Last month, with a stroke of a legislative pen, Gary Leonard lost his livelihood.

Key points: Commercial fishing in the Gippsland Lakes will be banned from April 1, 2021

Commercial fishing in the Gippsland Lakes will be banned from April 1, 2021 Fishermen say the State Government is pandering to the recreational fishing lobby

Fishermen say the State Government is pandering to the recreational fishing lobby Victoria's seafood industry is concerned the ban will put pressure on interstate fisheries

The Victorian Government enacted its election promise of banning commercial fishing of the Gippsland Lakes in eastern Victoria.

Mr Leonard is one of 10 licensees who by law must pull up their nets by April 1, 2021.

The Government has offered monetary compensation, but the Lakes Entrance fisherman says you can not put a price on a way of life.

"We're all feeling the stress from it," he said.

Mr Leonard has been a professional fisherman for more than 30 years. His family began fishing commercially in the 1870s.

Mr Leonard is the last of his line to fish on the Gippsland Lakes. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

'Drought in the water'

The Gippsland Lakes, a vast inland waterway covering more than 350 square kilometres, is a boating and recreational angling paradise.

At least, it is in most years.

The region is currently enduring more than three years of record drought and catch sizes are down.

"Drought on the land, drought in the water," Mr Leonard said, referring to the lack of freshwater flows into the lakes' system that promotes fish spawning.

He and others accuse the Victorian Government of being selective with their data to justify the closure, and that current catch sizes are proof of an overfished, depleted fishery.

The issue of netting on the Gippsland Lakes has been deeply divisive in local communities. ( Supplied: Geoff Stanton )

Matthew Allen, a sixth-generation fisherman, said the fish have at present retreated upstream of the rivers, where commercial netting is not allowed.

Victoria's Fishing and Boating Minister Jaala Pulford refutes that.

"Any connection between the state of the fishery and the last three years of dry conditions and drought in East Gippsland, I think that doesn't collate all that well," Ms Pulford said.

"[It] doesn't tally all that well with the data and experience of this fishery over many years."

Mr Allen believes it's drought, not overfishing, that has forced fish upstream. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

Conflict over ecosystem concern

Commercial fishing on the Gippsland Lakes stretches back to the 1850s, when fresh fish was sent by boat and dried fish carried to the goldfields in the Gippsland Ranges.

In recent decades, the fishery has come under intense pressure from environmentalists and the recreational angler lobby.

The argument is centred on fish stocks.

The professionals say catch sizes, about 14 tonnes a year, are sustainable and that the Victorian Government has produced no new scientific evidence to the contrary.

The amateurs argue commercial netting puts too much pressure on fish numbers.

Fish scientist Ross Winstanley, a former chair of Victoria's Fisheries Assessment Panel, is angry about the commercial fishing ban and accuses the State Government of double standards.

"If you were concerned about fishing's impact on the ability of a stock to recover, why would you shut down 10 operators who are taking 15 tonnes [per annum], while you know there is a recreational take of 200 tonnes?" he said.

Mr Winstanley said the Victorian Government, in bringing in the ban, has pandered to the powerful recreational fishing lobby which boasts 300,000 members.

The renowned black bream is highly prized by fishermen and anglers alike. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

VR Fish, which represents anglers, denies that.

Executive officer Michael Burgess hails the decision as "courageous."

He said commercial fishing in the Gippsland Lakes put added pressure on a degraded ecosystem that needs remediation.

He believes the Government promise of restocking the lakes with highly-sought species such as black bream will make a difference to the region, attracting anglers and tourist dollars.

Seafood industry says future uncertain

The commercial ban, however, has Victoria's seafood industry deeply worried.

Andrew McLaughlin, whose family has an interest in supplying baitfish to anglers and seafood to consumers, said black bream is especially prized by restaurateurs.

He believes the closure of the Gippsland fishery will put undue pressure on interstate fisheries.

"It's taking it away from the Victorian people and delivering it to a small percentage of anglers, recreational fishermen in Victoria, which is very disappointing and from an industry perspective, it's very sad," he said.

Currently, most fish and seafood from Victorian waters ends up at the Melbourne Seafood Centre. ( ABC Landline: Tim Lee )

Mr Allen thinks it will lead to more illegal netting in Victorian waterways.

"People still want their fish," he said.

"And at the end of the day, they don't care where they get it."

As the end of professional fishing nears, some of the fishers are getting ready to leave the region to find work elsewhere.

Mr Winstanley believes the Government has erred.

"If you manage the fishery properly, you can have the benefits of both the commercial sector and the recreational sector," he said.

"You don't have to detract in any way from the value of tourism and recreational fishing while maintaining a sustainable commercial fishery."

Local anglers and professional fishers have accused each other of spreading misinformation. ( Supplied: Geoff Stanton )

Minister Pulford disagrees.

"We have provided a generous compensation package to recognise the loss of livelihood for that group of people," she said.

"But we want to restore the Gippsland Lakes to its former glory."

Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline this Sunday at 12:30pm or on iView.