Pro boats ‘loaned’ for plunder of fish

FISHERMEN are borrowing commercial boats from licensed operators to plunder Corio Bay’s fish stocks, according to a new lobby group.
Friends of Corio Bay Action Group spokesperson Ivan Bereza said Department of Primary Industry (DPI) budget cuts were preventing proper regulation of fishing activity in the region.
“They borrow boats from people who own the commercial licences and I’m not convinced a lot of the fish they catch in Corio Bay are actually declared. DPI in Queenscliff has gone from 46 employees to 16, so who’s checking on these professional fishermen?
“They can do what they want.”
Mr Bereza’s comments follow a push by Geelong’s recreational fishermen to ban commercial netting in Corio Bay.
Organisers expected up to 1500 people at a second meeting on the issue next week, he said.
Geelong fishing author Geoff Wilson said he was “frustrated” with Fisheries Victoria for failing to manage Corio Bay “properly”.
“The people who hold the licences have been allowing other people to use their equipment and their boats. These are the waters the Geelong people use,” Mr Wilson said.
“We have people coming from everywhere and taking fish from Corio Bay using methods that are ecologically inappropriate.”
Mr Wilson said commercial netting disrupted fish populations and marine vegetation, “dragging a scraper over hundreds of metres of ground night after night”.
DPI fisheries management and science director Travis Dowling said the department’s overt and covert inspections found “no information” on illegal fishing in Corio Bay.
“We’re aware there’s a lot of commercial fishing going on but that’s licensed,” he said.
Mr Dowling said 13 of 238 public calls to DPI’s 13FISH reporting number between July 1 and September 30 related to commercial fishing but many were from people who failed to realise it was legal.
Fisheries officers conducted 46 inspections in Port Phillip Bay last financial year and 25 so far this year.
Inspectors this year found six offenders and issued two verbal warnings, two official warnings and two infringement notices, Mr Dowling said.
“We’ll continue to monitor and inspect commercial fisheries and ensure they’re being conducted lawfully. Inspections to date show a high level of compliance with the rules and regulations.”