Recreational anglers will have to pay to catch dhufish, pink snapper and other vulnerable species under new rules announced by the State Government today.
The sweeping changes, which aim to halve the catch of dhufish and other demersal scalefish, also include an annual two-month ban beginning from October 15.
The package has been criticised by anglers, but Fisheries Minister Norman Moore defended the ban and the new licensing regime, saying they were necessary to protect at-risk fish stocks.
"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that unless immediate action is taken, our fisheries face potential collapse," he said.
Anyone fishing for demersal scalefish from a boat in the State's most popular region which stretches from Augusta to near Kalbarri would need both a boat fishing licence and a demersal licence, he said.
From mid-October when the new package comes into effect, anyone who uses a boat for fishing will have to pay a State-wide licence fee of $30.
Anyone fishing for demersal scalefish in the West Coast bioregion - extending from Black Point, east of Augusta, to the Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri - will pay an additional licence fee.
The new West Coast demersal licence will cost $20 for one day, $60 for a fortnight or $150 annually.
A standard $45 fee will also be introduced for the existing licences: rock lobster, abalone, marron, freshwater angling and recreational netting.
The new fee regime is expected to earn the State Government more than $4 million a year, which will be spent on recreational fishing management, such as policing and research into fish stocks.
Mr Moore said the commercial sector had already undertaken huge cuts to halve their catch of dhufish and other vulnerable fish species in the West Coast bioregion.
Recfishwest executive director Frank Prokop predicted an outcry over the latest measures.
Mr Prokop said the new regime would mean that keen anglers faced paying $405 each year.
"This is in stark contrast to the previous umbrella licence which cost $81," he said.
Mr Pokop said that at the very least, a discount should apply for anglers who fished in multiple licensed fisheries.
"The extremely high fee structure is obviously aimed at helping to make the recreational West Coast Demersal fishery cost recovered and we are concerned this cost will act as a financial disincentive to fishers who wish to target these species," he said.
He said Recfishwest supported a two month closure as opposed to the four month closure proposed by the previous government but was concerned about the overall impact of the package on fishing activity.
"Recfishwest believes that the government has seriously under-estimated the impact the closed season combined with extremely high demersal licence fees will have on reducing recreational participation and catch," he said.
But Recfishwest did support the moves to introduce new bag limits on category 2 and 3 inshore species and to fund new research into the status of these stocks
The new mixed bag limit for lower risk category three fish in the West Coast bioregion will reduce from 40 per angler to 30. For medium risk, category two fish, from 16 to 12.
Mr Prokop called for an independent assessment of the impact of these management reforms and ongoing review.
The changes for recreational anglers follow tougher bag and boat limits imposed late last year. The previous government had been ready to implement a three-month annual ban, but that was delayed by Mr Moore pending an independent review by Australian expert Peter Neville.
PERTH JODIE THOMSON
