"Poor management" accusation: The recommendations are in a report, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets, which says government catch statistics over the past 60 years show the state fishery is "on the edge of collapse" because of poor management.
Decline continues despite reduced commercial activity: The report, which tracks catches of 64 species between 1940 and 2000, says almost all species are in decline even though the commercial catch has halved in recent years.
How many constitutes "recreation"? The state’s one million recreational anglers can now take up to 200 fish a day across all species and up to 20 of some species. The council wants that limit cut to 20 across all species.
Marine parks govt priority: The State Government is already considering changes, including an overdue review of bag limits, but will not discuss specifies until it has finalised the last of six marine parks.
Not enough, says report: The report’s author, Paul Winn, from the Hunter Community Environment Centre, says marine parks do not go far enough: "They don’t cover the entire coastline. It falls well short of what is really needed to address fisheries management."
The Sydney Morning Herald, 14-16/4/2006, p. 3
Source: Erisk Net