Legalities on Filleting while offshore

[Needmorerum]

Where is the best place to find out what the legalities are for filleting fish that have been caught before coming back to the ramp?

Cheers
Corry

[finding_time]

Corry

I've got the guide in front of me now, edition august 2005.

In relation to coral reef fin fish.

May posses on board a boat a fillet of fish other than a chinese footballer( blue spot) trout as long as the lenght of fillet is at least 40cms and the skin and scales of the fillet are attached to the fillet.

I'm sure the queensland gov. dept. of primary industrys has an internet site.


Hope that helps

Ian

Ps. hows the latest vehicle going!

[lippa]

;D take a member of the dpi fishing with you, i bet he still can't explain all the rules and regs, bugger

[fish2eat]

do you mean for immediate consumption or for compact storage in the esky ???

[thumps]

Skin, fillet and pectoral fin removal

In relation to fin fish (other than coral reef fin fish) a recreational fisher must not:

* remove the skin from a fish on a boat until the fish is brought to shore;
* bring a fish ashore and remove its skin and return the fish to the boat;
* divide a fish into portions other than in a way that allows an inspector to easily count the number of fish possessed by the fisher; or
* possess a dead Spanish mackerel unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish.

In relation to coral reef fin fish a recreational fisher:

* must not possess on board any boat fish taken from a boat other than in one of the following forms - whole, gilled or gutted or filleted;
* may possess on board a boat a fillet of a fish other than a Chinese footballer (blue spot) trout as long as the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;
* must not return fish taken ashore from a boat and filleted and returned to a boat unless the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;
* must not possess a dead coral reef fin fish unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish; or
* must not possess a live coral reef fin fish unless the person or fisher intends to immediately return the fish to the sea.


http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/11416.html#skinning

[fish2eat]

Yes, but there is an exemption for "immediate consumption" as there is with crabs....otherwise boats cruising the coast and liveaboards could not eat fish (legally)

[Owen]

So you're catching so many now you can't fit them in the esky corry?
Might have to start following you around ::)
BTW
The big esky is for the fishies. The little one for the rumbo's ;)

cheers,
Owen

[thumps]

The big esky is for the fishies. The little one for the rumbo's ;)

cheers,
Owen


SH*T

i knew it was the other way

[NeilD]

I have searched high and low for these "ëxemptions" but cannot find them in print anywhere. Can somebody tell me where to find them.

Neil

[mackmauler]

The only exemptions I know of are for crab meat for immediate consumption, you can have filleted fish onboard in accordance with the rules, its only illegal once you are down below 40cm on that coral fin fillet, but how many of us eat the skin ;D just leave the skin on and a trail of crumbs to aid in identification ;D

[craigie]

Eating fish while at sea, easy...............bake them whole ;)

I'd be very surprised if it was illegal to eat fresh fish caught at sea.

To check this out, visit www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb or check with the Qld Boating & Fisheries Patrol, Information Officer on 32681820.

Regards
Craigie.

[thumps]

In relation to fin fish (other than coral reef fin fish) a recreational fisher must not:

* remove the skin from a fish on a boat until the fish is brought to shore;
* bring a fish ashore and remove its skin and return the fish to the boat;
* divide a fish into portions other than in a way that allows an inspector to easily count the number of fish possessed by the fisher; or
* possess a dead Spanish mackerel unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish.

the law pertains to a rec fisherman...not someone having their lunch

[fish2eat]

Just phoned the DPI Hotline and got transferred to the local (Brisbane) Boating and Fisheries Patrol.

While there is no exemption in the rules, the rule of commonsense applies thus

IF you are on a boat with cooking facilities AND you have skinned fillets that are of a quantity which coul reasonably be consumed by the number of persons aboard, then the officers will not charge you with an offence.

I see that this covers houseboating, coastal cruising, overnighters on board and even day trips where you are not leaving the boat but having fish for lunch onboard

[fish2eat]

Sorry, left out consumed at the next meal, he did say you cannot get away with skinning more than you intend to eat at the next meal

[Burley_Boy]

So where does that leave my Thai fish balls? ;D

[NeilD]

If it is not covered in the legeslation then it is still illegal. The fact that these officers are turning a blind eye under certain circumstances will not help you if some over zealous officer wants to pinch you. It should be a clear exemption.

Neil

[mackmauler]

Having there word over the phone does nothing for my confidence either, and since when did we need cooking facilities, lemon or wasabi are acceptable for many, commonsense be f*** :o

[fish2eat]

I DO regularly eat fish on my boat, so I'm happy to take the "commonsense approach".....how many of you who are complaining regularly eat you catch onboard before coming ashore.......c'mon.......the truth

or are you just stirring. None of my mates who cruise the coast have ever had a problem with Fisheries on this point either.

