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Sand Flathead in Focus

VRFish is inviting interested fishers to complete a survey and expressions of interest to form part of a Victorian Fisheries Authority focus group examining the current state of knowledge on the sand flathead fishery in Port Phillip Bay and discussing options for future management of the fishery.

Port Phillip Bay is home to a significant population of the sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis). Sand flathead was once both a large commercial shery and the largest recreational fishery in Port Phillip Bay in terms of numbers of fish taken. Sand flathead continues to be a popular recreational species both as a target and bycatch species. The subpopulation of sand flathead in Port Phillip Bay has experienced a major decline over the past

18 years coinciding with a period of prolonged drought in Victoria during 1997-2009. Continued low levels of recruitment have occurred, and as a result while the population has stabilised there has been no clear sign of recovery.

VRFish has asked the Victorian Fisheries Authority to compile and present all the available information to a recreational fisher reference group so that informed decisions on future management options can be explored.

A focus group will be formed to share and discuss the available knowledge and science on the sand flathead stock in PPB and the factors thought to influence their abundance and the performance of the fishery. This will lead the way to discussions around the future prospects and management objectives for the fishery.

To submit an EOI, please following the link below to complete the survey and EOI questions

Download the EOI Flyer

The EOI process will run for 2 weeks and close at midnight on 4 April 2018.

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