Port Phillip Bay fishery
Port Phillip Bay is one of Victoria’s oldest professional fisheries, with a history stretching back over 170 years. Port Phillip Bay fishers provide food-savvy Melbournians with the freshest of sustainably harvested fish, caught on their doorstep.
Port Phillip Bay fishers catch iconic Victorian fish species including King George whiting, calamari, garfish, snapper, flathead and sardines, loved by the Victorian public.
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of recent changes to the Port Phillip Bay Fishery which has reduced Victorians access to local and sustainably caught fish. In 2016, 33 of 43 access licences were bought back by the Victorian State government as a result of their 2014 election decision to remove netting from the Bay. In 2022, only 8 licences will remain with the netting entitlements removed.
Port Phillip Bay fishers catch iconic Victorian fish species including King George whiting, calamari, garfish, snapper, flathead and sardines, loved by the Victorian public.
Unfortunately, there have been a lot of recent changes to the Port Phillip Bay Fishery which has reduced Victorians access to local and sustainably caught fish. In 2016, 33 of 43 access licences were bought back by the Victorian State government as a result of their 2014 election decision to remove netting from the Bay. In 2022, only 8 licences will remain with the netting entitlements removed.
Where is Port phillip bay?
Port Phillip Bay is 1,950 square kms, 35 times the size of Sydney Harbour! Port Phillip Bay is shallow series of over 16 bays, with around half of the area less than 8 metres deep. Over 3.2 million people live around its shore, making Port Phillip Bay Australia’s most densly populated catchment.
What's the catch?
Like all Bay and Inlet fisheries, Port Phillip Bay fishers catch a mix of species to sell, which has provided a great diversity of species for consumers. However, with only ten fishing licences remaining, and as netting is phased out, the mix of fish available from Port Phillip Bay is changing.
King George whiting has always been a key target species for Port Phillip Bay fishers, and the Bay has historically provided the highest volume of King George whiting from Victorian fisheries. Southern calamari, snapper, flathead, garfish, yellow-eye mullet, gummy shark, and flounder all made up significant proportion of the catch in 2018/19. Anchovies and Sardines make up over 50% of the total catch in Port Phillip Bay.
In 2018/19, the fishery produced 234 tonnes of fish for Victorians, with 80% of the fish consumed locally. See the catch for each major species caught in Gippsland Lakes between 1978/79–2018/19 here.
King George whiting has always been a key target species for Port Phillip Bay fishers, and the Bay has historically provided the highest volume of King George whiting from Victorian fisheries. Southern calamari, snapper, flathead, garfish, yellow-eye mullet, gummy shark, and flounder all made up significant proportion of the catch in 2018/19. Anchovies and Sardines make up over 50% of the total catch in Port Phillip Bay.
In 2018/19, the fishery produced 234 tonnes of fish for Victorians, with 80% of the fish consumed locally. See the catch for each major species caught in Gippsland Lakes between 1978/79–2018/19 here.
King George whiting Sillaginodes punctata
Southern Calamari Sepioteuthis australis
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Snapper Chrysophrys auratus
Rock Flathead Platycephalus laevigatus
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Figure identifies the changes in professional fishing catches across 4 key species and all licences operating in Port Phillip Bay from 2003/04 till 2016/17, including identifying the number of licences.
What methods are used in port phillip bay?
Port Phillip Bay fishers use highly sustainable methods to fish. One or two fishers man an open boat of approximately 8 metres in length, with some fishers working in a team of two boats, sharing the catch. The main methods of fishing currently are haul seine and mesh nets, with the nets hauled manually as has been done since the fishery began. Longlines are used to catch snapper in the season. A small purse seine is used to catch sardines and anchovy.
Haul seining is a traditional style of fishing that has been used in Victoria’s Bay and Inlets for over 100 years. In shallow water, the haul seine is deployed, in a place based on fisher knowledge and experience. The haul seine forms an arc, and is used to surround fish and draw them towards the boat, avoiding fish getting stuck in the net, which means the fish are alive once encircled. Then the fish are sorted while in the water. The fish of market value are removed using hand-held dip nets and are placed into the ice slurry box. Non-market fish are returned immediately to the water without harm. Research has been shown that 97% of released fish survive, making the fishing method highly environmentally friendly (Knuckey et al, 2002)
Mesh nets are one of the oldest forms of fishing and are highly selective. It is a panel of net that is held vertically in the water. The mesh size and the way the netting is constructed determines what size and species of fish is caught. Knowledge of fish movements is needed so that the net is set in the correct position. Fishermen in Port Phillip Bay use a range of mesh nets depending on the season and what they want to catch
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Longlining is a static hook and line fishing method. It is used to catch snapper in the Bay. Longlines are a length of line with a number of baited hooks attached at intervals. A total of 200 hooks is the maximum for Port Phillip Bay licence holders. The line is set horizontally on the seabed and left to soak for an hour before being retrieved. The fish are Iki Jimi spiked and put in an ice slurry. There is no bycatch.
