end of the line for fresh fish era
Look for kingfish
Last gasp: Neville and Dalton Hutchins’s Mornington fishing business is doomed as the state government phases out commercial net fishing. Picture: Yanni
remove 10 per cent of the value of a licence for every year we renew,” he said. This would mean many licence holders giving up fishing well before 2022. A question mark hangs over over compensation for the Hutchins fish shop on Fishermans Beach, Mornington, where the brothers sell about 10 tonne of fresh snapper, whiting, salmon, garfish and mullet each year taken between Olivers Hill at Frankston and Safety Beach. An earlier version of the shop was built in 1890. Neville Hutchins said licence compo would be based on the “three worst years” of the past five years of catches. He said when the government banned net fishing in Western Port just before the 2006 election, “we received $2000 each”. “The net ban hasn’t made any difference to fish stocks in Western Port and it won’t in Port Phillip,” he said. However, there was a thriving black market for Western Port fish and the same would happen in Port Phillip with amateur fishers selling their catch, he said. There will be a shortage of local bait for amateur fishers. “There’s a bloke working out of Williamstown who takes about 100 tonne a year of pilchards and white bait [anchovies] so that goes,” he said. And what will the Hutchins brothers do after handing over their licences? “I can’t speak for Dalton, but I'm 64 next birthday. I know nothing except fishing. Perhaps I’ll sit on the beach and remember the good times.”
THE state government is joining the growing ranks of anglers in tracking down kingfish in Port Phillip. The prized fish is coming under scrutiny as part of a government plan to get one million Victorians fishing by 2020. A two-year study being undertaken by Fisheries Victoria is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of kingfish populations and involves anglers reporting their catches and donating kingfish frames for scientific analysis. “Kingfish have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity among saltwater anglers who consider them great sport and very good eating,” Fisheries Victoria executive director Travis Dowling said. “On a single day last February, around 100 boats actively targeted kingfish near the entrance to Port Phillip so we know Melbourne’s anglers are very keen on the species. “Fisheries managers want to learn more about kingfish populations including their growth rates, population structures and spawning habits. “[The study] will also trial the use of satellite tags to better understand kingfish movement patterns, including depth and water temperature preferences.” Mr Dowling said keen anglers could help with the study by donating kingfish frames and keeping records of their catches over summer. He said scientists will extract otoliths (ear bones) from kingfish frames to determine their age and use chemistry analyses to investigate kingfish temperature preferences. Interested anglers can call Dr Corey Green, the study’s lead fisheries scientist, on 5258 0275 or email corey. green@ecodev.vic.gov.au
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Mornington News 1 December 2015
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