Australian herring is targeted by recreational and commercial fishers and we manage both sectors together to ensure the sustainability of the species.
Herring is a ‘bread and butter’ species to recreational fishers and is most commonly caught from shore or small boats. Recreational fishing is mainly managed through bag and possession limits.
We manage commercial fishing for herring through limited entry, gear restrictions and seasonal, time and area closures. Over time various Voluntary Fisheries Adjustment schemes, under which the State Government buys back fishing licences, have reduced the number of commercial fishers.
Herring is managed to a target catch range, which is based on recent annual catches and also takes into account natural variations in recruitment to the fished stock. Each year, as part of reviewing the state of the herring stock, the actual catch is compared to the target catch.
Recent scientific evidence has clearly shown that stronger management measures are needed. A rigorous stock assessment published in 2013 showed that through a combination of environmental factors and fishing the WA herring stock is under pressure and needs to improve.
Australian herring status 2013
| South Coast |
Inadequate |
|
|---|
| West Coast |
Inadequate |
Unacceptable |
|---|
Given that the environmental factors are outside of our control, fishing
effort and catch need to be reduced to ease pressure on the stock and assist in its recovery.
A daily bag limit of 12 for recreational fishers and closure of the commercial South Coast G-net Fishery came into force on 1 March 2015 to ease fishing pressure on Australian herring and help the stock recovery of this important species.