Commercial lobster fishers want total catch cut to help save WA fishery
Commercial fishers in Western Australia’s $285 million lobster industry say warning bells are ringing for the sector’s future sustainability, despite reassurances from state government scientists that stocks are at healthy levels. The commercial lobster industry is concerned due to the number of baby lobster, known as puerulus, being found along the coast, along with falling catch rates and revised economic modelling. As a result, the industry has requested its total catch be dropped next season from the current limit of 7,300 tonnes to 6,800 tonnes. Cervantes based fisher Michael Thompson supported the catch reduction and said it could have gone lower. “Our puerulus since 2007 till today is 50 per cent lower than what we used to receive back to the coast to our collectors,” he said. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
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