Snapper tag lottery on again for Freycinet Estuary
Date: Wednesday, 14 January 2009
A review of the pink snapper stocks for the Shark Bay inner gulf area has found full recovery has not yet occurred and the annual tag lottery to fish for the species in Freycinet Estuary will continue for another three years.

Department of Fisheries Principal Policy Officer Nathan Harrison said it was important to continue to rebuild pink snapper stocks in Freycinet Estuary.

“The Freycinet Estuary is a unique part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area and Marine Park and requires special consideration,” Mr Harrison said.

“That we have seen some recovery of pink snapper stocks there, is largely due to the support of the local community who were part of the consultation process in setting up the management arrangements, but we need to remain cautious for now.”

Mr Harrison said that overfishing was first identified in the area in 1997, and an initial series of fishing controls including a closed season, reduced bag limits, a possession limit and increased legal sizes were introduced through the late 1990s to limit catches in an effort to reverse the decline.

These measures proved ineffective so in 2003, the Department of Fisheries introduced a tag lottery system that explicitly managed the total catch at or below 1400 fish per year.
Since then snapper stocks in the area have rebuilt slowly, but remain below target levels due to a series of years of low recruitment.

“The recreational fishing tag lottery for this year opened this week (Monday 12 January 2009) and will run until Friday the 6th of February,” he said.

“During that time, interested fishers can make an application online at www.fish.wa.gov.au or download the form, fill it out and mail it to the Department of Fisheries – 3rd Floor, The Atrium, 168 St George’s Terrace PERTH WA 6000.

“There will be 1050 recreational tags issued again this year after the applications have closed and the balloting has taken place.

Tags will cost $10 each and there is a limit of two per angler.

“The commercial sector will be allocated 350 tags.

“By issuing only 1400 tags we can ensure that stocks continue to rebuild.

“Only pink snapper with a tag attached may be landed in Freycinet Estuary.

Mr Harrison also said that, outside the Freycinet Estuary, anglers in the Shark Bay area could fish for pink snapper without tags, however, strict bag limits, size limits and seasonal closures applied and must be adhered to.

Information on lottery applications and fishing for pink snapper in Shark Bay is available online at www.fish.wa.gov.au. Click on the special icon on the Recreational Fishing page