Angler support confirms Kingfish bag limit change
by Victorian Fisheries Authority 22 Oct 07:55 UTC
The rise of Victoria's ever-improving yellowtail kingfish fishery will continue in years to come with recreational anglers overwhelmingly supporting a proposal to change the bag limit for the revered saltwater species.
Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said hundreds of fishers state-wide had responded to the proposal through online and in-person consultation, strongly supporting the reduction in the daily bag limit from five to two, which takes effect today.
"Feedback from recreational fishers was a big reason behind proposing this change and early in the consultation period it became clear the majority of responses were supportive of a daily bag limit of two," Mr Dowling said.
"We spoke to fishers at in-person forums, our fisheries managers fielded plenty of calls and social media was abuzz with comments - reflective of the passion and stewardship of the Victorian fishing community.
"From more than 190 formal responses to consultation, 79 per cent were supportive of changing the bag limit of two, viewing it as being more representative of a fair day's catch. A recent VRFish survey also showed strong support from more than 1000 respondents.
"This decision strikes the right balance between encouraging people to get into the great outdoors to wet a line for kingfish and continuing to share the stock among anglers during the summer season.
"The proposal was informed by the best available scientific knowledge on kingfish, including a recent kingfish tagging project funded by recreational fishing licence fees led by Deakin University, interstate researchers and VFA scientists."
Mr Dowling said bag limit of two would be in effect from today, ahead of the annual season which traditionally begins when water temperatures rise to around 18 degrees in summer.
"We usually see kingfish caught from December right through the warmer months, so we're giving fishers time to prepare for the season with the new bag limit in mind," he said.
"Victoria is home to some spectacular fishing for 'kingies' right along our coastline and the fishery will remain a drawcard for years to come, supporting tourism and the local businesses that benefit from people hitting the road for their fishing trips."
A minimum legal size of 60 centimetres also remains in place for kingfish, which can reach 120cm or more.To stay across all catch limits download the free Vic Fishing app via your app store or by heading to www.vfa.vic.gov.au/vicfishingapp.