From fishvictoria.com

November 16, 2004

IS THIS THE SPORT WE LOVE?
COMPETITION ORGANISERS MUST PHASE IN C & R INCENTIVES

New fishvictoria.com policy regarding promoting fishing competitions.

This photo was sent to us with a report on the recent Tea Tree Snapper Fishing Competition run by the Snapper Point Angling Club. According to this report, more than 1,850 anglers and 814 boats took part.

The total number of fish weighed in was omitted from this report but we have confirmed from another source it was approximately 2,500. The majority weighed 1-4kg with 50 exceeding 5kg and 1 exceeding 9kg.

Yet another source has told us the number of snapper weighed in at this competition was over 3,500 and at this point the organisers stopped counting fish and only weighing possible winners.

The report we received stated: "The competition has been so successful over last few years that the Snapper Point Angling Club has decided not to change a thing for next year's event. All interested parties are now satisfied that the snapper catches have been regulated enough not to effect the growth of this valuable resource in years to come, which is good news for Melbourne, its fishermen and the thousands of business', charities and public services they support."

There is no doubt that the club-run fishing competitions do some good work in their local communities, and further afield. With money raised from such competitions they often support charities, help improve local fishing facilities and assist other worthy causes. I'm sure the Snapper Point Angling Club is no different and they are not highlighted here for any contrary reason.

Nevertheless, some will say the "catch and kill" rules of these events are sustainable due to scientific studies of fish populations. Yet the entries for this year's Tea Tree comp were up more than 300, or almost 20 per cent, on the record 2002 year with organisers expecting - according to the report we received - another increase of at least 10 per cent (to 2000-plus anglers) next year. The scientific question is: are fish stocks increasing by at least those rates?

But this is not simply a scientific issue; it is also a moral and ethical issue with long-term, and possibly irreversible, effects. Calculating the numbers of snapper caught during the Tea Tree event shows that around 3-4 tonnes-plus of fish were removed from the water in a single weekend - in a single competition - in the name of winning some prizes.

While we cannot always regulate what individual anglers do, and what practices they use when fishing, the confines of a tournament allow additional rules to be applied to those taking part and provide an opportunity to further promote responsible and sustainable angling.

With this in mind, and as a matter of principle, fishvictoria.com has decided that it will no longer promote saltwater scale or fin fish competitions that do not include a strong catch and release incentive. How this might work is up to the organisers and it will be interesting to see how many, if any, are prepared to take up the challenge. It will be easy to say that this is impossible, but the best results are rarely those that are the easiest to attain.

We do not expect saltwater comps to be mandatory catch and release but it is time competition organisers started introducing a C & R incentive as a way of further promoting responsible recreational fishing practices to all anglers - young and old. Those who currently run "catch and kill" events are doing the exact opposite by rewarding people (who may indeed otherwise practice catch and release) with large prizes for catching and keeping the fish.

We don't expect anglers to practice C & R 100 per cent of the time and we have no problem with keeping a feed or two of fish (within the limits of our State regulations), but to reward anglers for NOT practicing C & R is an archaic feature of many competitions and must be phased out.

Regarding freshwater and estuarine competitions, fishvictoria.com will continue to support scale fish events as follows:
- Australian natives: mandatory and total catch and release competitions only.
- Introduced species, as for saltwater - i.e. must have a strong C & R incentive.
- Estuarine species, as for saltwater - i.e. must have a strong C & R incentive.
- Noxious species (e.g. common carp), no requirement for C & R.

We look forward to hearing from competition organisers who intend to run events that fit into our new policy outlined above and we encourage any fishvictoria readers to voice their opinions on this matter, either in the online Forums or by emailing us at info@fishvictoria.com. We may even be able to organise some special prizes for competitions that can find ways to introduce these ideas.

The photo and information from the Tea Tree competition is used for illustrative purposes only and we do not intend any criticism or otherwise towards those anglers pictured in the photo above.

Matt Learmonth
fishvictoria.com
16 November 2004

Email: info@fishvictoria.com