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VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 1:13 pm
by fishingvic
VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA


Media alert

Tuesday, 15 May, 2018


HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Media are invited to interview Minister for Agriculture including Fisheries Jaala Pulford as she joins recreational anglers at Apollo Bay to oppose the Australian Government’s proposed bag limit reduction for southern bluefin tuna in Victoria.
Recreational anglers are currently reporting large schools of southern bluefin tuna from Portland to Apollo Bay and further east into Bass Strait.

The Victorian recreational fishery for tuna is worth millions to the State’s economy and supports hundreds of jobs in regional centres across the southwest coast.

A full media release will be issued by the Minister on Friday.


Event date: Friday 18 May 2018

Event time: 3:00pm

Event location: Apollo Bay harbour, close to the new fish Gantry

Media contact: Tom Whitty – 0488 084 717

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 4:42 pm
by smile0784
Didnt they reduce it from 5 to 2 a few years back.
Now they want to make it 1.
Kinda silly when the pros just wipe it out when outside australia waters

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 5:08 pm
by re-tyred
smile0784 wrote:Didnt they reduce it from 5 to 2 a few years back.
Now they want to make it 1.
Kinda silly when the pros just wipe it out
No commercial fishers are not wiping them out.
All commercial have strict quota and gear control.
A small section of the management plan.
"Recovery plan:

Southern bluefin tuna is a very important fish species for food in many countries, including Australia. In the past, southern bluefin tuna has been overfished and the species is now listed in Australia as “conservation dependent” and has an approved recovery plan.This means that this species can still be fished, but it is controlled by strict rules on how much can be caught, to make sure this species is recovering.

AFMA manages this species through scientific studies and species assessments. AFMA also works with the Department of the Environment and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.

The most recent scientific studies of southern bluefin tuna show positive signs of recovery."

Here is the AFMA management strategy. http://www.afma.gov.au/portfolio-item/s ... efin-tuna/
I am not sure of the how big the rec catch is in relation to total catch. Any argument for retain it as 2 would need to address that issue.
Once again this is a case of the commercials have already taken huge reductions over the last 20 years and now recreational fishing has been increasing rapidly. So they are going to take a close look at the total catch as they are required under their charter.
The point of it all it so bring the Tuna stocks back from the brink, to a decent level. At my last look it had risen from 5% of original stock to some 8-10%, that is entirely from reduced quota to commercials.

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 5:46 pm
by scott__henning
I think the real issue people are having is that in SA they have increase the commercial quota by 500t while at the same time reducing the rec limit to 1 fish pp.

I cant help but think this is brought on from people complaining about photos with 2 or more barrels on deck, and the way some people treat their catch, especially the big ones (ie not bled or gutted, poorly filleted, or in some cases just thrown right in the bin after weighing). If I was a commercial operator that would really **** me off to see.

I wouldn't be opposed to a slot limit (say 1 fish per boat over 60kg) but im not sure that would really have much of an effect.

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 6:06 pm
by smile0784
scott__henning wrote:I think the real issue people are having is that in SA they have increase the commercial quota by 500t while at the same time reducing the rec limit to 1 fish pp.

I cant help but think this is brought on from people complaining about photos with 2 or more barrels on deck, and the way some people treat their catch, especially the big ones (ie not bled or gutted, poorly filleted, or in some cases just thrown right in the bin after weighing). If I was a commercial operator that would really p1ss me off to see.

I wouldn't be opposed to a slot limit (say 1 fish per boat over 60kg) but im not sure that would really have much of an effect.
I agree with a limit on 1 tuna over 60kg each.

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 7:43 pm
by ecoronad
It's funny how people constantly denounce people who keep their bag limit of 10 snapper/pinkies or 20 salmon/bay trout or 5 Golden perch/yellas or 5 trout from stocked waterways citing "who needs that many fish to take home?". (5-15kg of fish)

Yet it seems that nobody batts an eyelid about taking home 2 tuna weighing 15-30kg that are still considered juveniles and are still a number of years away from sexual maturity.

Personally, I don't fish offshore, so it doesn't really affect me, but I'm sure a slot limit will be a good compromise between anglers and preservation of the wild stock. The tuna ranchers (commercial fishers of SBT) should also be made to contribute to more research into a fully sustainable SBT aquaculture industry.

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 9:24 pm
by crumpet_avenger
Dont forget us poor buggers who can only catch 5 wrasse per outing....

Its just not fair

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 10:20 pm
by cobby
scott__henning wrote:I think the real issue people are having is that in SA they have increase the commercial quota by 500t while at the same time reducing the rec limit to 1 fish pp.
This.

Compounded by those representing the industry body crying woe is me that the buying of initial quotas way back when sent business and the families running them bankrupt with help from justified quota reductions (no sympathy here, you start a small business no matter the industry and you run that very risk). The rampant and blatant overfishing over decades by national and international commercial fishers that has close to single handedly caused world wide Tuna species depletion. The continued underquoting of captures (maybe not so much now from our national pros but who bloody knows). The refusal (or complete lack of 2 ***** given) by AFMA or any other commonwealth department to do the recreational mortality study for CSSBT over the past 5 years as was asked. If the studies had been done over 5 years then capture rate patterns would close to established and both recs and pros can have an equal share of cuts/increases in proportion to their takes as is dictated by the science.

As far as I'm concerned Ruston and the Lincoln 'farmers' can suck on my left one.

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 5:39 am
by 4liters
Who would drive all the way to Portland for one tuna lol?

Re: VFA Media Alert: HANDS OFF VICTORIAN TUNA

Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 6:32 am
by smile0784
4liters wrote:Who would drive all the way to Portland for one tuna lol?
I wouldnt. And there are people that even drive to port mac anymore

Theres a possibility if this comes into effect that you will mite see upsizing done like we seen a few years back in the snapper comp while people try for the big one but dont want to go empty hand ed