A "GOLD rush" type obsession with abalone could cost more lives, according to a West Australian fishing expert, as the search continues for a Malaysian national washed away while searching for the marine delicacy.
Police have resumed the search for the 20-year old man, who early on Sunday was swept into heavy seas by a vicious rip in Yanchep Lagoon, 55 kilometres north of Perth.
The man was with a group searching for the rare and expensive abalone on the opening day of the heavily restricted recreational fishing season for the marine snail.
Just one hour on the first Sunday of every month until March 2013 has been left open for members of the public to try to catch abalone.
Despite a rough sea and strong winds over the weekend, fishers at both Yanchep and Mullaloo braved the wild conditions to fish - with 15 requiring rescue.
Police, volunteer marine rescue and surf lifesaving crews were back in the water all day on Monday in an attempt to find the missing man.
Andrew Rowland, the CEO of peak recreation fishing body Recfishwest, said serious thought needed to be put into how the brief season was policed - and whether local authorities should close beaches if rough conditions threatened another disaster.
"There seems to be somewhat of an obsession with these little creatures and we get a gold rush mentality going on where people are willing to put themselves in considerable danger," Dr Rowland told Fairfax Radio.
"It is difficult to control that driver and that motivation."
Dr Rowland said abalone fishers needed to assess the weather forecast before going on the hunt.
"Some of them still made the choice to go in, and quite frankly were unprepared," he said.
"From a cultural perspective, it is a large proportion of immigrant population who are out there fishing (for abalone).
"They might not have the knowledge of local conditions and might not have a strong swimming ability - and that is a recipe for disaster."
The Malaysian man, who was with a group of four people, went missing between 7:30am and 8am (WST) on Sunday after getting caught in a rip.
The three male survivors from the group were taken to Joondalup Health Campus and one was held overnight.
It is not the first time abalone fishing has almost caused a fatality at Yanchep, with local surf lifesaving president John Heesters - who assisted in the attempted rescue on Sunday - helping to save two non-English speaking fishers in 2010.
Beaches in Perth and outlying suburbs have been repeatedly closed already this year from threats of sharks, lightning and even seaweed which shut the famous Cottesloe Beach last month on the authority of Surf Lifesaving WA.
Dr Rowland said if that drastic action was what was needed to prevent another disaster, then it should be considered.
"We would support the closure of beaches - if that's what it comes to to make people safer, and they can't really make a decision for themselves," Dr Rowland said.作者: 西澳电工 时间: 6-11-2012 00:02
水性太差。。
浪更大的,我也下过,来浪一个猛子扎下去,下面风平浪静的。作者: 飞天雪狐 时间: 6-11-2012 00:08
浪高一米,是我下水的極限,超過一米浪高,就會放棄此次下水,這是個人經驗,供參考。
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A MALAYSIAN man who was rescued in treacherous conditions on an abalone hunt north of Perth has been detained for overstaying his visa.
He was one of three abalone fishermen rescued after being swept into heavy seas by a strong rip in Yanchep Lagoon, 55km north of Perth, on Sunday.
A 20-year-old Malaysian man who had been with the trio is still missing.
One of the three rescued, a 29-year-old Malaysian man, was taken to an immigration detention centre after being checked at Joondalup Health Campus, an immigration department spokesman said on Tuesday.
He had overstayed his visa and would be returned home.
A police spokeswoman said the search for the missing 20-year-old had been scaled back to a shore patrol.
Hopes were fading that the man had survived because he was believed to be a poor swimmer.
The group was searching for the expensive delicacy on the first day of the heavily restricted recreational fishing season.
The accident triggered calls for metropolitan abalone fishing spots to be closed in dangerous weather.
Department of Fisheries principal management officer Martin Holtz said the agency would consult with public safety authorities and the peak recreational fishing organisation, Recfishwest, to advise the state government on action that may be taken.
"We understand powers already exist which enable local government bodies and members of Surf Life Saving WA to close beaches for safety reasons," Mr Holtz said.
The department had issued a media release on Friday warning of a weather forecast for Sunday that could make it dangerous for abalone fishing.
"Rough sea conditions over the reefs can make them very dangerous to fish on," he said.