focus on trawlers operating from Lakes Entrance.

Work to develop a new approach for all waters off the Victorian coast could be scheduled to start in February 2011.

For more information, please go to: www.dpi.vic.gov.au