A warning bell is sounded for all fishos hear it well
In the Sunday Times newspaper of November 6 page 03 of the life style section there was a half page story concerning the state of the fishery in the Mandurah Estuary.
This story was written by a fishing journalist who is IMO greatly respected in WA.
The story is headed "Commercial threat to estuary anglers.
The first couple of paragraphs of the story point out what an important fishery the Mandurah/Harvey estuary is to amateur fishos and how just recently the [professional fishermen who work this water way received the granting of a sustainable fisheries acknowledgement from the MSC (a world body) who oversee fisheries for their sustainability,
This acknowledgement was for the way the Blue swimmer crab and Mullet fishery is managed, and the professional fishermen catching this fish species should be acknowledged as I'm sure the world body doesn't had out this type of thing willy nilly.
Now for the bad news and why all amateur fishos who chase yellow fin whiting in this water way should become alarmed, the article in the paper correctly points out what great eating and sporting fish to catch on light gear these fish are, and how important these fish are to amateur fishos.
The future of this fishery is under great threat of being decimated by over exploitation of the bio mass by the actions of those same people who have been acclaimed as engaging in sustainable fishing for Blue swimmer crabs and Mullet.
The sustainability of the yellow fin whiting was not raised by any body.
Since 2011 the commercial take of yellow fin whiting has risen from around 8 tonnes to 29.6 tonnes in 2015.
Recfishwest the peak body for amateur fishos in this state has rung the warning bell for this species of fish as well as the take of blue swimmer crabs, the majority of which where taken by amateur fishos in the 90 since then the majority is now taken by the professional fishermen.
The article then goes on to quote various agreements on the sustainable take considered to be allowed and keep the stokes of various species at a sustainable level and names the people who should be contacted about this situation and your views of the current situation make very clear to.
I have the view that there is a place for the professional fishing in the estuary, however I strongly believe that there are too many pros operating in this rather small expanse of water and unless something drastic is done and rather quickly we are all going to wake up one morning and wonder where all the yellow fin whiting have gone.
I don't have any letters after my name indicating that I have formal qualifications in this matter, just my observations of what is going on in my back yard over recent years.
If we don't want to lose a fantastic fishery we all need to get of our backsides and make our views know to our politicians...NOW
I would like to thank Mr Scott Coghlan for bringing this situation out into the day light and making a lot of people aware of how dire things are getting down here with regard to pressure being put on a small fishery.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Attack thr Pros
Here we go again, attack the pros because they are seen to be catching more fish to feed those who for some reason cannot catch a feed for themselves. As for the demise of the crab fishery, it wasn't the pros, blame disease and weather conditions, exactly the same thing happened in Shark Bay and it was shut down for 2 years and now is producing more than ever yet again the pros got the blame from the rec fishing fraternity.
From fisheries reports the biomass of whiting has increase over the years and the pros take has done little to make a dent in it.
As a keen angler and an ex profisherman its gives one the shits when it comes to greedy people trying to stop an honest person making a living providing those who cannot otherwise get a feed of decent fish not imported garbage.
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8051
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Funny you should mention
Funny you should mention Shark Bay. My brother was up there last week and noted they were selling YFW for bait...
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
marrisy
Posts: 198
Date Joined: 08/09/11
Unfortunately much of the
Unfortunately much of the fish caught by professional fishermen are exported . I believe the professionals at Mandurah do sell to local retailers , and can anyone confirm that ? Marris .
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
Yes sold locally.
Yes sold locally.
Quobbarockhopper
Posts: 391
Date Joined: 28/05/10
Interesting to note that a
Interesting to note that a certain trap friendly pro in our local is not far off gaining MSC sustainability certification as well...
Not interesting actually. Scary. Won't be long now until it's deja vu
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
What he said^^^
.
Saulty2
Posts: 645
Date Joined: 28/05/10
hard to respond
without getting your head bitten off .
sea-kem
Posts: 14857
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Was thinking the same mate.
Was thinking the same mate. There's obviously an issue down there, but would like to know if there's been an obvious reduction in the whiting numbers etc
Love the West!
