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Recreational fishing haven study
20 August 2003
The second phase of a study into the impact of recreational fishing havens will start next month.
The study began in 1999-2000 at two of the State’s most popular fishing spots, when 900 anglers at Tuross Lake and 3000 at Lake Macquarie were surveyed.
The next stage, starting next month, will see similar numbers surveyed in both these areas.
The $300,000 study will be funded by the recreational fishing licence.
It will allow researchers to compare the types and numbers of fish, both before and after these areas were declared recreational fishing havens.
The size of the fishery will be assessed in terms of fishing pressure, or the number of fishing trips undertaken, and also the estimated recreational catch.
The information will help to ensure recreational fisheries are managed sustainable, and to better understand the impact of commercial and recreational fishing.
These two lakes are for recreational fishing only and we believe that after the commercial fishing was stopped in these areas, recreational fishers should have a fairer chance of catching fish.
As part of the survey, we want to see what species anglers are catching, what they were targeting and how much effort it took to catch those species.
In Tuross Lake in 1999-2000, we found that the dusky flathead, luderick, yelloweye mullet and yellowfin bream were the most commonly caught fish.
In Lake Macquarie, it was blue swimmer crabs, luderick, yellowfin bream and dusky flathead.
The second stage of the project will run for about a year. NSW Fisheries scientists will supervise teams of interviewers.
