RECREATIONAL SEA FISHERIES NEWS

New artificial reef installed in D’Entrecasteaux Channel

Recreational fishers will reap the benefits of a new artificial reef which has been installed in Great Bay in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The reef, the first of its kind in Tasmania, creates new fishing opportunities for reef-attracted species in an area where little natural reef exists.

The Great Bay reef is the first of two deployments going ahead in Tasmania this year, with the second being installed at Turners Beach on the North West Coast in December.

The reef is made up of 166 pre-cast concrete modules, each weighing between 1 and 3.5 tonnes. The modules are set in a cluster arrangement across an area of four hectares and deployed at around 12-14 metres. This is deep enough to attract key species but shallow enough to reduce impacts such as barotrauma. A crane mounted on a barge deployed the modules over six days, with contractors working to precisely positioning the modules into the desired position.

The reefs are the fulfillment of a Tasmanian Government commitment to provide exciting new opportunities for recreational fishers. The Turners Beach reef will be comprised of 152 concrete modules.

It is anticipated that species such as snapper, morwong and yellowtail kingfish will be attracted to the reef sites, particularly once marine invertebrates and macro-algae begin to colonise the modules. This process may take several years and will be closely monitored by research teams, particularly in the first five years. We look forward to seeing which fish species are caught from the reef sites and the benefits to recreational fishers in these areas.

Both reefs have received environmental approvals.

East Coast FADs deployed for summer

Four of the five East Coast fish aggregation devices (FADs) have been re-deployed after being retrieved during the whale migration season. Locations include Coles Bay (X2), Binalong Bay, Pirates Bay and Wineglass Bay, with the fifth FAD off the Tasman Peninsula at Foxy’s Reef to be deployed by midNovember.

Large migrating fish use FADs as a resting place, feeding area and geographical reference point. Schools of fish can be found near the surface, at depth or some distance away from the FAD.

The FADs have now been engineered to make whale interactions extremely unlikely. Therefore, they will now remain in the water year-round. It will be great to see which species are attracted to the FADs and if they are successful in holding the fish for a longer period.

Thanks to fishers for providing feedback about locations where more FADs could be deployed around the state. Guided by your feedback, we are progressing new deployments with authorities including TasPorts to check the viability of suggested locations.

Rock lobster rules - what’s changed?

The new Rock Lobster Fishery Management Plan starts on 1 November. The Plan introduces several rule changes to increase the sustainability of the rock lobster fishery, as well as improving compliance and reporting.

Rules that are changing for recreational fishers include: female size limits, size limit zones, tail marking, sharing rock lobster when group fishing, and for some fishers, making transit reports.

Rules that aren’t changing are: bag, boat and possession limits, seasons, and the East Coast Stock Rebuilding Zone season opening area.

We’ve produced some short videos to explain the main changes which are on Youtube at: www.youtube. com/c/fisheriestasmania

To check the new rules go to: www.fishing.tas.gov. au/rec/rocklobster

Rock lobster gauges

New rock lobster gauges will be available from Service Tas in early November. You can continue to use the current multi-gauge - it still has the correct widths but the text about zones is out of date.

Changes to Macquarie Harbour netting practices to reduce endangered skate interactions

Changes to recreational netting practices in Macquarie Harbour are being implemented to reduce interactions with the endangered Maugean skate.

The status of the skate has worsened recently, requiring a multi-faceted approach to address threats including net fishing in the Harbour. Recent research indicates that Macquarie Harbour is now the only place in the world where the Maugean skate is found.

Effective from 1 November 1, 2022, there will be three main changes to recreational netting:

1. Several areas of the harbour that are preferred habitat for Maugean skates will be closed to fishing.

2. Overnight netting will no longer be allowed –nets will be able to be set from sunrise to two hours after sunset.

3. The maximum soak time will be two hours.

The changes have been informed by IMAS research on reducing threats to Maugean skates and developed in consultation with the NRE Threatened Species Unit. NRE Tas has worked hard to provide a balanced approach in providing protection for this important species while still allowing some netting access for local fishers. This includes some night netting to catch flounder.

The changes are interim measures to address increasing concerns about the Maugean skate. Further consultation on Macquarie Harbour netting will take place next year during a statewide review of the scalefish rules.

Management actions are also being progressed for the two commercial scalefisher endorsements holders in Macquarie Harbour.

Garfish closure now includes recreational fishers

Seasonal spawning closures for garfish will apply to recreational fishers for the first time from 15 November 2022.

The closures have applied to the commercial fishery for several years because garfish is classified as a depleted species.

There are two separate closure periods, both now applying to recreational and commercial fishers:

15 January - 14 February All waters north of a line from Cape Grim east to Cape Naturaliste (the same as the North Coast squid closure area)

15 November -

14 December All waters south of the above line.

The closure has been declared for three years.

The closures are a precautionary measure aiming to restrain catch and limit disturbance during part of the peak spawning activity to help maintain garfish stocks into the future.

Fishers may not take or possess of any species of garfish in state waters during the closed period. Need more information?

Download the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide app Go to fishing.tas.gov.au or facebook.com/ FisheriesTasmania

Phone: 1300 720 647 or 03 6165 3233

Email: fishing.enquiries@nre.tas.gov.au