A fishing ban on Port Stephens waters – set to expire on Wednesday – has been extended while Huon continues efforts to recapture the yellowtail kingfish that escaped the farm last month.
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The NSW Department of Primary Industries issued new advise to commercial and recreational fishers on Wednesday that a temporary fishing closure in waters bound by the Marine Aquaculture Research Lease at Providence Bay, Port Stephens, had been extended.
NSW DPI’s deputy director general fisheries Dr Geoff Allan said the closure, under Section 8 of the Fisheries Management Act 1994, would now be in place up to and including Wednesday, February 28, 2018.
“The closure was initially put in place due to the volume of boating traffic leading up to the long weekend, which created hazardous conditions within the research lease and hampered repair and fish recapture efforts,” Dr Allan said.
“Recovery efforts are still underway and an extension to the closure will allow these works to be completed safely. Despite advice, some fishers have been navigating too close to the mooring system and sea pen infrastructure, especially with divers in the water.”
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The Huon Aquaculture trial, in partnership with DPI, aims to assess the viability and sustainability of Yellowtail Kingfish in sea pens.
One of the stated objectives was “investigating the structural integrity and sustainability of current sea cage infrastructure and their suitability in the high energy environment of NSW waters”.
Investigations into the damage have now been completed and an incident report has been provided to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy.
NSW DPI said a summary of the findings would be made public this week. Recommendations arising from the incident review “will be integral in amending current management practices”.
To date more than 5000 farmed yellowtail kingfish have already been recovered by Huon Aquaculture.
Fishers are reminded it is an offence to breach a Fishing Closure or interfere or damage lease infrastructure. The maximum penalty in the case of an individual is $22,000 or imprisonment for six months (or both) for a first offence and double these penalties for a second or subsequent offence.
