Commercial licence buyout

[ango]

Hi all,

Minister for Fishing and Boating Jaala Pulford MP has stated the buyout of 10 Gippsland Lakes Access Licences will be complete by April 1, 2020. Bait access licenses will remain.

VRFish says that now the date has been set, planning can start to boost our fish stocks even further through restocking programs for black bream, estuary perch, dusky flathead and more Australian bass.

Looks like we can all look forward to a better fishing experience in the Gippsland Lakes in the not so distant future.

Cheers
Ango.

[Sebb]

Good stuff. Rec fishing will boost the economy of the local towns too.

[purple5ive]

Buying the licences Out will not fix the problem entirely, but its a bloody good start..

[tbcha1]

Buying the licences Out will not fix the problem entirely, but its a bloody good start..

what are the other issues?

[cobby]

Buying the licences Out will not fix the problem entirely, but its a bloody good start..

what are the other issues?

The whole system is environmentally ******.

[re-tyred]

Buying the licences out will make very little difference to the bream fishery. Bream do not like to live in the Lakes System due to the river flows not providing enough fresh water to the system. Most of the fresh water gets used by all of us before it reaches the Lake system. The Lakes are like most estuaries around the coast, starved of river water and no longer support brackish water fish breading. The only place you will find health bream colonies is in the tidal areas of the rivers. You may catch a few more fish in the Lakes once the nets go, but it will be Taylor, whiting and flatties if your lucky. In reality though these species are not over fished so the extra amount will be marginal. The Lakes are now basically a salt water estuary.
Been through this all before. If we get a run of exceptionally wet years you will see more bream in the lake until we get another run of drought.
I have heard the budget for this is in the order of $26 million. If you are happy that is the best way to spend it then so be it.
I can think of many ways to spend that sort of money around the Lakes that would provide better fishing opportunities.

[ango]

Hi re-tyred, are you saying $26 million will be spent to buy out 10 Gippsland Lakes licences, so $2.6 million per licence, this seems extraordinarily generous, especially when I see a Gippsland Lakes bait fishing access licence is on the market for $20,000. Where do you your figures come from?

[cobby]

Not all that money is going to the licence holders.... There's some public servants that need their $90k for doing **** all too

[re-tyred]

That was an allocation in the budget. If I recall correctly I read it in the paper. No each fisho will not receive 2.6 mil. The do deserve a large pay out though. If you were told you can no longer work for the rest of your life, how much would you want.? There is very little work many for these guys afterwards. In the world we live in they are unskilled. They will have to either retrain or buy another business. How would you deal with it if it was you. Regarding the price of a licence. They are cheap because no one is interested in an industry that is closing. A bait fishing licence is a completely different licence. If you think that is cheap word is they will continue, so buy one and have a go. You will be broke before the end of the first year. Only one who will do bait fishing will be the ones with a shop front to sell it and it will be a minor part of their income

[rb85]

That was an allocation in the budget. If I recall correctly I read it in the paper. No each fisho will not receive 2.6 mil. The do deserve a large pay out though. If you were told you can no longer work for the rest of your life, how much would you want.? There is very little work many for these guys afterwards. In the world we live in they are unskilled. They will have to either retrain or buy another business. How would you deal with it if it was you. Regarding the price of a licence. They are cheap because no one is interested in an industry that is closing. A bait fishing licence is a completely different licence. If you think that is cheap word is they will continue, so buy one and have a go. You will be broke before the end of the first year. Only one who will do bait fishing will be the ones with a shop front to sell it and it will be a minor part of their income

The people who have taken away the commercial fishers licence have a responsibility to ensure these people aren't forgotten about not that I can imagine any initiatives to occur. Re-Tyred do you know some of these folk personally? At a guess these guys would be a pretty tight knit community with inter generational family ran businesses. There will also be a flow on with workers in the co-op as well I guess? Even though theres an offshore fishery as well.