Have your say – Recreational fishing management options
Background
The information on this page invites submissions on the preferred approach to manage recreational harvest levels determined under the NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy.
It is proposed to introduce mandatory real-time reporting for retained Mulloway catch for recreational and commercial fishers - as a key need to improve fishery data, scientific assessments of Mulloway stock health, and effective management of harvest levels to support continued rebuilding of Mulloway stocks.
Feedback is also invited on different management approaches that could be used to manage total recreational harvest against limits determined through the Mulloway Harvest Strategy.
Real-time catch reporting
Moving to real-time reporting will greatly enhance available data on recreational catch, supporting better assessments of stock health and management of Mulloway health and harvest across all fishing sectors.
In order to achieve this, recreational fishers would be required to complete a ‘real-time’ catch report when Mulloway are caught and retained (not immediately released). The report would be submitted using an easy-to-use App, or through the DPIRD website on a mobile phone or similar device.
The report will include the number and length (cm) of retained Mulloway, and need to be submitted before leaving the point of landing (i.e. within 50 metres of leaving the waters of the landing or fishing location).
Alternative arrangements may be considered where real-time reporting is unavailable.
Options to manage recreational Mulloway harvest
Your feedback is invited on the preferred way to manage recreational catch against the recreational harvest share of Mulloway determined under the harvest strategy.
Recreational real-time catch reporting for Mulloway will take time to establish. Therefore, a phased approach may apply before, and after, the reporting systems changes are implemented.
The existing daily bag, boat and size limits are expected to maintain recreational harvest at about the right level to support stock rebuilding, but there is uncertainty around recreational harvest estimates, and harvest could increase as biomass increases and Mulloway become more accessible.
As there are a large number of recreational fishers, over time, catch may increase to exceed sustainable levels, and so an additional control needs to be considered in advance. This can be achieved by implementing short closure periods – only if needed – to maintain catch below the total catch limit and enable the overall stock to grow to the target biomass levels.
This can be done by estimating catch progression before real time reporting is available (which will require more precaution to be taken around catch levels), or by using real-time catch data after implementation (which will be more accurate and can be less precautionary).
A more formal approach could also be implemented by establishing a new formal Recreational Total Allowable Catch, which will operate very similar to Total Allowable Catches implemented in the commercial sector – but with an allocation of catch to the recreational sector, rather than to individuals.
Feedback on the options below is invited:
Option 1a: Use the existing daily bag, possession and boat limits as the primary control, and implement a closure period based on estimated catch levels if needed to restrain catch further.
Option 1b: Use the existing daily bag, possession and boat limits as the primary control, and implement a closure period based on real-time reported catch levels if needed to restrain catch further.
Option 2: Introduce a new formal Recreational Total Allowable Catch supported by real-time reporting as the primary control, with cease of fishing (i.e. a closure period) if the total recreational share is caught.
The current size limit and daily bag, boat and possession limits will apply under all options to maintain recreational fishing as far as possible, as the current bag limit of one cannot be reduced any further. The bag, boat and possession limits may be increased if recreational catch is below the recreational share during the rebuilding period, or as biomass increases following the rebuilding period.
Recreational options in practice
The following examples are provided to demonstrate how each option would work in practice. Under all options, if recreational catch is below the recreational share (including under a higher future catch level as Mulloway stocks increase) the recreational bag, possession and/or boat limits may also increase.
Example – Option 1a: Recreational catch will be assessed before 1 March each year against the most recent harvest estimate (or an average of estimates) derived from the NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program. If total recreational catch is estimated to be around the recreational share (initially 62.5 tonnes), the current limits will remain.
If total recreational catch is estimated to be significantly higher than the recreational share, the current limits will remain, and a closure will be put in place, in advance, for the estimated time required to keep catch below the share. This will be based on how total recreational catch progresses through the year, determined from survey data.
This can be done using the existing recreational survey data, and with improved accuracy following introduction of real-time reporting. This way, if a closure period is needed recreational fishers will know in advance when and how long it might apply for that year. If this is needed, recreational fishing will recommence on 1 March.
Example – Option 1b: Once real-time reporting is implemented, total recreational catch will be able to be tracked much more accurately. Total catch will be monitored against the recreational share (initially 62.5 tonnes), and when the total recreational share is reached, a closure period will be implemented and Mulloway will not be able to be retained by recreational fishers until the beginning of the next fishing period on 1 March.
Example – Option 2: In practice, this option will operate in the same way as option 1b. However, a formal Total Allowable Catch (TAC) will be determined by the Secretary of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, or the independent Total Allowable Fishing Committee.
This will provide a more formal ‘allocation’ of the recreational catch share to the recreational sector, using a similar process to existing TACs in place in most NSW commercial fisheries.
Have your say!
Submissions are now invited and can be made using the online submission form here until midnight, Sunday 25 May 2025.
More information?
Consultation landing page - Draft harvest strategy overview
The Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy (PDF, 641.8 KB)
Commercial fishing management options information
Fact Sheet - Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy (PDF, 3189.71 KB)
NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy Working Group
The Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports: fish.gov.au