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8051
Date Joined: 07/05/12
The boys on the Yellowfin
The boys on the Yellowfin Whiting Popping WA fb page have been doing well already
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
Dale
Posts: 7930
Date Joined: 13/09/05
Pop corns in the microwave..
"Just because you are a Character, Doesn't mean you have Character."
Mr Wolf
rob90
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 06/02/13
I went poppin a few times
I went poppin a few times last year and the whiting and crabs were like flies ripper whiting too. It could be an issue i guess but from what i saw last season i dont think things have drastically changed to this season. It is a system that get an absolute shit load of fishing pressure, and for it to be holding up as well as i saw/see im guessing it will be alrite. But i do agree 29.6 tonnes is alot of stinky estuary whiting.
Hi my name is rob............. and I'm a........... fishaholic
Uluabuster
Posts: 722
Date Joined: 12/12/10
I was there popping but i
I was there popping but i did notice a decrease in catch rate between Jan 2015 Jan 2016. Perhaps my skills have deteorarated? or adverse weather conditions?
Auslobster- what do u reckon?
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
More fish
More take.............seems to be the go where commercials are concerned.
Recs could never match the comm take.
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
I don't think anyone
I don't think anyone particularly want to be pro bashing , it would probably cause the same amount of concern if it was the rec catch that had increased so sharply in the last 5 years or so
so putting the us and them argument aside it does seem there should be cause for concern if the harvest is rising by 250% as is claimed ,
traditionally the peel Harvey was less marine and more estuarine , that has changed with the new cut in the alst few decades, when and how the science behind the harvest level was agreed may need to be looked at again .... mullet and crabs where the main staples in the peel /Harvey ...
whiting pay a far higher return on catch though , as the licences in that system have been bought and sold at much higher prices [200 - 300 k , there is pressure surely on the buyers of the licences to get a higher return to feed their debt etc
it has at min gone from a whiting fishery worth $160 k to now be harvesting worth 600 k ... if you use $20 per kilo as a base so there is reasons why finances have driven this upwards imo
traditionally the licences had been family owned for many years worth lesser amounts and harvest quantitys where less , now they have escalated it needs to be investigated by all stakeholders , with the best interests of the peel Harvey fishery as the core concern ,is it sustainable ?? or will it lead to a collapse of the fishery .... not recs versus pros imo
article below that outlines it
hezzy
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/recfishwest-concerned-about-mandurah-whiting-fishery
RECFISHWEST has expressed concerns about the overfishing of yellowfin whiting from the commercial sector in the iconic Mandurah estuary system of Peel Harvey.
Commercial whiting catches have significantly increased in the Western Australian system since an agreed threshold was reached with the community in 2011.
Traditionally yellowfin whiting made up only a small component of the commercial catch – approximately 5-8t – in what has traditionally been a commercial mullet and blue swimmer crab fishery.
A Recfishwest spokesperson said the community were involved in the negotiation and accepted the current catch threshold for this species, and that this was done in good faith and as a measure to protect the high level of fishing enjoyment a healthy stock provides.
“It’s disappointing that commercial catches of Yellowfin Whiting have been allowed to increase by over 250% since 2011. To now see the agreed threshold exceeded by more than double feels like the West Australian community has been robbed,” she said.
“We believe these catch levels pose a significant risk to the quality of current and future fishing experiences in Mandurah. Fishing for yellowfin whiting is a key part of our culture and we are now calling for action to restore the balance.
“While we understand the value and role commercial fishing plays in delivering fresh, local seafood to the market, we believe that unconstrained catches in such a small system such as the Peel Harvey estuary no longer meet community expectations.
“If Mandurah is to continue to provide fantastic fishing and we are to genuinely preserve what is so important to the West Australian lifestyle, then the time to act is now.
The Peel Harvey harvest stategy can be found here.
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/management_papers/fmp274.pdf
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
clayd
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 07/12/15
Well Researched
Well researched Hezzy. Pretty clearly outlined in the management paper. Threshold for YTW has been reached. It's now time for fisheries to act. If fisheries don't act, questions should be asked of them.
