Hon Rob Horstman questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding the demersal fishing ban, seeking assurances against further recreational closures and clarification on differing treatment of commercial fisheries.

AnsweredQoN 354Legislative Council
Asked
12 May 2026
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

Demersal fishing ban
354. Hon Rob Horstman to
the Minister for Fisheries :
I refer to the
government's snap demersal fishing ban and my previous question without notice
324 from Thursday 7 May 2026.
(1) Will the minister rule out further
temporary or permanent recreational fishing closures after September 2027?
(2) Will the minister outline why the
measures taken to reinstate recreational fishing by September 2027 could not be
applied to the commercial fisheries?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) As I announced on 3 December 2025,
spatial and spawn enclosures will be finalised before the fishery reopens in
September next year.
(2) The clear message from the commercial
fishing industry during the consultation in the months following the release of
the science was that any further reductions to the 280,000 kilograms of at-risk
species caught per year would make their businesses unviable. In addition, the
Western Australian Fishing Industry Council submission argued for a further
20,000 kilograms of at-risk species to be allocated to the commercial sector.

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