Fishing Havens

[Horse]

Just a bit of a thought here. Would you be prepared to accept an additional zoning allocation where in return for a full commercial closure, recreational fishos were only allowed a 50% bag limit. This is one step up from the current yellow zones and still allows fishing access. If you have already exceeded your 50% mark then you can't fish in the area.
Some of the current yellow and green zones could be phased into this new category to keep the overall balance

[Moonlighter]

Nice concept, but not practical.

How would you go if you fished part of the day in such a zone, and part out of it? How would fisheries deal with that?

As i said, conceptually an interesting concept, but in reality, too many issues to be workable.

[Horse]

Nice concept, but not practical.

How would you go if you fished part of the day in such a zone, and part out of it? How would fisheries deal with that?

As i said, conceptually an interesting concept, but in reality, too many issues to be workable.

Dead simple, if you are fishing inside the zone you can only have 50% of your bag limit. Nothing to stop you then moving outside to top up

[tunaticer]

The downside is upgrading that will inevitably happen and the kill off of just legal fish.

[Horse]

The downside is upgrading that will inevitably happen and the kill off of just legal fish.

Good point. I have heard of that happening with Snapper

[Apollo]

Neil

How would you think that the 'in possession' clause be handled? Was the fish in your freezer caught in the haven or the yellow zone or in no zone?

[Moonlighter]

Dead simple, if you are fishing inside the zone you can only have 50% of your bag limit. Nothing to stop you then moving outside to top up

Ok, well how about the other way round.....been fishing all morning, got 2/3 of my bag limit, and decide to go into one of your special zones to catch the remainder of my limit. Fisheries call past to say hello. How do i prove which fish I caught where? Answer: cant.

As i say, interesting concept, but will never fly. Impossible to police for Fisheries. Plus adds more complexity to already complicated zoning arrangements.

The other thing is that it is a fundamentally flawed concept.

You seem to think that marine park zoning arrangements are intended to be fisheries management tools.

THEY ARE NOT, THEY ARE CONSERVATION TOOLS of the green political movement! Do not be sucked in by the greenies who try to tell us that marine parks yellow and green zones are good for fisheries management, because that is not their objective, at least not in Australia where we have comprehensive fishery management done under the fisheries legislation.

This is one reason why i dont support calls for more yellow zones on the basis suggested by some that they exclude commercial fishers and are therefore quasi recreational only areas.

If we can justify recreational only areas, it can and should be done under fisheries legislation, not marine parks legislation!

Once you get into bed with the greenies and seek to use their marine parks zones to achieve results for sectional interests, you are on a slippery slope, imo.