PIRSA Fisheries is currently reviewing the management arrangements for razorfish. Reports of increased exploitation of razorfish and concerns over localised depletion, particularly in areas of the west coast have prompted the review.

PIRSA Fisheries is considering changes to the recreational bag and boat limits to ensure the fishery is managed in a responsible and sustainable manner and will be consulting with local councils and stakeholders over the coming weeks.

Currently, a daily bag limit of 50 and a boat limit of 150 applies to all recreational fishers.

Two Port Lincoln men have pleaded guilty and been convicted of various fisheries related offences. One man pleaded guilty to contravening conditions of a commercial prawn licence while the other pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of fish. As part of the penalty, the commercial prawn fishing licence will be suspended for a period of time.

Evidence stated that between the 3rd and the 8th of March 2006 Mr Sylvio Vitlov (31) of Port Lincoln, as the registered master of the Spencer Gulf prawn vessel P026 “Michelle”, took marine scale fish as by catch in contravention to the conditions of the licence.

Other evidence stated that Mr Jovo Vitlov (58) also of Port Lincoln, went out in his recreational boat, met up with the prawn boat and unloaded the by catch from the prawn vessel. Mr Jovo Vitlov’s vessel was intercepted by Fisheries Officers at a pontoon mooring in front of his residence in the Port Lincoln Marina where they uncovered a quantity of fish including undersize snapper, over the bag limit of whiting and frozen John Dory.

The Magistrate also ordered that the Spencer Gulf prawn licence (P026) be suspended for the last five days of the PIRSA designated Spencer Gulf prawn fishing period in November 2007, or if that period is cancelled, then the suspension is to take place in the December period.

It is estimated that the loss of income as a result of the suspension of licence, for that specific fishing period, could be as much as $75,000. As well as the licence suspension, Mr Sylvio Vitlov was fined $3,000 and an additional penalty of $999 plus court costs. Mr Jovo Vitlov was fined $800 pus costs.

Winter heralds the start of the King George whiting season along metropolitan Adelaide and one of the keys to good whiting catches is the correct use of berley.

Try throwing out handfuls of crushed crab, razorfish, cockles or mussels to attract the fish and then hold them near your location.

King George whiting caught in Gulf St Vincent have a minimum legal length of 31cm. Other regulations apply. For more information go to the PIRSA Fisheries web site.

Two men from Cowell have been found guilty in the Whyalla Magistrates Court recently of the illegal use of a fishing net.

James Giovanni Panozzo (37) and Stanley Kenneth Miklavec (46) both pleaded guilty and were each fined more than $3,000 including court costs.

On 10 August 2006, the two men were stopped by Fisheries Officers at Shelley Beach in the Franklin Harbour Conservation Park, near Cowell on the State’s West Coast. Officers were responding to information provided by a member of the public.

Fisheries Officers seized a quantity of fish including 156 yellowfin whiting (116 over the daily bag limit for two fishers), 51 garfish (46 were undersize) and six Australian salmon. They also seized a fishing net and other equipment.

Throughout winter and spring, King George whiting larvae live in protected bays. The most important nursery areas appear to include Barker Inlet, Franklin Harbour and the large bays on the State’s west coast.

These juvenile fish reside in the nursery habitat for a year or two before moving out into gulf waters or deeper areas in the west coast bays, which are characterised by broken reefs and stands of seagrass.

When the fish reach three to four years of age, they are capable of moving distances of up to several hundred kilometres within a few months. Fish from Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf move the greatest distance in their general southward movement towards the off-shore spawning grounds.

Fish from Gulf St Vincent can end up along the north coast of Kangaroo Island. Those from northern Spencer Gulf end up in either Hardwicke Bay or around the Sir Joseph Banks group of islands or Thistle Island.

Spawning grounds also include Investigator Strait, the south eastern tip of Yorke Peninsula and south-eastern Spencer Gulf around Corny Point and Port Victoria.

A trend in increased catch and effort in the commercial Goolwa cockle fishery has prompted PIRSA Fisheries to review its management arrangements.

Following more than 12 months of consultation with industry and other stakeholders, it was agreed to move the management of the commercial fishery to a quota system. Subsequently, a Goolwa Cockle Working Group - including industry members - has worked with PIRSA Fisheries to develop the new quota management system, including a catch disposal system, compliance arrangements, and a research and monitoring program.

Other changes to the commercial fishery will include increasing the maximum number of agents able to assist the licence holder. There will also be the introduction of a minimum mesh size for cockle rakes to prevent undersize cockles being inadvertently taken with the catch.

An independent Allocation Advisory Panel has been established to provide advice to the Minister on the most appropriate way to allocate Goolwa cockle quotas among commercial licence holders.

At this stage, there will be no changes to the recreational catch limits - a minimum size limit of 3.5 centimetres, a daily bag limit of 600, and a closed season from 1 June to 31 October inclusive.

The new arrangements for the commercial fishery will come into force from 1 November 2007.

• On March 27, 2007 in the Whyalla Magistrates Court, Stephen Mark Cook, 45, of Murninnie Beach pleaded guilty to fishing without a licence. He was charged with 38 counts of sale of fish, those fish not being taken pursuant to a licence. As a result, he was fined a total of $38,000, plus prosecution costs of $100.
• On April 4, 2007 in the Victor Harbour Magistrates Court, Quenton Gene Tombleson, 22, of Strathalbyn pleaded guilty to fishing without holding a licence in respect to that fishery, being in possession of a commercial quantity of black lip abalone (83), possession of undersized abalone (43) and failing to carry an accurate measuring device at Freeman’s Lookout near Port Elliott on May 17, 2005. As a result, he was convicted and fined a total of just over $9,400.
• On the April 12, 2007 in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court, Van-Ten Pham, 48, of Salisbury pleaded guilty to taking a total of 136 blue swimmer crabs, 96 over the daily bag limit of 40 per person. He also pleaded guilty to taking 123 undersized blue swimmer crabs. As a result, Magistrate Millard SM imposed a bond of $500, to be of good behaviour for a period of two years, and fined him $355.95 as a mandatory additional penalty, plus costs of $400 and levies of $105 (a total of around $860). The forfeiture of the fish was also ordered.
• On the April 16, 2007 in the Kadina Magistrates Court, David Grant Wilson, 46, of Moonta pleaded guilty to, on 14 May 2003 off Cape Elizabeth, being unlicensed, taking and possessing for the purpose of sale 159 green lip abalone, taking 144 over the daily bag limit for abalone, and taking and possessing 156 undersized green lip abalone.

  Previously on October 18, 2006 in Kadina Magistrates Court, Owen William Karpany, 35, and Stuart Daniel Young, 41, of Moonta, were convicted on all counts and each defendant received a community service order of 320 hours.

  On that day, Mr Wilson did not attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was subsequently arrested and was also given 320 hours of community service.

PIRSA Fisheries has released revised management plans for the northern and southern rock lobster fisheries and the Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent prawn fisheries.

Copies of the plans are available on the PIRSA Fisheries website and all stakeholders are invited to comment on the documents with a submission deadline of June 29, 2007.

Recreational fishers are keenly involved in the rock lobster fisheries and the management plans are relevant to all stakeholders. To view the management plans on the PIRSA Fisheries web site, click here.