Fishers are looking out for the whales

Fishers on the Central Coast are doing their bit to keep the ocean safe for pods of whales set to migrate north through our waters in coming months.

Mitch Sanders said he had been around the ocean his whole life.

“My dad was a recreational fisher, and I grew up fishing with him – joining local comps, hanging around fishing clubs, even working in seafood shops,” Sanders said.

“Eventually I got my own licence.

“I’ve been at this for over 30 years and I’ve been a part of OceanWatch Australia’s program since the beginning.

“We know there are concerns with commercial fishing and the impact it has on our marine life.

“We don’t want to see whales entangled.

“This is a particular concern during whale migration season … so we’re prepared to do everything we can to help try to reduce the risk.”

Sanders said OceanWatch workshops were a great way to bounce around ideas with other fishers and government.

“We’ve made a lot of changes in how we operate, and it’s important we continue to trial new methods and gear,” he said.

“We’ve switched to gear that’s designed to break free if it gets caught.

“I use lighter ropes that sit at the top of my gear near the float so if a whale gets tangled, it breaks off and the whale swims free.

“We also changed the shape of our floats and made them football shaped.”

Sanders said he had a close call a few seasons ago when a whale was briefly caught on a rope.

“But because of the shape of the float and how it was rigged, it popped out right behind its fin and the whale swam off,” he said.

“The trap stayed in place, completely intact.

“While we want to see the incidents of whale entanglement decrease, progress with this type of equipment is definitely a step in the right direction.

“We’re also trying things like single floats, ropes that sink in a U-shape and negatively buoyant ropes.”

Sanders said Ocean Watch had helped fishers get permits from the NSW Department of Primary Industries to be able to use galvanic time releases (GTI), which previously haven’t been permitted for fisheries.

“GTRs release fishing gear at a set time, minimising the time they remain in the water and reducing the potential for whales to become entangled,” he said.

“At the end of the day, none of us want to harm the animals we share the ocean with.

“We want to keep fishing, but we want to do it the right way.

“Programs like this help us to do that,” Sanders said.

OceanWatch Australia is urging more fishers to join its innovative program aimed at reducing the risk of whale entanglements.

Run in partnership with the fishing industry and federal and state governments, the program trials practical fishing gear modifications to make waters safer during the peak migration period.

OceanWatch Australia is already working with 81 fishers across the coast to trial 15 gear alternatives.

But with no one-size-fits-all solution, more participation is crucial to ensuring the program’s success and adaptability across diverse fishing operations.

For more information email OceanWatch@decpr.com.au