HISTORY OF THE CORNER INLET FISHERY
It is likely that the first commercial fishery started in Corner Inlet around the mid 1800’s. Fish were caught both as a source of food and to supply the local Chinese settlements to dry as a source of protein to the Gold Fields. From these early days until the 1940’s the nets were made of linen and cotton and needed to be tanned in large pots to help prevent them from rotting. Weekend fishing was banned after the 1880 Royal Commission into Australian fisheries. Boats measuring 18 to 22 feet long were sailed and rowed with a net boat towed behind with boats working singly or in pairs to catch the fish.
The introduction of nylon nets after the Second World War saved the fishermen from the task of tanning, but they were initially not very efficient. Inboard motors, first petrol and later diesel, replaced oars and sail.
Though some fishing techniques within the inlet (such as Flounder fishing) have remained the same, the early fisheries were quite different and reflected the form of the early inlet with the practicalities of fish handling and public taste of the time. The forests around the catchment of the inlet were older and more extensive and the rivers flowed harder and for longer, with mangroves limited only to the river mouths by the freshwater flow. The inlet channels were deeper and the banks less extensive. With mining, agriculture, forestry and farming the inlet received huge loads of silt and the river flows reduced. There were corresponding changes in the fishery. In the early years the fish were either salted or dried. Salmon, Herring, Mullet and Mackerel were more abundant in the deeper channels and better suited to this form of preservation. As the inlet shallowed the fishery changed. King George Whiting, Rock Flathead and Garfish attracted better prices and become more common species on the now extensive beds of Broadleaf Seagrass (Posidonia) and Fineleaf Seagrass (Zostera). The development of economic ice production enabled a market to be developed for this wider range of species. The growing demand of fresh fish has seen the introduction of ice slurry bins which were too large for the early wooden boats which have now mostly been replaced by aluminium planing hulls with powerful outboard engines which can carry both nets and fish.
In early times mesh netting was more common and later seine nets were introduced and long lining for shark was also common. Today the two main fishing methods are Ring Seining using mostly polyethylene nets and Mesh Netting using a mix of nylon, tetron, multi-mono and monofilament nets. Some long lining and crab potting occurs occasionally.
By 1990 the use of Polyethylene Ring Seine Nets became popular in seine netting operations as fish were less likely to mesh, enabling the fishers to herd the fish into a large bag near one end of the net. Here the fish could be sorted with the release of juvenile and unwanted species unharmed. This process could be conducted in deeper water than with traditional seine nets and resulted in higher survival rates amongst discarded fish. The use of Ring Seine Nets also allowed the fishers to work along deeper edges of seagrass beds and at times when the tide level was not suitable for traditional methods.
Accompanying more efficient nets was the introduction of technology such as depth sounders and global positioning systems (GPS). By 1992 the fishers felt they were becoming more efficient with the development of the Ring Seine method and decided to call a meeting of all licence holders to discuss the introduction of a Voluntary Code of Practice which would restrict the use of the Ring Seine net so as to ensure a continuance of sustainability in the inlet. All licence holders agreed to the restriction of effort and signed the voluntary agreement. At the same time fishers agreed to no longer fish on a Saturday morning (which at the time was legal up until 12 noon). Since then the Government has passed legislation so that the inlet is closed to commercial fishing between midnight on Friday until 5pm on each Sunday. The Voluntary Code of Practice was largely abided by and considered to be very successful in containing fishing effort to sustainable levels for many years.
In 2002 the Victorian Government introduced several Marine National Parks along the coast which protected these areas from all types of fishing. Corner Inlet has two areas of Marine National Park.
In 2019 some licence holders became concerned that as a minority of licence holders were not abiding by the voluntary code there was a possibility that fishing effort was increasing to unsustainable levels. Several concerned licence holders met to discuss this issue and it was decided to ask the Government to arrange for the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) to introduce mandatory rules to ensure that fishing effort returned to sustainable levels. In June 2020, after much due process, a Fisheries Notice was implemented by the VFA which ensured fishing effort remained at sustainable levels. In January 2021 a further Fisheries Notice was issued to introduce rules around winching of Seine Nets, again to ensure fishing effort with Seine Nets remained at sustainable levels.
The number of commercial fishing licences has considerably decreased over time. In the early days permits were issued to fish commercially, followed by endorsements that were attached to a Master Fishermen’s Licence. Later the licencing system was changed with the introduction of Corner Inlet Fishery Access Licences. In 1984 there were around 45 licences for the Corner Inlet Fishery. In the late 1980’s the Government introduced a two for one reduction scheme whereby a new entrant to the fishery was required to buy two licences and consolidate them into one licence. The consolidation process continued for several years and, combined with a Government voluntary buy back of some licences, reduced the number to 18 licences. At this stage the Government considered this to be a sustainable number and now the licences are able to be sold and transferred on a one for one basis.
By April 2022 the Corner Inlet Fishery will be the last remaining bay or inlet fishery in Victoria whereby commercial netting is allowed. The Corner Inlet Fishery has become very important as a supply of freshly caught seafood to the Victorian and interstate public and can also be found on the menu at several of Australia’s best restaurants.
King George Whiting, Southern Calamari, Southern Sea Garfish and Rock Flathead are just a few of the sought after species that are available from this fishery.