Rec cray season closure

PART of Tasmania’s East Coast will be shut to recreational rock lobster fishers for more than a month, with toxic algal blooms preventing the season opening next weekend.

The eastern recreational season was due to open next Saturday, but due to paralytic shellfish toxins caused by the Alexandrium tamarense bloom, part of the region has been shut until at least mid-December.

Samples from crayfish livers along the East Coast were test- ed in Sydney this week and recorded such high levels that the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment has now been forced to close down four of the seven East Coast biotoxin zones.

This includes the Central East, Maria Island, Lower East and Storm Bay/Bruny Island zones. However, the Furneaux, North East and Upper East zones have all been cleared to open next Saturday.

The non-toxic limit of PSTs for humans is 0.8mg per kilogram of flesh, with the Central East, Maria Island and Lower East zones’ highest results at 11mg/kg and 8 mg/kg.

The Storm Bay/Bruny zone found a lower reading, with a high of 1.1 mg/kg.

Part of the fishery will re- main closed for a month as the department isn’t planning to conduct sampling in the Central, Maria Island and Lower East zones until December 11 due to the high readings.

“However, even if the bloom in this area abates quickly now, depuration from rock lobster takes some time,” the department said. “And with very high PST levels already recorded, a significant reduction in PST is needed.”

The Storm Bay zone will be sampled on November 20, with results expected a week later. For other species, testing is continuing weekly or fortnightly.

Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing chief Mark Nikolai said 70 per cent of the state’s total allowable recreational catch was taken from the East Coast.

“The South-East is one of the more heavily fished areas and the lower East Coast is also one of the more popular,” he said.

Mr Nikolai said he under- stood fishers’ frustrations, but noted the closures were for health reasons.

Algal blooms have plagued the state for many years, with some biotoxin zones closed during the 2015-16 season from November until January.

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies scientist Gustaaf Hallegraef has said the paralytic shellfish toxin levels were some of the highest Tasmania had seen.

Head to dpipwe.tas.gov.au for closure details and maps.