Tasmanian environment and fishing groups are calling on the State Government to ban the use of recreational gill nets across the state.

Environment Tasmania, Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Devonport Anglers Club, TasFish and the Dunalley Fish Market, among others, want the ban that would bring Tasmania into line with other states.

Marine co-ordinator with Environment Tasmania Rebecca Hubbard said the phase-out would be in the interests of both biodiversity and fishers.

"It (gill netting) has been identified as a particularly damaging fishing technique, it's been acknowledged as that over a number of years and restrictions have been tightening over a number of years," she said.

"We've had comments from individuals that in places where there isn't netting any more, there's a lot more fish, so it's better for fishing and the health of the local environment."

While gill netting has been on the decline in Tasmania, there are still an estimated 8,000 recreational nets throughout the state.

Environment Tasmania says gill nets catch unintended species like penguins. ( Supplied: Environment Tasmania )

The gills of fish get tangled when they swim into the nets, which are about 50 metres long and are rectangular in shape.

The group has a petition online which has attracted over 2,500 signatures to date.

"We will be launching a support statement with businesses and organisations signed on for the phase-out of recreational gill nets and we will deliver the petition to the Minister for Fisheries, Jeremy Rockliff, and the department as part of the submission process," Ms Hubbard said.

The campaign comes as the State Government has released a draft of its proposed new management plan for recreational and commercial scale fishing around Tasmania.

Major changes are a ban on recreational gillnetting at night, new areas closed to gill netting, reduced bag and boat limits for species like flathead and halving the amount of hooks allowed on long lines.

Recreational fisherman Glen McGlouchlin, from Burnie, said that the restrictions on night gill netting for Atlantic Salmon in Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast were not necessary.

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"Everyone uses the same type of net, 50 metres long. (You are) only allowed to have one," he said.

"You're very unlikely to catch a salmon during the day, it's got to be at night time. If they ban that, it will make it unviable."

North-west Tasmanian commercial fisherman Craig Garland said there should be a recreational gill netting moratorium for five years, except for Macquarie Harbour.

"I think gill nets apart from Macquarie Harbour are a commercial apparatus only. Even in the right hands, still at times they can do a lot of damage," he said.

Mr Garland said that gill netting should be banned to protect the bastard trumpeter and blue warehou.

But Ms Hubbard said the proposed restrictions in the scale fish draft management plan did not go far enough.

"Research has found that one-third of fish are thrown, so just wasted, some may be dead and others in declined health, so ability to survive has been impeded," she said.

"And there are plenty of examples of people finding nets washed up on the shore with dead penguins, whole groups of penguins or other seabirds, dolphins, sharks."