PIRSA Fisheries has a new Executive Director with Martin Smallridge taking over from Will Zacharin in early July.

After 10 years in Fisheries’ top job, Will has taken up a new position in charge of PIRSA’s new Biosecurity division.

Will's contribution to fishing in this state over the past 10 years can not be understated, and we wish him all the best in his new role.

Martin takes on the Executive Director role with an extensive range of experience across the fishing industry. He has previously been General Manager of both the Fisheries Policy and  Programs, and Fisheries Services teams, giving him an in depth understanding of both the fisheries management, and compliance sides of our core business.

Keep an eye out for the brand new Fisheries Officer uniforms, which will be rolled out during August.

The uniforms, which are predominantly navy blue with white embroidery, will give Fisheries Officers a highly recognisable presence along South Australia’s rivers and coastal regions.

The aim of the uniforms is to make Fisheries Officers clearly identifiable in the community so that people come up to them to ask fisheries-related questions.

Chair of the uniform review committee and Central North Regional Manager Paul Faithow said the uniform clearly identifies the wearer as a Fisheries Officer and offers staff a comfortable, functional and hard-wearing uniform. The uniform will be the same for Fisheries Officers working at sea, on land patrols or in the office.

Staff had a chance to examine options for the new uniform at a Fisheries Services forum during 2008.

“The committee looked at other agencies around Australia who conduct similar duties both on land and at sea with a view to getting the best option for SA,” Paul said.

“We started by identifying the functions a Fisheries Officer performs and the purpose our uniform serves. And that’s not just functionality, but the appropriate enforcement impression it creates.”

Different size limits apply to different fish, which is why it’s so important that recreational fishers know exactly how to measure their catch.

So to make it easier for rec fishers to adhere to these size limits, Fisheries have produced a short video detailing the recommended procedure for measuring various fish species.

So why not log on to the PIRSA website and see one of our Fisheries Officers explain the recommended procedure for measuring different fish. PIRSA Fisheries Website

A Whyalla man is the first fisher in South Australia to be given a custodial sentence for a recreational fishing offence.

Steven Cook, 47, recently received a suspended sentence in the Whyalla Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to illegally selling jars of razorfish at a local hotel in October last year.

PIRSA Fisheries Officers seized a total of three jars containing 44 razorfish when they approached Mr Cook in the hotel, and discovered a further 12 jars containing 252 razorfish in the man’s car.

The court was told the man’s activities were “neither amateur nor spontaneous, but an organised well-planned enterprise to make money”.

There has been overfishing of the species, such that the bag limit was reduced to 25 per person in December 2007. The species is susceptible to over-fishing as they live in the seabed in the same spot for their whole life, they are not migratory and therefore if they are heavily harvested in an area there is no new recruitment to enable re-population.

PIRSA Fisheries Central North Regional Manager Paul Faithow said the suspended sentence sends a very strong message to anyone considering illegally fishing or selling, but also reinforces the message that our fisheries need to be protected, particularly vulnerable species.

Two Kingston men were fined in the Adelaide Magistrates Court recently for undertaking illegal fishing activities at Cape Jaffa during March 2008.

Graeme ‘Graz’ Albert Brighton and Arthur ‘Joe’ Edward Trezise, were charged with a variety of offences after Fisheries Officers conducted an investigation into their activities.

Items seized by Fisheries Officers during subsequent house searches were forfeited to the Crown.  These items included rock lobster pots, a large quantity of carp, fish bins, buckets, eskies, scales, food saver, cooker and a gas bottle. A number of whole rock lobster, tails, and vacuum packed meat weighing in excess of 46 kilograms were also seized.

Both men pleaded guilty to charges relating to setting and pulling up to nine rock lobster pots over a period of four days and having in their possession a commercial quantity of rock lobster.

Mr Brighton was fined a total of $4070 while Mr Trezise was fined a total of $3820.

Whether it was your basic tinny or the more sophisticated cruisers, there was something for every boating enthusiast at the 2009 Adelaide Boat Show.

Held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 16-19 July, the Boat show annually attracts close to 20,000 people, and offers a great day out for all the family.

Fisheries once again had a major presence at the Show, with Compliance staff as well as a number of Fishcare Volunteers in attendance, providing recreational fishers and other visitors with important information and advice to help them make the most out of their fishing experience.

And there was fun for the kids, with the ever-popular fish-measuring game on offer giving children the opportunity to catch, identify and measure different fish species.

State Fishcare Volunteer Coordinator, Toni Cox, said the show provided the Volunteers with a terrific opportunity to provide anglers and other boating enthusiasts with up to date information on South Australian fishing regulations.

South Australian anglers are being asked to help in the search for a humpback whale entangled in marine debris.

The Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) has been trying to find the whale since it entered South Australian waters during July.

Deb Kelly from DEH says eight specialist rangers are in Mount Gambier ready to scour the ocean, but they think it will be difficult because the whale moves at 15 kilometres an hour.