Hon James Hayward questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding the impact of demersal fishing changes on charter operators, specifically concerning catch limits, yearly allocation flexibility, and leftover fish consumption.

AnsweredQoN 698Legislative Council
Asked
21 June 2023
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

WEST COAST DEMERSAL SCALEFISH
RESOURCE — CHARTER OPERATORS
698. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the
impact of demersal fishing changes on charter operators.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that daily catch limits for charter operators are still in
place despite the implementation of the allocated tag system?
(2) Will the
minister allow charter operators to determine when they catch their yearly
allocation of demersal fish to make their business operations viable?
(3) If no to (2),
why not?
(4) Will charter
operators be allowed to permit customers to take home any leftover fish that
was cooked on board the charter boat?

AnswerView source ↗

I
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided by the Minister for Fisheries.
(1) Catch limits
continue to apply for individual fishers participating in a licensed fishing
tour.
(2) Under the
tag system, charter operators who possess tags can offer fishing tours all year
round and are no longer subject to the same seasonal closures that apply to
recreational boat fishers.
(3) Not
applicable.
(4) No. The ''catch
to cook'' option provides charter operators who do not have tags with an
opportunity to fish for and consume demersal
scalefish as part of a fishing tour. Only those charter operators that have
tags on board will be able to land demersal scalefish ashore at the end
of the tour and all quota species must have a tag attached.

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