MEETING OF COUNCIL - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012
Proposed fishing restrictions at Floreat and City Beach Groynes
The Surf Casting and Angling Club of WA objected on the grounds that:-
• the groynes are publicly funded facilities;
• people with disabilities cannot:-
- walk far on beaches (presumably to fish away from swimmers),
- cannot stand and fish from rocky areas (although the groynes are constructed of
rock),
- they cannot fish at night,
- they need readily accessible and suitable places which extend into and above
the water from which to fish.
• people with physical limitations due to age, injuries and other conditions, young people
and new or inexperienced fishers cannot cope with the wind or the surf from many
beaches.
RecFishWest made the following comments:-
"Recreational fishers are prohibited from fishing between surf life-saving flags by law, which
is an acceptable measure for the safety of other users. Beaches of WA are a resource
which should be shared by all user groups; no one user group should be discriminated
against based on their choice of pastime.
Recfishwest is concerned that the proposals to further restrict recreational fishing access is a
kneejerk reaction based on a few vocal local residents who claim to “speak for everyone”.
The entire fishing community should not be punished for the discrepancies of one individual.
Recfishwest firmly believes that the answer to issues of conflict should be in the education of
recreational fishers, rather than the persecution of them. In this case, we are happy to assist
the Town of Cambridge in the education of recreational fishers and addressing possible
safety threats to other users.
The proposal sets a precedent in which recreational fishers are not acknowledged as
legitimate users of a resource such as public beach. Recfishwest is concerned that this will
only be the beginning of more restrictions and prohibitions on recreational fishing.
Recommended changes
City Beach groyne; No fishing — 1 October to 31 March, 7:00am to 6:00pm.
Floreat groyne; No fishing — 1 November to 30 April, 7:00am to 6:00pm. "
" As City Beach groyne is a high-traffic area for other users such as surfers and swimmers,
Recfishwest recommends spatial separation of users through appropriate signage. Figure 1
demonstrates the type of separation which could appropriately accommodate all user groups
outside of seasonal fishing closure periods. "
As previously reported, attendees at the Beach User Forum expressed concern over the
hours and times when anglers could fish from the Floreat and City Beach groynes.
Attendees reported that anglers were coming into conflict with other beach users who use
the aquatic and beach environments all year round.
Fishing off either groyne throughout the year poses a threat of injury to swimmers and board
riders during daylight hours from fishing hooks, either in the water or disposed of on the
groynes.
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