Public consultation opens on West Coast demersal recovery strategy
The Fisheries Minister has announced a period of public consultation and submissions on proposed management plans to help rebuild stocks of WA’s demersal scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion, which stretches from around Kalbarri to Augusta.
The plans follow the latest scientific stock assessment, which were released late last year and showed West Coast Demersal Scalefish stocks were not recovering fast enough under the 2010-2030 recovery plan. The assessment showed the stock decline had slowed, but was not recovering fast enough.
The recovery plan has several components and options, that will see the total catch limit, which is shared by recreational, commercial and charter operators, reduced to 375 tonnes per year in order to enable stocks to recover to sustainable levels by 2030.
It is important to note that the commercial sector has always remained safely below the responsible allocation levels agreed at the start of the recovery plan and therefore has not further contributed to the sustainability challenges.
Commercial fishers have already been constructively engaged in the recovery process and are now encouraged to participate in the public consultation process, which is open until Friday 16 September 2022. You’ll find the link at: https://yoursay.dpird.wa.gov.au/wcdemersal
If anybody has any comments or questions of WAFIC about its responsible management of the west coast demersal fishery we will be happy to discuss.
A copy of the Fisheries Minister’s media statement can be viewed here.