IS THERE REALLY A BATTLE FOR BARRA?
8 November 2004
CRC Reef researchers will shed light on the conflict between
commercial and recreational barramundi fishers at a workshop in Queensland
tomorrow.
 |
|
Renae Tobin surveyed 524
recreational fishers between Hinchinbrook and Ayr. Photo: Ayr Advocate
|
Prompted by media articles describing a fight for barramundi in creeks
and estuaries used by both commercial and recreational fishers, CRC Reef
postgraduate student Ms Renae Tobin, from James Cook University, decided
to find out how fishers really felt about each other.
“The message I heard from recreational fishers is that they think
there is a problem with competition from commercial fishers, but it doesn’t
affect them personally. This suggests that they may be hearing through
the media about a problem which doesn’t actually exist for most
recreational fishers,” Ms Tobin said.
While recreational fishers thought that commercial gillnet fishers had
a large impact on fish stocks and bycatch, recent research suggests this
is not the case. Ms Tobin thinks the main problem is that the results
of scientific research are not getting through to fishers.
“We need better communication between scientists and the public
to make sure that science is useful to stakeholders. Making the findings
of my research available to fishers is a really important part of the
study,” Ms Tobin said.
Ms Tobin interviewed 524 recreational fishers at boat ramps and fishing
clubs between Hinchinbrook and Ayr in 2003. She also talked to commercial
gillnet fishers and estuarine charter fishers. She is now investigating
whether commercial gillnet fishing actually affects the number of barramundi
caught by recreational fishers, by comparing recreational catch in rivers
and estuaries open to commercial fishing, to catch where no commercial
fishers are allowed. She hopes to have the results of this study by early
next year.
This is one of the subjects for discussion at the ‘Fishing for More’
workshop, where CRC Reef PhD students from James Cook University will
communicate the results of their research to stakeholders including fishers,
fisheries and Marine Park managers, Indigenous people, tourism operators
and conservation groups.
Participants at the ‘Fishing for More’ workshop will hear
from students looking into the social, economic, biological and ecological
aspects of fishing. Other research to be discussed includes the social
effects of government policy changes on commercial fishers, Torres Strait
fisheries evaluations, and the implications of the life-cycles of different
fish species for fisheries managers.
WHERE: Seagulls Resort, 74, the Esplanade, Townsville.
WHEN: Tuesday 9 November 2004.
Interviewees will be available to media at 10.45-11.15am and at 12.00-1.00pm
For more information:
Ms Renae Tobin, James Cook University, 07 4781 5196, renae.tobin@jcu.edu.au
Ms Chloe Lucas, CRC Reef Media Liaison, 07 4729 8450 or 0408 884 521,
chloe.lucas@crcreef.com
|