I feel it is important to understand that the commercial fishermen have not done anything wrong here. They've done everything correct and reported their catches. It is up to Fisheries to monitor the catch and act when thresholds have been reached. Something was meant to happen when catch was equaly to or exceed 15% of agreed level. The question is, has Fisheries done what they said they would do?
Sulo
Posts: 256
Date Joined: 13/08/11
The issue is not so much
The issue is not so much about bashing pro's, of more concern is how fisheries allowed the quota (15 tonnes) to be exceeded and then exceeded by roughly 100%. The measures put in place to protect the fishery have been ignored at the detriment of all of the communities resource of which the commercial sector and fisheries are meant to be looking after on our behalf.
They have MSC on crabs and Mullet but not whiting, whiting only should only be considered a bye catch and as such the catch rates should reflect this.
timboon
Posts: 2924
Date Joined: 14/11/10
Ah fuck it they may as well
Ah fuck it they may as well put a whiting ban on the recs from Oct 15 - Dec 15... Works for everything else
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
My" WHS" was directed at original post.
In case anyone is confused.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15610
Date Joined: 29/11/05
Sulo
I'm with Sulo, how they capped the quota and then let it get exceeded isn't the pro's fault. I'm all for the commercial way of life, people need to eat fish and sustainability is always a hard one, how many fish are there in a body of water?? Especially when South West Eastuaries are seasonal and cyclical. Knowing a fair few pro's down south, they work fugging hard for their money on days that there's no way we recs would be on the water - freezing cold, wet and getting bashed around in sloppy conditions for bulk fish one day and nothing the next - certainly not the easiest way to earn a living.
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meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Not saying it's the pros fault
I'm not saying the catch of yellow fin whiting is the fault of the pros, they have taken what they have been allowed to take by fisheries.
I stated quite clearly that I believe there is a place for the pros in the fishery, however what I think needs to be done is a study of the bio mass of the yellow fin whiting and when that is complete evaluate the results and access if the fishery can sustain the amount being taken.
If the answer is the amount being taken is excessive then put in place some sort of control, like a totally allowable catch of these fish something like there is for crays.
The newspaper reported that the amount of yellow fin being taken has increased quite dramatically lets not wait until the fishery collapses before doing something about it.
Whatever is done IMO it must be science based and not on perceived numbers, and as I also stated I have only observations on which to make any sort of comment and judgment, and what people with far greater knowledge about the fishery write.
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
I was speaking to fisheries
I was speaking to fisheries about this fishery a few months back (From a commercial aspect). The increased whiting catch is directly related to an increase in recruitment/stocks hence the fisheries are not concerned about stocks.
From what I know of the fisheries they would be all over this if they were the least bit concerned.
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
copy and paste from that link
copy and paste from that link i posted in regards to the commercial whiting catch , it clearly states an investigation is/should be triggerd if catch exceeds more than the average yearly catch by 15%
so the last few years catch of 30 odd tons is way more than 15%of the average 12 ton harvest .....
concerned or not fisheries should be investigating following their own management plan ,,,,,,and not wanting to speak ill of fisheries its a well known fact all gov dpt have had cut backs and limits put on them by ministers etc
the past track record of fisheries slipping under the radar then collapsing is proven if you take your eye of the ball
rock lobster and abalone are 2 examples
hezzy
Yellowfin whiting 1. Annual commercial (haul
and gillnet) catch (tonnes) of
yellowfin whiting in the PeelHarvey
Estuary.
2. Periodic risk assessments:
• Management measures
in place; and
• Annual fishing effort.
Target: Annual commercial catch is
< 12 tonnes; and
Fishing impacts are considered to
generate an acceptable level of risk
to yellowfin whiting stocks, i.e.
moderate risk or lower.
No management action required.
Threshold: Annual commercial
catch is ≥ 15 % above the target; or
Fishing impacts are considered to
generate an undesirable level of risk
to yellowfin whiting stocks, i.e. high
risk.
An investigation is triggered to
determine the reasons for the
variation. If sustainability is
considered to be at risk options for
restricting catch will be considered
and implemented.
Limit: Fishing impacts are
considered to generate an
unacceptable level of risk to
yellowfin whiting stocks, i.e. severe
risk.
