Snapper ban extended to 30 June 2026?!

[Wert 454]

Just got a notification through the SA fishing app, surely this is a joke?

Does anyone know if a.) This is for real? & b.) Was any alternative to full closure considered such as a reduced slot limit?

Everytime I fish Spencer Gulf I get snapper bycatch, I like to fish reefy ground in shallow water 5-6m max for a mixed bag (also it's where I find the bigger KGs) and snapper up to 60cm can be thick at times, surely out in their actual territory they are doing ok?

I'm not a scientist, I don't have the data but my personal experience tells me snapper are easier to catch now when not trying than they were targeting them pre bans, something about this doesn't seem right.

[bjorn2fish 4,582]

It looks legit! - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/sa-snapper-fishing-ban-extended/101784940

At a time where there are food shortages around the world with Australia soon to realise we haven't escaped this reality either it really doesn't surprise me that the powers that be stop the citizens from feeding themselves.

[Wert 454]

1 hour ago, bjorn2fish said:

It looks legit! - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/sa-snapper-fishing-ban-extended/101784940

At a time where there are food shortages around the world with Australia soon to realise we haven't escaped this reality either it really doesn't surprise me that the powers that be stop the citizens from feeding themselves.

Thanks for that bjorn.

So not exactly bad news, just not the results they'd hoped for.

Reading some of the other articles it seems others have had the same observations as I have, still I'm willing to trust the scientists and am all for a healthy fishery.

My only concern is about the commercial sector, they're going to be propped up for the next 3 years then what? Open slather like before? Seems kind of crazy to go to all this effort only to trash everything again.

I guess only time will tell.

[mrfish 324]

On 19/12/2022 at 12:44 PM, Wert said:

 

Reading some of the other articles it seems others have had the same observations as I have, still I'm willing to trust the scientists and am all for a healthy fishery.

 

It would depend on the size of the snapper that are being caught. Need to remember snapper are pretty slow growing and if you are catching lots of 30cm snapper they would have existed before the snapper ban was in place. 
Havent got time to find the growth charts currently but from memory a 3-4 year old fish is only about 25cm.

[Aff 117]

On 19/12/2022 at 10:36 AM, bjorn2fish said:

At a time where there are food shortages around the world with Australia soon to realise we haven't escaped this reality either...

So true, but sadly the food shortages that are occurring in many instances are the result of government ideologically driven agricultural policies in various countries along with ineffectual sanctions designed to hurt Russia that are actually hurting the countries applying the sanctions more.

On 19/12/2022 at 12:44 PM, Wert said:

Reading some of the other articles it seems others have had the same observations as I have, still I'm willing to trust the scientists....

The problem with $cience today is that it doesn't take place in a political, or economic vacuum. There are too many "unscientific variables" that find their way into the process and I believe influence many findings and outcomes(i.e. funding sources....whoever pays the piper influences what music is played). But I agree it would be nice to "trust the science". Don't disregard your own observations Wert you seem like a fair minded person that has had legitimate experiences with snapper.

Also something I've always wondered, why have they banned land based snapper fishing? Surely LB fishos on the rare occasion they even manage to catch a fish that such fishing activity wouldn't impact on the health of the species.