Abalone limits ‘do little’ to fix issues

CHANGES to recreational abalone bag limits should not be implemented until the State Government researches how to more broadly protect the depleting fishery, says Greens healthy oceans spokesman Peter Whish-Wilson.

The Australian Greens senator has told the state’s Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment that reducing the number of abalone that recreational licence holders can take will do little to address the risk of localised depletion.

Responding to proposed amendments to the state’s Abalone Fishery Management Plan, Senator Whish-Wilson said that without action on broader issues, including climate change, focusing on recreational catches was just “fiddling around the edges”.

He pointed to “devastating” changes to the marine environment, such as the spread of the long-spined sea urchin, and the impact of commercial fishing as causes for concern.

“With dwindling stocks and changing environmental conditions, addressing the singular problem of localised depletion around metropolitan and holiday locations by decreasing bag limits for recreational divers will do little for the sustainability of abalone stocks,” Senator Whish-Wilson said.

“Any recovery plan must include funding for mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat the catastrophic changes we are witnessing in the marine environment ...

“[We] must also take into consideration the relative impact of commercial fishers.”

Proposed changes to the Abalone Fishery Management Plan include reducing the recreational bag limit from 10 to five abalone per day, reducing the possession limit from 20 to 10 abalone and introducing a boat limit of 15 abalone.

DPIPWE’s information paper on the proposed changes said abalone stock declines had been “significant” in parts of the East Coast due to commercial overfishing in the 1990s, the long-spined sea urchin and marine heatwaves.

The “high level” of recreational fishing pressure should also be considered, the paper said.