Implement appropriate management
strategies to reduce the risk
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
My understanding is
My understanding is fisheries research did investage and are not concerned about stocks. They understand what caused the extra recruitment thus extra stocks. I'm a bit confused as to why everyone thinks fisheries are not across this. They gave me a heap of detail and seemed to be proactive.
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
It will be a very sad day
It will be a very sad day if this reletivley new fishery collapses through neglect or lac of resources to investigate just what is going on.
Mandurah experienced a very poor crab season last year/early this year.
This poor season was put down to climatic conditions not being favourable for the crabs to stay long in the estuary.
There has not been any other reason put forward as being the cause of the bad season, I believe a large number of businesses in Mandurah suffered from the down turn in people coming to Mandurah for a bit of crabbing people coming into Mandurah provide a good amount of cash flow into the town from selling petrol to selling chicken necks to what ever that is associated with their day out crabbing.
The same applies to fishos coming down to chase yellow fin whiting on the flats, if the fishery suffers a marked decline it will be felt by a large number of businesses in the town.
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
Yep agree. Had a crap crab
Yep agree. Had a crap crab season. Blankets of they leaving the estuary early.
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
ccc... can i ask you what
ccc... can i ask you what detail fisheries gave you about the extra recruitment of yellowfin whiting ?
where can one find the research from fisheries to support your ''understanding ''from them ?that they gave you ?
and can i ask how you are connected commercially to this if that is so ?
if fisheries have the information that supports a trippling of the recruitment and breeding of yellowfin whiting , that thus allows a trippling of the harvest in that peel harvey system it is odd no one seems to know about it ??
it is also odd that the yellowfin whiting have suddenly become able to breed like rabbits , when in prior history they did not in that system
i also find it odd that having been on one of the peel /harvey committees a few years ago as arec stakeholder that an acceptable target level for harvest was set after long consulatation across the board with stakeholders using harvest catches and fisheries science and now it is being exceeded 3 fold , without any further joint stakeholder agreement being given
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
Hi Hezzy Give them a call for
Hi Hezzy
Give them a call for the full detail as I don't want to give anything but accurate info but it was related to warmer water going back a few years. Think from memory it was the 2011 season that had the increased water temp thus a big season for breading stock.
Just to Clarify I am not a pro-fisher but was looking at buying a licence.
The guys at fisheries are more then happy to talk about their research. To be honest I have a new respect for what they do now that I have dealt with them over commercial matters.
Maybe they need a PR department to share this stuff a bit better?
timboon
Posts: 2924
Date Joined: 14/11/10
Hit the nail on the head
Hit the nail on the head there Hezzy...
I'd also like to be inlightened CCC if you could point us towards you're source of info...
Adam i have to question a couple of comments you've made above... All for the commercial way of life?? Sure people need to eat fish but there are too many examples of our resources suffering at the hands of the commercial sector for the sake of a few making a dollar...
How many people can afford the ridiculous prices you have to pay for a feed of 5 star fish or crayfish etc...
To be honest i dont know anyone that buys Dhu/Reds or crays...
Maybe a special chrissy treat but thats about it...
Lets not be naive about the commercial sector, to say they brave the elements is a choice that comes with making a dollar in their said industry.
No different to a dairy farmer at 3am on a quad in the pissing rain in winter or someone sweating their balls off in summer in the Pilbara.
I'm not here to Pro bash either but a tonnage increase like mentioned above rings alarm bells...
Thanks for getting this info out and a chance for people to research and question those in control of keeping our fishstocks sustainable Megladon.
sea-kem
Posts: 14857
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Nicely put mate and you are
Nicely put mate and you are right who in their right mind will buy Dhuie at $80-90kg or crays at $75kg? Only the well heeled imo. I bust my balls trying to keep a small business afloat and after this year with the major downturn in the oil and gas industry I'm lucky to still be here, only through determination and frigging hard work. As for the elements yep, I'd like to see some come work and weld in my workshop all day on most weeks in summer, it aint pleasant but you do what you havbe to do to earn a $.
Love the West!
