Afant News

Recfish Australia calls for commitments to a way of life

Media Release

Recfish Australia calls for commitments to a way of life

“As one of the nation’s favourite pastimes recreational fishing needs both sides of politics to commit to the future of this Australian way of life” Bruce Schumacher, Chair of Recfish Australia, said today.

With the two main parties promising billions of dollars in various inducements to the voting public the request by the recreational fishing sector is, relatively speaking, very small.

“With 3.5 millions Australians considered regular fishers the soon to be elected new government has to show some leadership for this important aspect of our culture.”

Generating expenditure of $2 billion per annum recreational fishing is a vital component of hundreds of local economies. Many communities rely on the angling public who converge to these areas and generate jobs and profits for local business.

One of the roles of the Australian Government is stewardship and we are seeking the following commitments to bring some certainty for our sector into the future.

“Continuing the successful recreational fishing community grant program; the current program finishes in June 2008 and has provided $5m per year for three years to community groups to improve recreational fishing in their local areas. This has been resoundingly successful and has enabled community groups to build some long needed infrastructure, run fishing clinics, establish monitoring programs, and a range of other great projects.”

“The current national policy on recreational fishing was launched in 1995 and is in need of a comprehensive review. All State/Territory and the Australian governments are signatories to the policy and with the changes to recreational fishing in the past decade it is time for this document to be reviewed.”

“In 1996 the blue and black marlin were declared as recreational only species – it is now time that the striped marlin was afforded the same protection. With about 95% of marlin caught by the recreational sector released to be caught again these fish are too valuable to be caught once.”

“For the future of the recreational fishing sector a people development program is essential if we are to improve and grow the capability of the sector at all levels to represent the interests of our constituents. Some initiatives have commenced in this area but more is needed and for succession planning and increased capacity an assurance of funding support for our people program is called for.”

“An effective peak national body that delivers to governments, its members and the wider recreational fishing community warrants financial support from the Commonwealth Government and we are seeking a pledge from both sides for this support.” Mr Schumacher concluded.

End

Media enquiries to Bruce Schumacher 0418 499322

NT Jewies not so Tough!

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate publication 31 August 2007

NT JEWIES NOT SO TOUGH!

Results released today of a research project on mortality rates of line-caught black jewfish give a very clear indication that these fish are extremely susceptible to severe damage from barotrauma (pressure changes resulting from them being brought to the surface from depth).

The project carried out by Michael Phelan and a team from the Coastal Research Unit in the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines, and with funding support from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, has conducted post mortem examinations of more than 100 jewfish caught at various depths and it provides very clear evidence that jewfish pulled from more than 10 metres of water have very little chance of post-release survival.

“Most fishers think of the jewfish as a big tough customer that can take a bit of handling but this research demonstrates that they are much more likely to suffer acute damage from barotrauma than we would have thought,” explained AFANT President, Warren de With.

“Even if caught in depths less than 10 meters, they are likely to suffer damage unless they are quickly returned to the bottom. The researchers also found that many fish hooked on traditional ‘J’ hooks were likely to end up gut hooked with the hook in a position where it could damage essential organs. On the other hand, more than 90 percent of fish taken on circle hooks were lip hooked and the rest were hooked in the mouth.”

“The research results mean that we can no longer really consider the jewie as a catch-and-release target unless we fish for them in relatively shallow water and handle them very carefully.”

“AFANT is recommending that fishers working in more than 10 metres of water either change to smaller hooks to target other species or move off the jewfish once they have caught the fish they need to take home as there is little chance of any released jewies surviving if they are pulled from this depth.”

“If you want to catch and release jewfish, only do it in less than 10 metres of water, only use circle hooks and use a suitable release weight to get the fish quickly back down to depth. Information on release weights will be made available at www.afant.com.au in the near future.”

“We need to do these things ourselves to ensure the future of our jewie fishing and we also need government to implement the recommendations of the Possession Limit Review conducted last year that indicated we should reduce the limit from the current five fish to two or three.”

“This research has provided very important information for recreational fishers and I congratulate Michael and his team on their work,” Mr de With said.
End
Media enquiries to Chris Makepeace on 0415 471 600 or Warren de With on 8972 1589

Caption:

The first of these xrays shows a traditional ‘J’ hook well inside a jewfish’s abdominal area where it is virtually impossible to remove and can significantly damage internal organs. More than 40% of jewfish hooked on ‘J’ hooks were like this. The other xray shows a fish taken on a circle hook. 100% of jewfish caught on circle hooks were hooked in the lip like this or in the mouth allowing easy release and minimal damage to the fish. (Xray photographs courtesy of NT Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines)

No Fisheries Law - Not Good Enough!

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate publication 8 March 2007

NO FISHERIES LAW — NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

The Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT is calling on the NT and Commonwealth Governments to do more to re-establish effective management and enforcement of our recreational and commercial fisheries in waters affected by the Blue Mud Bay Federal Court decision.

“It’s all well and good for the Federal Court to decide a fine point of law and declare the NT Fisheries Act null and void in these waters but when the law is wrong, it needs to be fixed — as we have just seen in the McArthur River Mine case,” said AFANT President Warren de With.

“How can we possibly allow the crazy situation where every relevant law of the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth applies save for the NT Fisheries Act?”

“Thankfully, it may still be possible for Police to act against fishers exceeding personal possession and size limits by checking their catches when they come out of the affected areas but that’s about the only major fisheries enforcement measure that can be applied to these waters.”

