‘We warned them 13 years ago’: South coast fishers say Government ignored warnings as fish stocks decline

A Manjimup fisherman says the State Government has ignored more than a decade of community warnings about declining fish stocks, amid fears the recent West Coast gillnet ban will create new pressures further south.

On December 3, the State Government announced a full closure of all commercial demersal gillnetting in the West Coast bioregion.

It includes a 50 per cent commercial catch reduction for zone two on the South Coast.

The West Coast bioregion will become an exclusively recreational fishing zone for snapper and dhufish following a 21-month recovery closure for boat-based recreational fishing, remaining permanently closed to commercial fishing for demersal fish from January 1, with a compulsory buyback of commercial fishing licences.

The reforms aim to protect demersal fish like pink snapper, red emperor and dhufish from extinction and to help stocks recover for future generations, with scientific stock assessments of WA’s prized demersal fish showing species are under “severe threat”.

Under the reforms, the West Coast fishing region from Kalbarri to Augusta will not reopen on December 16.

While many fishers are worried this will mark the end of their businesses, Manjimup man Wayne Pedretti, who has been campaigning to save the region’s fish stocks for years, believes it could just push the problem further south.

He remains concerned about the vulnerability of local species.

Having fished in the Broke Inlet, 25km west of Walpole, for nearly 50 years, Mr Pedretti said the well-known breeding ground for pink snapper and groper remained dangerously unprotected, despite years of warnings.

Mr Pedretti told the Times he had repeatedly voiced his fears to governing bodies as part of the group Save Our Fish Stocks, formed 13 years ago.

The group believes netting should be banned at Broke Inlet to protect the breeding grounds.

“We were told over a decade ago that the commercial sector would reduce their catch by 50 per cent — we thought we finally had a win,” he said.

“But the very next day, they reneged. If they had stuck to that agreement, maybe we wouldn’t be going through this now.”

Mr Pedretti is increasingly frustrated at the lack of action, and said he had offered to take decision-makers to the inlet to show them the problem first-hand

“I offered to set a small 60m net overnight and show them the hundreds of dead pink snapper and groper we would get in that net in the morning,” he said.

“I could explain that the pros use kilometres of net, then they might be able to see the damage, but they were never interested.”

He said the threat of gillnetting boats coming into South Coast waters to avoid the complete ban would devastate the region — and it was already happening.

“A mate called me and said they’re all down netting along Long Point, west of Walpole,” he said.

“They are going hammer and tongs before the reduction kicks in. If they are allowed to continue in this way, the breeding stocks will be pillaged and the inlet and the region will never recover.”

Premier Roger Cook said the changes had been “difficult decisions to make” but it was “the right thing to do”.

“We want our kids and grandkids to be able to enjoy fishing in our beautiful State into the future,” he said.

“Our iconic demersal fish species like dhufish and snapper are on the verge of extinction in some parts of WA, so we need to take urgent action to save them for the future generations of fishers.

“We know that these reforms will have a large impact on the fishing industry and sectors, and we have been working with them closely throughout this decision-making process.

“We will be providing a $29.2 million Fisheries Support Package to help them to adapt to the incoming reforms and establishing an advisory council to provide guidance as the reforms are implemented.”