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Purse seining requires hunting for schools of fish. In the case of Port Phillip Bay, this is for sardines, anchovy, and sprat. These schooling fish were historically found by looking for birds feeding. The fishers are now helped out with sonar and echo sounders technology. Once the school of fish are located, the boat pays out the net in a circle around the school at the surface. The bottom of the net is then pulled together, creating a purse, with the fish enclosed. With the purse alongside the boat in the water, the fish are then scooped out either by hand or with the use of a hydraulic boom, and emptied into fish bins. The fish are iced, and also salted if going to be used for bait. The fishery is highly sustainable with no bycatch.
How is the Port phillip bay fishery managed?
The number of Port Phillip Bay fishing licences in 2019 was 9 transferable licences. In 2022 there will be 8 licences with all types of netting removed from the licence. In 2018, Corio Bay was closed to commercial netting.
The Port Phillip Bay Fishery operates under strict government-regulated management arrangements, and with a voluntary Code of Practice.
The government restrictions are on:
The Victorian Fishery Association into Resource Management has a Voluntary Code of Practice for commercial haul seine fishing in Port Phillip Bay.
The Port Phillip Bay Fishery operates under strict government-regulated management arrangements, and with a voluntary Code of Practice.
The government restrictions are on:
- Gear type, with haul seine nets no longer than 460 metres, mesh nets no longer than 2500 metres, a purse seine net no longer than 460 metres, and longlines with no more than 200 hooks. Fishers are also permitted to use 3 metre hoop nets and 6 fish traps.
- Area closures, including marine sanctuaries and parks, with a number of restrictions on professional fishing activities
- Minimum legal sizes, with both recreational and professional fishers having the same size limits
- Very specific and strict daily catch and effort reporting requirements
The Victorian Fishery Association into Resource Management has a Voluntary Code of Practice for commercial haul seine fishing in Port Phillip Bay.
sustainability
Bay and Inlet fisheries are naturally variable fisheries, and are highly dependent on environmental conditions outside the system which affect the abundance of target fish species from year to year.
Port Phillip Bay fisheries are ecologically sustainable, with no concerns raised by state or federal fisheries managers.
Fisheries assessments by Fisheries Victoria (link) and the 2016 Status of Australian Fish Stock (SAFS) reports, show that the Port Phillip Bay fisheries are in excellent shape overall.
Port Phillip Bay fisheries are ecologically sustainable, with no concerns raised by state or federal fisheries managers.
Fisheries assessments by Fisheries Victoria (link) and the 2016 Status of Australian Fish Stock (SAFS) reports, show that the Port Phillip Bay fisheries are in excellent shape overall.
- King George whiting – A highly prized species targeted by professional and recreational fishers, the stock status for Port Phillip Bay by Fisheries Victoria is classified as ‘sustainable’ under current management. SAFS also report King George Whiting as ‘sustainable’.
- Snapper – Port Phillip Bay snapper are part of the western snapper stock in Victoria (west from Wilson’s Prom to south eastern South Australia). Port Phillip Bay is the main spawning and nursery habitat for the Western stock. Recreational catches of snapper are much higher than the professional fishery with the most recent 3estimate at 800 tonnes. Commercial catch rates are well above average and the stock is not of concern under current management. Fisheries Victoria and the SAFS report Port Phillip Bay snapper as ‘sustainable’.
- Southern calamari – The biological stock structure of calamari is not well understood and is assessed as a single Victorian stock. Commercial catch rates for calamari are good in Port Phillip Bay and the stock is not of concern under current management. Fisheries Victoria and the SAFS report Port Phillip Bay calamari as ‘sustainable’.
- Rock flathead – There is limited data on rock flathead in Port Phillip Bay, although the catch rates are above the long-term average. In 2012 a Fisheries Victoria assessment of rock flathead said Port Phillip Bay rock flathead are in good condition (link).