It's pipi season

31 December 2018

Victoria boasts some wonderful pipi fisheries down the west coast and east coast, including Venus Bay.

These pipi fisheries are highly valued by local communities and visitors who collect the shellfish for bait and food.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Director of Education and Enforcement Ian Parks said most people who collect pipis at Venus Bay do the right thing, obey the catch limits and possess a fishing licence.

“Our Fisheries Officers work alongside coastal communities and visitors every summer to ensure these fisheries remain sustainable,” Mr Parks said.

“Regular patrols in uniform and undercover suggest a very high compliance rate amongst Venus Bay pipi collectors, which is terrific to see.”

Key pipi fishing rules in the Cape Liptrap Coastal Park, including Venus Bay, are:

• Daily pipi catch limit of 2 litres per person, or if removed from the shell (shucked) 0.5
  litre per person;
• Collect pipis with hands and feet only. Digging tools aren’t permitted.
• Your catch is your own. Don’t collect pipis for other people’s daily limit.
• Check you have a valid fishing licence, unless exempt. You can buy one online from
  www.vfa.vic.gov.au/fishinglicence

Mr Parks said different cultures value pipis for different reasons.

“We understand that Venus Bay is very popular for collecting pipis, which is why we more than halved the daily catch limit in 2009 to better share the pipis stocks amongst different stakeholders.

“Monitoring indicates the pipi fishery is sustainable and experiences natural variation like most fisheries that depend on spawning of wild stocks.”

Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing can call Fisheries’ 24-hour reporting line 13FISH (133474) anytime.