March 2, 2022
The Victorian Fisheries Authority have released a draft fisheries notice regarding the number of other species that can be caught alongside the long line snapper once commercial fishing nets are removed from Port Phillip Bay by 1 April 2022. There will be eight long line snapper fishing licences remaining.
The following limits have been proposed by the Victorian Fisheries Authority:
- Bycatch will be capped at no more than 1 tonne of shark and 2 tonnes of other species (excluding important recreational species of King George whiting, calamari, kingfish and mulloway).
- Total catch per commercial license would be 11 tonnes of snapper, and 3 tonnes of bycatch. This will prevent the wastage of bycatch, stop any deliberate targeting of non-snapper species and provide capacity for the long line fishers to get bait.
This will prevent the wastage of bycatch, stop any deliberate targeting of non-snapper species and provide capacity for the long line fishers to get bait.
Consultation closes on Friday 4 March at 5pm.
