The South-east Crayfish (Euastacus bispinosus) (also known as the Glenelg spiny crayfish or ‘spiny’) has been declared a protected species under the South Australian Fisheries Management Act following an announcement by the State Government today.

PIRSA Fisheries Manager Fisheries Policy, Sean Sloan, said that this species of freshwater crayfish is restricted to the Glenelg River Basin of south-western Victoria and coastal streams, drains and wetlands of adjacent areas of the lower south east of South Australia.

“Prolonged drought conditions in the south east region of the state have led to a decline in habitat quality in the coastal streams, drains and wetlands which support the South-east Crayfish, placing further pressure on what is a restricted and rare species in this state,” he said.

“By declaring the South-east Crayfish a protected species we are protecting another one of our important native species which is currently under threat.”

The species is listed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction in the wild in the medium-term future on the 2000 IUCN red list of threatened species, and nominated for listing as endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, due to its small range and large number of threatening processes.

Under the new regulations, all fishers are prohibited from taking or harming South-east Crayfish.

PIRSA Fisheries has invited South Australian anglers to have their say on the future management of the Murray Cod fishery in this state.

A public meeting was held in Berri in February which gave Riverland fisherman an opportunity to contribute their ideas as to how the fishery is managed into the future. A similar meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 March at the Adelaide Sailing Club at West Beach.

PIRSA Fisheries Inland Fisheries Management Officer, Jonathan McPhail said the meetings aimed to give residents an opportunity to discuss the recent Murray Cod options paper, which was released for public comment in December 2009.

The paper, ‘Management Options for Murray Cod in South Australia’, outlines a number of possible options for the future sustainable management of the iconic freshwater fish.

“Murray Cod numbers have significantly declined since European settlement, due to a number of contributing factors such as habitat loss, barriers to fish movement, introduced exotic species, disease, reduced environmental flows, water regulation and fishing.

“So it’s vital that we put in place pro-active management strategies now to ensure a sustainable and viable Murray Cod fishery into the future.”

Local fishermen are invited to attend the second meeting in Adelaide on 2 March.

What: Management Options for Murray Cod in SA – Public Meeting
Where: Adelaide Sailing Club, Barcoo Rd West Beach
When: Tuesday 2 March
Time: 6.30pm

A joint PIRSA Fisheries and SA Police (SAPOL) operation has netted an illegal abalone operation at Cape Donnington, south of Port Lincoln.

Fisheries and SAPOL Officers working together onboard PIRSA Fisheries’ Offshore Patrol Vessel Southern Ranger caught five men allegedly involved in the illegal taking and possession of more than 450 abalone.

The bust comes after officers on board the Southern Ranger spotted divers in the water in the Lincoln National Park. Upon investigation, the men were allegedly found to be in possession of more than 200 live abalone.

After interviewing the divers, officers searched a house in Port Lincoln where they located another 250 abalone of which half were allegedly under the legal size limit. 

It will be alleged that the abalone seized were taken by the men for commercial purposes.

Police officers also located and seized a large quantity of drugs in the house which they are currently investigating.

The penalties for taking and/or possessing abalone for a commercial purpose include fines of up to $250,000 or up to four years imprisonment.

Coastal anglers are being encouraged to record online the number of longtail tuna they catch so CSIRO scientists can monitor fish populations.

Longtail tuna, often mistakenly referred to as northern bluefin tuna, commonly are caught by recreational fisherman.

Declared a ‘recreational only’ species in December 2006, 70 tonnes of commercial bycatch is landed each year.

Anglers are urged to log their catch at the following website: www.longtailtuna.com.au

You will remain completely anonymous and your data will remain confidential and held by the CSIRO for use by scientists.

PIRSA Fisheries has praised the efforts of the Limestone Coast community following positive results of its recent phone-in campaign, Operation Community.

The campaign, conducted in late January, encouraged local residents to ring and report suspected illegal fishing offences, in particular those using rock lobster pots illegally.

PIRSA Fisheries Regional Manager, Limestone Coast, Mel Snart said Operation Community was a resounding success thanks to the support of the local community.

“We received a number of positive leads from the local community, which has led to positive results in terms of catching fishing offenders,” she said.

“This operation has showed that the Limestone Coast community are prepared to play their part in protecting our local fish stocks and we thank them for their efforts.”
 

The SMSFish system has been a resounding success with more and more recreational fishers making use of the system each week.

PIRSA Fisheries Communications Officer, Dave Primer, said that after almost six months in operation the number has become an important information toll for South Australian anglers.

“Since the system was launched on 31 August 2009, the SMSFish number has received a total of 3733 messages which is an average of about 150 hits per week,” he said.

“We are really pleased with this level of usage, as it shows anglers are conscientious of our size bag and boat limits, and are finding the new technology to be a convenient way of staying up to date with current fishing regulations.

“All you have to do is send a text message to the SMSFish number 0427 767 995 with the species name that you are targeting, and you will receive an immediate return message with the minimum legal size, bag and boat limit, along with any information on closed seasons that relate to that particular species.

“It’s important people understand that SMSFish is not a question answer system. Simply send a single fish species to the number. If you have a more detailed fishing question we urge you to call the Fishwatch hotline number on 1800 065 522.”

PIRSA Fisheries would like to clarify some misinformation it published in the January 2010 edition of FishFacts in regards to filleting fish, more specifically shark, at sea.

You cannot cut up, fillet or otherwise mutilate fish on a boat (except for scaling and gutting) unless the fish or crabs are to be eaten on board within 24 hours.

This rule applies to fish and crabs that are subject to legal minimum lengths.

For shark species, you can only remove the pelvic fins, claspers and also the tail at the "sub-terminal notch".

The sub-terminal notch is the point where the trunk of the shark ceases and the tail of the shark begins. Therefore, removing the tail at the "sub-terminal notch" means that you can remove the tail but do not cut into the trunk of the shark. 

This applies to all species of shark, including those without size limits.