Clarence Valley fishos are concerned the draft Mulloway Harvest Strategy could be extreme and potentially impact tourism but the community has until July 31 to make its feelings heard.

Currently the recreational bag limit for Mulloway in NSW is 1 fish larger than 70 cm, 2 per boat per day if 2 or more fishers are onboard, or 3 fish per day for charter boats, but there are fears the Harvest Strategy could prevent taking any Mulloway.

Lower Clarence angler, former NSW Rock and Beach Champion, NSW Rock and Beach Team Champion, and NSW Rock and Beach Junior Champion, John Causley, said the draft strategy is unfair.

John posted a video on Facebook addressing the draft strategy, which has attracted more than 156 comments and 58 shares, with many reflecting his concern.

“It’s time we stop accepting NSW Department of Primary Industries Mulloway Harvest plan,” he said.

“Every year us recreational fishermen are slapped in the face with total bans on catching our favourite fish…last year it was the Blue Groper.

“There is nothing reasonable about the NSW DPIs draft Mulloway Harvest Strategy, it’s just another punishment to us recreational fishermen.

“In the DPI Harvest Strategy, the word harvest does not do any of us recreational fishermen justice.”

John recalled following his father around the rocks and headlands of the Lower Clarence catching Mulloway (known as Jewfish), with his father.

They take your bait when fishing for bream, John said, and of a night on the Clarence River you can see Mulloway feeding.

He encouraged people to get behind the push to preserve the art of ‘Jew fishing.’

“Jew fishing is a challenge, with the sea conditions, moon phases, working the tides, seasons, and fresh bait…it’s a skill forged through many years of experience,” John said.

“I want my kids to have the experience of catching a big Jew fish themselves, and this draft Harvest Strategy threatens to spoil that.

“I don’t want my kids to have to experience going to a fish and chip shop to buy fish that’s made in a laboratory.”

The CV Independent has spoken to local fisher people who said the Jew fishing is a huge attraction to the Clarence Valley and many people have moved to the region to enjoy catching the prize species.

The NSW DPI says the draft Mulloway Harvest Strategy has been developed to provide a best-practice management framework to support the continued rebuilding of Mulloway stocks, with the overall aim to improve the long-term health of the fishery for all stakeholders.

“NSW Mulloway stocks have been depleted for many years, with a recovery program initiated in 2013, and further management changes implemented in 2018 and 2023,” the draft Mulloway Strategy states.

The harvest strategy is designed to provide a contemporary management framework identifying objectives, monitoring arrangements and decision rules for managing recreational and commercial harvest which is specifically tailored to continue rebuilding of Mulloway stock biomass to target levels.

“The process will see the harvest strategy implemented, and the numbers of Mulloway should increase in a rebuilding phase, followed by post rebuilding phase where new harvest targets will be determined,” the draft strategy states.

Submissions into the draft Mulloway Harvest Strategy are open until midnight on July 31.

For more information or to lodge a submission scan the QR code:

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 9 July 2025.