Afant News

AFANT Email InDepth #7

AFANT Email InDepth #7
10 July 2009

ACTION ON THE CLOSURE OF BYNOE HARBOUR AND THE FINNISS RIVER AREA
Fisheries Minister Kon Vatskalis has announced that next week will see the start of the formal 28 day public consultation period to implement the promised closures of Bynoe Harbour and the Finniss River area to commercial barramundi fishing. He also announced that he will be establishing a Barramundi Fishery Advisory Group to report back in 12 months on permanent commercial fishing closures, including the rest of Fog Bay. Attached to this Email InDepth is a Fishing Matters newsletter prepared by the Minister’s office which includes maps of the proposed closed areas.
The proposed closure lines for Bynoe Harbour will be a great result for recreational fishers if that is what comes out of the formal consultation process. Such a closure will properly reflect the transfer of barramundi resources in this area from the commercial to the recreational sector.”
AFANT still believe that the whole of Fog Bay should be closed but we welcome the closure area surrounding the Finniss and Little Finniss Rivers proposed by the Minister as a good interim measure while we work towards a wider closure through the Barramundi Fishery Advisory Group that the Minister will now establish.
On the downside, commercial barramundi fishing will recommence in Fog Bay on 15 July and we are disappointed that this is the case. You will recall that the Minister used his emergency powers to close Fog Bay to commercial barramundi netting for 90 days back in April in response to the publication of photos and video showing the deliberate killing of large numbers of juvenile sawfish by a commercial fisher. The Minister put the closure in place for 90 days and clearly stated that permanent arrangements would be implemented during that closure period.
In our view there is still not enough legislative power for the Minister to prevent a repeat of the sawfish incident but he has assured us that fishing in the area will be monitored and that he will not hesitate to put another emergency closure in place if anything similar happens.
We’re also urge all recreational fishers visiting the Fog Bay area to keep their eyes on the water and report any suspect activity as rapidly as possible.
Government and the NT Seafood Council now agree that voluntary codes of conduct may not be sufficient to ensure protection of bycatch species such as sawfish and dugong and a process has now commenced to put in place permanent arrangements including providing legislative powers for the codes of conduct..

NEW RECREATIONAL POSESSION LIMITS — 1 JANUARY 2010
The NT Government has announced that new recreational fishing possession limits and regulations will come into force in the Territory from 1 January 2010. The new limits will help to maintain the sustainability of some of the NT’s world-class recreational fisheries.
AFANT has been working with the NT Government on these new arrangements for some time now and we believe they will be well supported by the majority of recreational fishers who have had plenty of opportunities to have their say on the changes.
The new regulations will be:
• Personal possession limit of two Black Jewfish (reducing from five)
• Personal possession limit of two Spanish mackerel (reducing from five)
• Personal possession limit of 30 cherabin and/or red claw (currently no limit)
• Personal possession limit of 3 sharks of any species, including a prohibition on the taking of sawfish
• Requirement to use turtle excluder rings in freshwater pots
• Boat limit of 10 freshwater pots per vessel (when two or more people on board)
• A prohibition on the recreational taking of clams.
AFANT is particularly pleased at the reduction in the black jewfish possession limit from five fish to two as we believe that stocks, particularly in areas close to Darwin, are under pressure from a combination of recreational and commercial fishing. Changes to commercial fishing for jewfish in areas where they aggregate close to Darwin such as Charles Point, Chambers Bay and Channel Point should now also be considered.
The new possession limits and pot regulations for cherabin are also significant as they are heavily fished in some locations and we know little about the impact of this on important recreational fish such as barramundi.
Reducing recreational fishing impacts on sharks and banning the taking of all sawfish is another sound initiative and it is in line with national recognition of the need for more conservative approaches to various shark species.
At times the process of getting agreement to put these changes in place has been difficult and AFANT has congratulated Minister Vatskalis for seeing them through.

EAST ARM AND DYNAH BEACH PONTOONS
Work is now underway to install the pontoon at the Dynah Beach boat ramp. Half the ramp is closed while the work is underway but we understand that the contractors will try to maintain a single lane for launch and retrieve for as much of the time as possible. We have been told that the pontoon should be completed before the end of August.
Meanwhile, signs have now been placed near the pontoon at East Arm warning that it is dangerously unstable in windy conditions. There have been many users of the ramp who have advised AFANT of problems with the pontoon and we have asked that these be addressed as soon as possible by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure. Users are being warned as follows:
“This pontoon is only to be used for launching and retrieving boats during safe conditions. Wind and waves affect the stability of the pontoon and make it unsafe in adverse wind conditions. At these times only the ramp (and not the pontoon) should be used. Users of the pontoon should exercise special care for their own safety at all times. Use of the pontoon is at your own risk.”
There are also potential dangers if users place their hands or fingers inside the rails which guide the pontoon on its piles. These signs state:
Do not use as a hand rail. Movement of the pontoon can injure hands
We hope that these safety issues will be resolved in the near future but, if you are using East Arm ramp in the near future, please take extreme care around the pontoon.
At the moment the toilet is being installed at the ramp but electricity and water are still to be connected to the site.

ADELAIDE RIVER RAMP CAR PARK UPGRADE
Work on sealing the car park at the Adelaide River boat ramp is now underway and there is likely to be a fair bit of construction activity there over the next few weeks. A pump and tank system is also being installed next to the ramp so that ramp users can wash themselves before getting into boats or vehicles. The water will be pumped from the river so it will not be suitable for drinking.
Toilets are now available via the Adelaide River Queen kiosk. Please make sure you don’t track mud etc. into the kiosk.