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
yellowfin whiting fillets
yellowfin whiting fillets retail at present for around $55 per kg
,so worse case scenario if you had a 50% filleting recovery rate from that 30,000 kg caught in the peel /Harvey , they would be worth retail approx. $825 000
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
link below to the
link below to the recfishwest media release on this , shows the harvest graph on yellow fin whiting in that peel Harvey system
id really like to see the science that shows the increase in yellowfin whiting breeding that can support that level of increased harvest
hezzy
http://recfishwest.org.au/current-management-puts-iconic-mandurah-fishery-at-risk/
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Living down here AND loving whiting
it is a concern, but I have to admit I personally know a few of the pro-fishing families and they say often that YFW in the estuary has exploded in numbers since the cut, ie change in condition.
Watsie sell his locally, so when you miss out it is always nice to be able to get a super fresh feed from his shop in Bouvard.
Personally I think the stocks have increased, just from being out on the estuary, observing and fishing (anecdotal then)but as I see it it is a new and growing fishing past-time and I would be very concerned if it collapses. But popping for whiting is not a basic fishing experience and needs a little more skill and effort than the average fisherman sitting in the Cut fishing for herring etc.
Question: How many licences still exist in the Estuary. I recall 8 but am not certain.
Also been watching through binoculars a few early crabbers striking out badly with crabs. Watched a bloke pull at least 2 strings yesterday arvo for what appeared NADA. Just kept dropping his pots straight back. Doesn't look like a good start.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Sulo
Posts: 256
Date Joined: 13/08/11
It is not about stock
It is not about stock collapse or numbers taken but simply the failure of fisheries to act upon their own quotas! If there was extra recruitment then who gives a shit! The quota for commercial catch is 15 tonne. If there is more fish in the water after the 15 tonne is taken then it means the recs are going to be catching more and larger fish. Hell there might even be a higher spawning biomass at next spawning as well and what may have been a spike may in fact turn into the norm...
What would happen if you took 60 whiting and the told Mr fisheries officer that it was OK because there has been good recruitment in the last couple of years!
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
there is another aspect to
there is another aspect to this which is the water temperature conundrum that is being used to explain different breeding and behaviours in the peel /Harvey system
first there is the claim whiting numbers in one year or more have increased exponentially due to warmer water temps within the system from around 2001 onwards,?
then there is the claim crab breeding and numbers have declined rapidly due to colder than normal water temperatures within the same system over the last 2 seasons ?
so given the peel/Harvey system is very tidal and much more saline/marine now since the cut was put in with huge volumes of ocean water moved back and forth every tide to flush water in and out , how much difference is there to the ''normal ocean water '' temperature within the system inside the cut ??
you would think it would be very close to the same water temps inside and outside especially in the deeper channels etc , if it was too cold on the flats and lower reaches for crabs to breed, then how was it so warm for the whiting to manage it ??
and have fisheries any data to demonstrate their explanations on this ??
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Now that is one very good question
They (the pros) can't have their cake and eat it too.
As I have stated else where I'm not anti pro, but I'm very anti greed.
How can Fisheries have a guide line in place that is designed to trigger a examination of yellow fin whiting stocks when a certain catch limit is exceeded, then not do any thing when the trigger for the study is reached.
hezzy
Posts: 1519
Date Joined: 27/11/09
more questions than answers
more questions than answers on the water temperatures
see thing is if the yellow fin bred up like rabbits back in 2011-2013 , because of warmer water temps, that has supposedly made it ok to triple the whiting harvest over the next 2-3 years up to 2015 , then logic would think that the crab seasons of those same seasons may well have been massive as well ??
then if the cold water temps from 2014 or 2015 have stifled the crab breeding '' supposedly ''making them leave the system and not breed , that surely means the same will apply to the whiting breeding for the same years, so whiting numbers are due to crash this year and maybe the next ??
question is also if the water temps where so cold to drive out breeding mature size crabs from the system ,why did it not drive out the smaller crabs the same ?? as there where lots of small crabs in the system , just bugger all size ??
either way it needs to be looked at and quickly imo to see where the issue lies and what is actually best way to manage it sustainably into the future
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing