For those of you struggling with the ongoing issues such as commercial vs rec anglers or C&R spare a thought for all sides of fishing out of Perth at the moment.

Many anglers fish for demersal fish such as dhufish, snapper baldchin etc. Problem with those fish is they suffer from barotrauma, overfishing, poor spawning etc. As a result the Minister has stopped commercial fin fishing within the metro area and is about to stop rec anglers fishing for five vulnerable species in a wider area for four and a half months.

here's one of the Ministers recommendations -

That a seasonal restriction that prohibits the take of the five vulnerable fish species (dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper) applies from 15 October – 25 December and then from 1 February - 31 March in the West Coast Bioregion each year. This reduces the amount of fish caught over any year and offers some spawning protection. It also enables the opportunity to catch these five species during much of the summer holiday season.
Here's a covering letter from the Minister attached to the draft recommendations

FOREWORD
Recent scientific research has shown that some of Western Australia’s most popular and iconic fish are in dire straits. This research cannot be ignored and it is now imperative to do all we can to save these fish while preserving the enjoyment of the recreational fishing experience.
The iconic fish that are most at risk – especially pink snapper, dhufish, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper – have reached a fragile stage because their populations are quickly being depleted by overfishing. This increased fishing effort comes from all fishing sectors, including the burgeoning recreational fishing sector. As the State’s population continues to climb, so too does the number of registered recreational boats. Many of these boats are now equipped with new technology enabling them to easily target our iconic fish whose habitat is mainly in deeper off-shore waters.
The research by our scientists concludes that the current level of fishing is unsustainable and catches of some of the State’s most vulnerable fish need to be reduced by at least 50 per cent in the West Coast Bioregion. This part of the WA coast runs from north of Kalbarri to east of Augusta (see map, pg4). The reduction in catch is designed to stabilise these fish populations and allow them to be replenished. Failure to take action now risks seeing the collapse of some of WA’s most popular fish species.
The warnings from scientific research clearly show that we must take action now to protect these vulnerable fish and return to sustainable fishing levels. A responsible and considerate way of fishing will ensure we have fish for current generations as well as fish for the future.
The commercial fishing industry has played its part with the introduction of new fishing laws for the West Coast Bioregion. As of January 1st this year, a new management plan was introduced for commercial fishing of all scalefish species (such as pink snapper and dhufish). This plan will limit both the number of operators in the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery and the number of days each operator can fish to ensure commercial catches are contained at sustainable levels. Also, in November 2007, a ban on the commercial catch of scalefish and sharks in the Metropolitan fishing zone (between Lancelin and south of Mandurah) was introduced. This ban provides immediate catch reductions of vulnerable iconic fish.
Now it’s time for the recreational fishing sector to play its part to achieve sustainable fishing levels - and help save our most vulnerable fish. Catches of these fish by recreational fishers are particularly significant in the Metropolitan fishing zone where recreational fishing has previously exceeded the commercial catch for some species. For example, about 60 per cent of dhufish caught in the Metropolitan area has been taken by recreational fishers.
Ensuring the long-term sustainability of our vulnerable fish such as dhufish will require a combination of different recreational fishing management strategies, together with effective education, compliance and research monitoring programs.
2
After considering last year’s public submissions to Fisheries Management Paper No. 225 “Managing the Recreational Catch of Demersal Scalefish on the West Coast, and following consideration of further advice from different stakeholders, a package of recommended changes has been developed to manage the recreational catch of our vulnerable iconic fish in the West Coast Bioregion.
The rationale behind the recommended changes, as detailed in this document, is contained in the Fisheries Management Paper No. 228 “A Strategy for Managing the Recreational Catch of Demersal Scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion”. Both documents can be viewed at www.fish.wa.gov.au
I believe the package of recommended changes, as detailed in this document, is the best way to achieve sustainability of our vulnerable iconic fish species while also allowing an enjoyable fishing experience for Western Australians. The package is designed to achieve a 50 per cent catch reduction of these key species in the West Coast Bioregion. Our best scientists say this is a necessary target to help stabilise and replenish these fish populations.
It’s important to note this proposed package only applies to our iconic species that are most at risk – especially dhufish, pink snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod and red snapper. The recommended changes will allow recreational fishers to still catch a wide range of species. Changes to recreational fishing will not apply to people fishing for the common fish species caught from beaches, jetties or groynes. Nor will any changes apply to people fishing for species such as squid, whiting, skippy or fishing for “pelagic” fish such as Spanish mackerel and tuna. Also, the recommended changes as detailed in this document will only apply to the West Coast Bioregion. The package will allow people to still catch a wide range of species.
WA Government funding of $5.2 million over four years will be used to research and monitor fish populations to see if any new package for the management of recreational fishing (in conjunction with the new commercial arrangements) is sufficient to allow fish populations to recover. While any new package for the management of recreational fishing will be reviewed in four years, it is important to recognise that if good recovery of these vulnerable fish does not occur, then further management changes to both sectors may need to be considered.
This package of recommended changes for the management of recreational fishing of vulnerable iconic fish species is now being released for a four-week public consultation period. I strongly encourage all Western Australians with an interest in recreational fishing to carefully consider my package of recommended changes as well as the issues and proposals set out in Fisheries Management Paper No. 228 (see submission details at the end of this Ministerial Position Paper). Following consideration of your submissions, I will announce my final decisions on the new package for the management of recreational fishing of our vulnerable iconic fish species in the West Coast Bioregion.
The Honourable Jon Ford, JP MLC
Minister for Employment Protection; Regional Development; Fisheries; the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne
As you could imagine this has stirred the pot a fair bit within the affected region.
Here's a link to all the recommendations
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/WestCoastDemersal/Ministerial%20Position%20Paper-Iconic%20Fish.pdf[/url]
_________________