Tassie tops fishing fees

TASMANIA’S recreational fishers could pay up to $100 more than other Australian states for their fishing licences.

Tasmanian fishers who want to take rock lobster, abalone and scallops or set nets must take out a recreational fishing licence.

The base 12-month licence fee is $54.25 for a first timer and $46.50 per renewal.

But there are nine conditions under the licence required to fish for specific species with various techniques. Conditions include rock lobster pot, rock lobster dive, rock lobster ring, abalone, scallop, grab-all net, mullet net, beach seine net and set line.

Each condition is an extra $7.75, meaning if a fisher takes out all conditions, a first-time holder could pay up to $124 for a renewal. On top of this, the Inland Fisheries Service also charges licence fees to take freshwater species in inland lakes or rivers. The costs of a licence or renewal for an adult per season are $75.50 for one rod. Tasmanians do not have to pay to fish with a rod and line in saltwater areas.

But in Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, recreational fishers do not pay licence fees. In Victoria and NSW, a 12-month licence is $35. In WA, fishers must pay $35 to fish from a boat, as well as $45 per condition to fish for rock lobster, abalone, freshwater fish and net fishing.

Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing chief Mark Nikolai said the state had about 100,000 recreational fishers, with 20,000 individual licences issued a year.

Mr Nikolai said the 20,000 licences had to make up $1.2 million in income, which went towards fishery governance groups and management strategies. He said Victoria and NSW paid a lower set fee for all forms of fishing because they had greater numbers to finance fishery management.

“Licences in Tasmania have been established for high-value species like rock lobster and abalone and you have quite a good chance of catching fish here,” he said.

“If we had a general licence system, to raise $1.2 million each person would have to pay $12 so it becomes a question of who pays.”

A Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment spokesman said the licensing model targeted high-value species and specific gear types that required greater management to ensure their sustainability, thus protecting those fisheries long-term.