SNAPPER FISHERY

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:44): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question regarding the changes to the statewide snapper annual spawning closure.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: As part of the work undertaken by PIRSA Fisheries to introduce a new management arrangement to effectively control the level of fishing effort on snapper stocks, changes have been made that will impact on charter boat fishers. These effects will be experienced by charter boat fishers throughout the duration of the newly extended snapper fishing closure. This situation was brought to the attention of the member for Goyder in another place by charter boat operators who feel they will be adversely affected by these new limits.

While charter boat fishers will be permitted to operate during the 15 day extension period (30 November to 15 December this year), reduced individual and boat limits have been introduced. It would appear that there is an inconsistency between the reduced individual and boat limits for snapper over 60 centimetres. For a charter boat with four to six passengers the new restrictions set a limit of three snapper per boat. However, the individual daily catch limit on a charter boat carrying seven passengers or more is one snapper per person. This is quite puzzling for those involved in the industry and certainly puzzling to me, sir, who is not as adept at fishing as you are. My questions for the minister are:

1. Will the minister explain the inconsistency between the reduced individual and boat limits for snapper over 60 centimetres and the basis by which these have been determined?

2. Will the minister indicate whether she or PIRSA fisheries have been approached by charter boat fishers with their concerns in relation to the inconsistency of the individual and boat limits?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his important question. As we know, there has been a review undertaken around the management of snapper fishing in this state. There has been extensive consultation. I think an option paper and background paper were released and went out for an extensive period of time. People had an opportunity to put in their submissions and comments were collated. A working group was also formed to assist in the development of options around the sustainable management of this very important fishery.

It is an increasingly popular fishery. Snapper is a fish that many of us enjoy, including myself. PIRSA has been working with key stakeholders over a considerable period of time, and all sectors, commercial fishers and recreational fishers alike. A key outcome from that review is to optimise the snapper spawning and recruitment and effectively control the level of commercial impact on snapper stock and support sustainable snapper fishery. There was evidence that there was a potential for this fishery to be over-fished.

There are a number of control measures in place and we have recently made announcements of some changes to that. SARDI indicated that there were some concerning indicators to do with particularly the Northern Spencer Gulf and Southern Spencer Gulf and what appears to be a lack of recent recruitment of fish stock to those regions. The Marine Scalefish Fishery Stock Status Report, published in November 2011, indicated five breaches of reference points which relate to the highest commercial catch in history, reflecting the highest levels of longline effort and catch per unit effort. The total statewide commercial snapper catch was 972 tonnes.

In 2007-08, I am advised that the South Australian Recreational Fishing Survey estimated recreational snapper catch was also significant, 177 tonnes, which includes a catch from charter boats of about half of that, about 94 tonnes. So, interim measures were introduced from January to restrict the daily limit. These measures have recently been extended with a package of other measures made. As members would be aware, we had planned to bring in these measures late this year in December, but given charter boat operators and such had made bookings and people had made holiday arrangements that included snapper fishing, we felt that there was not adequate time to advise the people who had made arrangements, so an extension period has been made.

However, because, obviously, we need to be putting in place measures to ensure that we take care of this fishery given some of the adverse indicators that I have alluded to, it is a responsible thing to put some measures in place, so we have put some limits on charter boats and some limits on the bag catch for recreational fishers. My understanding is that considerable dialogue has been occurring between both recreational fishers and charter fishers, and that has been ongoing.

We are well aware of their concerns, including the fact that they were very pleased that we made the extension past this season, so they were very grateful for that. They are not completely happy about their bag and catch limits but, nevertheless, we believe that measures need to be put in place to start to reduce the take of this important species. We are not going to make everyone happy all of the time. We believe that this is a fair and balanced position. The objective is the long-term sustainability of this fishery and that is our main focus.