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Management Action
Disease Homepage | Background & Impact | Biosecurity Protocols | Research & Surveillance | National Abalone Health
Wild Stocks
Crags to Killarney closure
In June 2006, coastal waters off Port Fairy were declared a Control Area under the Victorian Livestock Disease Control Act (1994), as the disease is listed as 'notifiable.'
Fishing and diving activities in the Control Area were restricted to minimise the risk of human activity transferring the disease to unaffected abalone populations elsewhere in the State.
The Control Area was replaced by a Temporary Abalone Closure, in the form of a Fisheries Notice under the Fisheries Act 1995. It was put in place to protect vulnerable and accessible abalone stocks close to Port Fairy from fishing pressure that have been impacted by the disease.
The Closure prohibits the:
- Taking of abalone, other shellfish and sea urchins,
- Use of commercial abalone fishing equipment,
- Collection of any substrate.
| The Temporary Abalone Closure area off Port Fairy. |
Vessels may move through and anchor within the area. Line fishing from the shore or boats is also permitted, as are surfing, swimming, diving (including for rock lobster) and walking along the shore/rocks. The Closure extends from the high water mark 1 km west of The Crags car park to the Killarney Beach car park.
On 1 April 2009 Fisheries Victoria re-issued the Fisheries Notice introducing a number of temporary measures aimed at providing additional protection to abalone populations recovering from the affects of the disease.
The Notice includes the following measures:
- An increase to the base Legal Minimum Length (LML) for blacklip abalone from 120mm to 130mm, for the entire western zone (from the mouth of the Hopkins River west to the South Australian border);
- Closing the western zone to commercial fishing for the 2009/10 quota season, except for a nuber of reefs at Discovery Bay and Julia Bank; and
- The renewal of the current abalone closure between the Crags and Killarney.
The new Fisheries Notice expires on 31 March 2010.
These temporary measures have been developed at the request of the commercial abalone industry and in consultation with all stakeholders.
Recreational divers taking abalone outside of the closed area between The Crags and Killarney should continue using their plastic yellow abalone measures, but should use the 130mm measurement for greenlip to ensure they comply with the temporary LML increase. It is also important that divers, anglers, boat operators, surfers and anyone else accessing the ocean continue to observe the Department’s biosecurity protocols, which aim to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
Restricted Fishing Area between Lion Headland and the Aire River
Waters between Lion Headland and the Aire River were closed to most forms of fishing from 26 June 2009 to 30 September 2009 and subsequently extended to 15 November 2009 . These control measures were were introduced to support the efforts of the Victorian Abalone Divers Association (VADA), Seafood Industry Victoria (SIV) and VRFish to curb the spread of the abalone disease.
The closure included all marine waters enclosed by a line running from the southern most tip of Lion Headland to the mouth of the Aire River and extending to the high water mark between the two points.
The following activities were prohibited within the closure:
- all methods of fishing by commercial and recreational fishers, except line fishing;
- the take or possession of rock lobster, sea urchins, abalone and other shellfish; and
- collection of any substrate
Vessels were still able travel through the area, however the use of anchors was discouraged. Other activites that were still permitted included surfing, swimming, diving (non-extractive) and walking along the shore/rocks. These temporary controls were implemented at the request of VADA, SIV and VRFish. | The Restricted Fishing Area between Lion Headland and the Aire River. |
Signs were erected at access points around the closure and flyers distributed amongst stakeholders.
To view a copy of the flyer you will require Adobe Acrobat Viewer. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link).
Restricted Fishing Area flyer (PDF 236KB).
Abalone farms
The abalone farms have all voluntarily disinfected and decontaminated. Sentinal trials at the two land based farms have shown that the decontamination process was essential. This process was overseen by the Department of Primary Industries.
The farms have been permitted to restock in line with processes consistent with the National guidelines for translocation of aquatic animals. This includes extensive pathology testing and biosecurity arrangements.
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