Fishermen collect 2,000 blue warehou lengths
In 2011 industry began to collect length data on blue warehou during the SETFIA run blue warehou fishery independant survey. The aim of the collection is that the information could be used in a future stock assessment. Industry avoids blue warehou in an effort to allow it to rebuild but in doing so has lost the use of catch as an index of abundance.
In 2011/12 Ray Wicks and his crew from Portland were awarded the prize for the collection of the most blue warehou data. In that year industry collected information from 2,070 fish.
The 2012/13 award has been won by the Skipper and crew of the Lady Miriam – a trawl vessel domiciled in Lakes Entrance. For their good work Skipper Trevor (Bluey) Hunt and his crew have collected the most data collecting 1,961 lengths. For their efforts each has won themselves a Prime Mover Workwear water repellent jacket.
The Association is hopeful that the data individually collected from 4,000 blue warehou might contribute to an SPR assessment. Now that an SPR assessment might be a reality SETFIA hopes to really ramp up the collection of data.