PORT Macquarie anglers have backed a campaign to scrap new bag and possession limits being proposed by the State Government.
Jeuel Mortel from the Port Macquarie Fishos Club said a 4000-strong meeting at Coffs Harbour last week reflected the passion felt by local anglers.
Under the proposed changes by the Department of Primary Industries, many popular species caught off the coast of the town would have their bag and possession limits slashed.
The recreation bag limit would be dropped from 20 per day to 10 per day for species including flathead (other than dusky flathead), yellowfin bream, black bream, tarwhine, tailor, trevally, luderick and blue swimmer crabs.
Dusky flathead, snapper, dolphin fish, grey morwong and jackass morwong will all have their bag limit reduced from 10 to five.
Cobia and yellowfin kingfish will have their bag limit reduced from five to two, along with deep seas species like blue-eye trevalla, banded rockcod, hapuku, bass groper and gemfish.
Spanish and spotted mackerel, wahoo, mangrove jack and teraglin will also have a bag limit reduction of five down to two.
Bag limit reductions and size limits would apply to other species under the plans.
For Ms Mortel, the proposed changes are seen as an attack on the region’s recreational fishing culture.
“Most of us feel very strongly about this,” she said.
“They are targeting the bread and butter species that people catch all the time.”
Ms Mortel said a reduction in possession limits for flathead would hit local anglers particularly hard.
“People might come down from Tamworth to catch some fish, put them in the freezer and take them home,” she said.
“You go out and catch five flathead and that is not going to feed a family.”
Rather than helping preserve fisheries, Ms Mortel believes the proposed rule changes will help promote black market sales of illegally caught fish.
“It is designed to stop illegal fishing, but these people don’t respect the law now, so it will just increase the black market,” she said.
“The greenie do-gooders are just spoiling it for the majority who do the right thing.”
Details on how to make a submission to the review of NSW recreational saltwater and freshwater fishing rules can be found at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/reviews/fishingrules
