Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery Plan Consultation

Minister for Fisheries, Gail Gago, said the consultation process provided the community with an important opportunity to contribute to future management arrangements for the fishery.

The Marine Scalefish Fishery is a multi-species, multi-gear fishery that provides for the commercial harvest of more than 60 species using a total of 21 different gear types, Minister Gago said.

The fishery provides significant social, economic and employment benefits to regional South Australia and is the States largest fishery in terms of the number of participating commercial licence holders, with fishing activity taking place in coastal waters from the Western Australian border to the Victorian border.

The four primary species identified in the Management Plan as King George Whiting, Snapper, Southern Garfish and Southern Calamari also support a significant amount of recreational fishing activity.

While this plan addresses management of the commercial fishery, recreational catch of these species will be managed under a separate set of arrangements that will be released in a draft Recreational Fishing Management Plan later this year.

The draft Management Plan for the Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery provides a strategic policy framework for management of the commercial sector of the fishery for the next 10 years and the three month consultation period allows for the community to provide careful and considered input into the future of the fishery.

Minister Gago recognised the efforts of the Fisheries Council in preparing the draft plan, as well as the contributions of the Marine Fishers Association, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, and commercial licence holders who were also involved in its development.