“For example, what will happen when crabbers and people fishing for cherabin are using excess or unmarked pots and gill nets are spotted set in rivers and creeks above the closure lines?”

“We simply can’t stand by and allow the years of hard work and the millions of dollars invested in fisheries management to be wasted while we wait for the High Court to decide the matter and for the NT and Federal Governments to then deal with the outcomes.”

“The quality of our fisheries has long been the envy of other states in Australia for the ways in which they are contributing so much to our lifestyle and economy and they should not be put at risk while we spend the next year or two with little or no fisheries management, compliance or enforcement in substantial areas of our fishery.”

“Instead of saying how difficult the situation is, the NT Government should be demanding that the Commonwealth makes whatever legislative changes are necessary to allow the NT Fisheries Act to have proper effect in all our waters.”

“Last week we saw the extent that the NT Government is prepared to go to protect mining interests and the Territory public is entitled to see the same level of resolve to protect our fisheries.”

“At the end of the day, the issue of reinstating proper fisheries regulations and allowing for their enforcement may need to be resolved in Canberra but there is little reason for the Commonwealth to do anything but sit and wait unless there is the strongest possible pressure from the Territory Government”

“Now’s the time to make a stand on this important issue and we want the NT Government to show the same resolve as it has in the matter of the McArthur River Mine development.”

“AFANT has today written to Prime Minister John Howard calling on him to do whatever is necessary to restore the proper rule of law in these waters and we want the NT Government to do everything it can to ensure that this happens,” Mr de With said.

End

Media enquiries to Chris Makepeace on 8945 6455 or Warren de With on 8972 1589

Yes Minister… But are they safe to eat?

AMATEUR FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF THE NT INC.

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate publication 15 June 2006

YES MINISTER… BUT ARE THEY SAFE TO EAT?

Following revelations of raw sewerage outflow into the Larrakeyah area of Darwin Harbour, AFANT has called on the Territory Government to undertake testing of fish from near the site and from other areas of the Harbour to ensure that eating them poses no health threats.
“We made this request after I received a number of phone calls from concerned people including a Darwin housewife asking if it was safe to eat the fish brought home by her husband from Harbour fishing trips,” explained AFANT President Warren de With.

Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour today responded to this request by calling on AFANT to come forward with any evidence that fish are being killed or that the health of fish is suffering as result of the polluted effluent entering the system.
“Our concern is for the safety of people who eat fish and crabs from Darwin Harbour - not the fish themselves - and I made that clear to Fisheries Minister Kon Vatskalis yesterday. I assume he would have discussed this with Minister Scrymgour,” Mr de With said.

“In any case, its not AFANT’s job to provide evidence that this pollution is having an undesirable impact on fish and crab stocks or, more importantly, on their safe eating qualities. The pumping of this pollution into the Harbour is being done under a licence issued through the authority of Minister Scrymgour and it is her responsibility to ensure that it is not posing a threat to fish and crabs and to those who eat them.”
“It doesn’t look like the Government has any intention of stopping the raw sewerage outflow in the near future so the least they can do is put a proper testing system in place so they can provide some assurances to people on the safety of Darwin Harbour seafood,” Mr de With said.

End

Media enquiries to Chris Makepeace on 8945 6455 or Warren de With on 89721589

Fishing Kakadu

FISHING KAKADU

A Submission on the Fifth Draft Plan of Management for Kakadu National Park from the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT (AFANT)
April 2006

INTRODUCTION
Over 40 000 non-indigenous Territory residents are involved in recreational fishing (29% of the non-indigenous population) and they own over 11 000 boats (one for every five households). Recreational fishing is an important part of our lifestyle and a significant contributor to our economy.

Territory recreational fishers have led the country in the implementation of sustainable fishing practices such as catch and release (both in competition and general fishing situations), the use of barbless hooks, a move away from light line/long fight fishing and now the use of knotless landing nets to minimise damage to fish destined for release. Significantly, these are fisher-driven initiatives which have been widely adopted without any regulatory action from Government. With few exceptions, Territory recreational fishers fish for the future.

Quality recreational fisheries depend almost totally on fish stock levels and a suitable environment and recreational fishers in the NT have for many years been at the forefront of moves designed to preserve fish stocks and ensure a sustainable environment for our recreational fisheries. AFANT’s first major campaign in the early 1980’s was the “Putabarraback” program which led the charge into catch and release fishing.

Over the years AFANT and other recreational fishers in the NT have been instrumental in ensuring levels of fishery and environmental protection to waters that may otherwise have suffered inappropriate development or overfishing. Examples of successful environmental protection activities include the limiting of land clearing and water extraction in the Daly River catchment, blocking the development of an inappropriate prawn farm development in barramundi breeding areas in Shoal Bay and ensuring an adequate Government response to a severe environmental threat from the abandoned Mount Todd gold mine. Examples of successful campaigns to ensure that fish stocks are not overexploited are the removal of commercial barramundi fishing from Darwin Harbour, the Mary River, The Roper River, The McArthur River and others.

The vast majority of recreational fishers are protective of fish stocks, protective of the fishing environment and display courtesy and respect to land owners, including indigenous traditional owners, and other users of the areas we fish. In short, recreational fishers are a group that should be welcome as trusted users of a special place like Kakadu National Park.

..> Read More ..> AFANT’s submission