Land-based anglers face new licence

Recreational fishers face paying a land-based fishing licence after Fisheries Minister Norman Moore refused to rule it out yesterday as an option to save fish stocks.

Mr Moore said while the State Government had previously decided not to go down the path of imposing such a licence fee, he would look at every option when research into shore-based fishing stocks was completed by the end of the year.

"I don't want to speculate on the future but if the fishery is under threat we will have to look at every option that relates to making sure that the fishery is sustained," he said.

"If those fisheries are under threat, then we will take the necessary action to save them."

A $300,000 research program was announced by the State Government in December to assess the effects of shore-based fishing.

The Government said at the time there was evidence that a two-month recreational fishing ban from October 15 on demersal scale fish such as pink snapper and dhufish had caused some fishermen to switch to shore-based fish targeting species such as herring, whiting and tailor.

Recfishwest executive director Frank Prokop said while such a fee would be unpopular, he wouldn't oppose a move by the Government to introduce a land-based fishing licence. But he said he preferred a general fishing licence of $20 to $30 for all adults who wanted to fish from both boats and the shore. Ben Patrick, spokesman for the Australian Fishing Trade Association in WA and a local tackle manufacturer, said the licensing system was a "dog's breakfast".

Mr Patrick said if all the other licences were abolished, a land-based fee would be worth looking at.

But he said no recreational fisher in WA would be happy about a land-based fishing fee until the recreational community had a say in where the proceeds were spent.

A spokesman for Mr Moore said a general fishing licence had been considered in March last year as one of a range of options.

He said money had been allocated for this year from the newly introduced recreational boat fishing licence fees to management, compliance, research and licensing within the recreational fishing industry.

Earlier this month, it became law for all recreational fishers using a powered vessel to have a recreational fishing licence, which costs $30 a year.