Summer can produce some beautiful days for fishing off Tasmania's north coast, but for Craig Garland and Bob Gillam the horizon is bleak.

The two fishermen earn their living working the north-west coastline.

But after two hours fishing in what used to be a prime squid fishing spot, they have only brought up two – and both are undersized.

Two hours of fishing produced only two small squid. ( ABC News: Henry Zwartz )

Squid, also known as calamari, usually provided a reliable source of income for north-west locals.

It is usually a "bread and butter" catch which provides a safety net if other fish are caught in low numbers over a season.

Bob Gillam says he has lost $28,000 in earnings this season. ( ABC News: Henry Zwartz )

But this year Mr Garland and Mr Gillam have only caught two tonnes, one 10th of last year's catch, and the lowest in living memory.

"This is the worst year ever in my whole life. I've never seen the fishing ground so devoid of life than I have this year," Mr Garland said.

Mr Gillam has been working at sea for 35 years. For Mr Garland it has been 32.

They are just staying afloat financially, but said many fishermen across the coast were on the brink of disaster.

"It's just not worth going after them when you've got a $1,000 dollar fuel bill a month and you're only getting $1,000 worth of calamari. You may as well as stay at home in bed," Mr Gillam said.

Craig Garland hails other fishermen to inquire about their catch. ( ABC News: Henry Zwartz )

It is so bad, Mr Gillam is considering an early, forced retirement.

"If it comes up next year the same as this year I'll be out of business. Simple as that. I'll just have to go on the pension or the dole or find some other employment," Mr Gillam said.

Fears for younger fishermen in debt

Mr Gillam has already lost $28,000 this season, and is struggling to pay for fuel.

He said the squid shortage would affect younger fishermen the most.

"It will cause a lot of unemployment among us fisherman," he said.

"There's young fellas that have bought licences hoping to make a living out of this and, well, I'm lucky I own everything.

"But those young fellas mightn't, they're probably in debt for all their gear, and that's when the real trouble starts."

Scientist Sean Tracey is part of a team from the Institute and Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) measuring squid populations off the north coast.

He said data confirmed the low squid numbers.

"We've probably seen about a third or a quarter of the eggs we've seen in the previous season," Dr Tracey said.

Locals suspect there are too many boats working the same fishing grounds.

Craig Garland has a suitcase full of documents he has sent to the Government about the fishery since 2005. ( ABC News: Henry Zwartz )

They also blame the relocation of seals from southern waters, a controversial practice that stopped in December.



"The spring just gone there was thousands of seals dumped here, the spring before the same thing coincides with our spawning aggregations," he said.

"They come to spawn here August onwards."

Call for management plan

Mr Garland said he has been warning about the vulnerability of the squid fishery since 2005, and has been calling for a management plan which limits the number of professional fishermen.

Scientist Sean Tracey says the low catch is concerning but cautions numbers are naturally variable. ( Supplied: IMAS )

Dr Tracey said the trend was concerning but cautioned that squid numbers were naturally variable.

"It is a concerning sign seeing a low catch, particularly after we've seen an increase in catch from the commercial sector and most likely the recreational sector as well over a fairly extended period," he said."

"But we will need to wait until we have another year or two of data to see whether this is a persistent trend or issue or whether it is part of that natural cycle."