TARFish responds to East Coast Rock Lobster Catch Cap Announcement
TARFish is disappointed in today’s decision by Minister Barnett to cut the commercial rock lobster commercial catch on the East Coast by only 10 tonnes.
“Despite advice from the independent Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) that stock levels in some parts of the east coast are at critically low levels and a catch reduction of over 30 tonnes is needed, here we are,” said TARFish CEO Jane Gallichan.
IMAS considers 20% virgin biomass to be a “critical reference point for ensuring sustainability” and anything below it may impact recruitment.
This critical reference point of 20% biomass was set in 2013 as the only goal for the East Coast Stock Rebuilding Strategy.
The East Coast Stock Rebuilding Strategy applies to 3 of the 8 Stock Assessment Areas in Tasmania for rock lobster. Areas 1,2 and 3 are at 21%, 10% and 16% respectively.
“It appears the Government has abandoned any last vestige of achieving the goal it set for itself in the stock rebuilding strategy and is placing the rock lobster fishery in an even more precarious position.
“There is real risk that the stock could collapse in some parts of the East Coast and the continual kicking the can down the road cannot be considered appropriate fisheries management.
“Whilst we welcome the plan to accelerate the development of the next iteration of an East Coast Stock Rebuilding Strategy and look forward to seeing the Discussion Paper in March, we want the Minister to assure Tasmania’s 20,000 recreational rock lobster fishers they will not be forced to pay the price for leaving the commercial catch so high,” she said.
The Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy was released in November 2020 and includes a number of principles and commitments to recreational fishers including; fisheries resource sharing policy framework and the resource sharing arrangements that flow from it, together with harvest strategies. In addition, the Minister has made a clear commitment to a rebalance in favour of recreational fishers on the east coast that needs to be delivered on.