I know what the regulations say, however, it is to stop people hiding the true nature of their catch from the inspectors, and that is reasonable

[thumps]

If it is not covered in the legeslation then it is still illegal. The fact that these officers are turning a blind eye under certain circumstances will not help you if some over zealous officer wants to pinch you. It should be a clear exemption.

Neil




and just why should it be a clear exemption???

the law is written for the TAKING and KEEPING of fish...its not there for the comsumption/ eating of fish onboard

its like telling you what you can eat at your own table at home...ff's

next thing people will want is a law for what you can take out onboard to eat.....

if some prick decides i cant take a sandwich ..or a packet of chips onboard then i'll complain like hell.


come on guys....geeeeezzzzzzzz...look past some of the responces

look at what the laws are written for....you cant eat 50kilos of fish onboard in one day on a rec boat

the laws written for TAKING and KEEPING..and to stop bag/size limits being abused...and also to try and stop the resale of that catch


use ya noodles

[Gutterplastic]

agreed thumps. my opinion is that the frames should be kept for inspection if needed upon landing.

[theoldlegend]

I'd be surprised that something would still be illegal if it's not in the legislation/regulations. They'd be pushing it uphill to try and ping you for something that isn't specifically mentioned. IMO, FWIW anyway.

Corry, maybe you should get a copy of the regs and take them home and study them until you feel comfortable, and then try and come up with some "what if" questions. Discuss these "what if" questions with your local B & FP mob.

TOL

[mackmauler]

I DO regularly eat fish on my boat, so I'm happy to take the "commonsense approach".....how many of you who are complaining regularly eat you catch onboard before coming ashore.......c'mon.......the truth
Yes,
How far do you take that rig? looks suited to the pin, where do you get the coral finfish from?

or are you just stirring. None of my mates who cruise the coast have ever had a problem with Fisheries on this point either.

how many times have they been pulled up by fisheries with skinned coral finfish, what did the inspectors say?


I know what the regulations say, however, it is to stop people hiding the true nature of their catch from the inspectors, and that is reasonable

[thumps]

Where is the best place to find out what the legalities are for filleting fish that have been caught before coming back to the ramp?

Cheers
Corry



original question


not about eating fish onboard

use ya noodles

[fish2eat]

Skin, fillet and pectoral fin removal

In relation to fin fish (other than coral reef fin fish) a recreational fisher must not:

# #* remove the skin from a fish on a boat until the fish is brought to shore;
# #* bring a fish ashore and remove its skin and return the fish to the boat;
# #* divide a fish into portions other than in a way that allows an inspector to easily count the number of fish possessed by the fisher; or
# #* possess a dead Spanish mackerel unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish.

In relation to coral reef fin fish a recreational fisher:

# #* must not possess on board any boat fish taken from a boat other than in one of the following forms - whole, gilled or gutted or filleted;
# #* may possess on board a boat a fillet of a fish other than a Chinese footballer (blue spot) trout as long as the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;
# #* must not return fish taken ashore from a boat and filleted and returned to a boat unless the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;
# #* must not possess a dead coral reef fin fish unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish; or
# #* must not possess a live coral reef fin fish unless the person or fisher intends to immediately return the fish to the sea.


http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/11416.html#skinning

Mackmauler, see above....it doesn't just apply to Coral Fin fish, it appliesto ALL fin fish, the only subbtle difference is really the 40 cm fillet size.

Do you think the boat in the Avatar is the only one I have ever owned???? I've been boating for over 50 years......probably twice as long as you've been alive.

As far as my cruising mates are concerned I can only recall two stories of visits from Fisheries inspectors while at anchor. More of a social visit where they asked more questions about the safety gear on board than the fish.

You see, these guys aren't the fun police, they can sum up a person or group when then pull up alongside. I've had some nice chats with them but then seen them move to another boat and give them the third degree, boarding their boat and going through all the storage spaces.

They are looking for the turkeys that flout the law.

Do you feel better now, or are you still stirring the pot???????

[mackmauler]

Mackmauler, see above....it doesn't just apply to Coral Fin fish, it appliesto ALL fin fish, the only subbtle difference is really the 40 cm fillet size.

Ya wrong there.

the rules have changed considerably in the last 50 years ;) the ones where talking about arent that old so maybe you have only had the one boat since they came out. #chill out #;D

We are back where we started hoping the fisheries cut some slack, pull out the gass burner and hope for the best, not my idea of fun so no I dont feel any better about this

[fish2eat]

Mackmauler.....you seem the only one who's paranoid about this issue

Do you worry so much about the laws and regulations that it keeps you awake at night???

everyone else on here seems to be very chilled out about not getting busted

[NeilD]

The legislation is very clear in its wording. I regularly cruise and this topic is often brought up among other cruising fishos(along with sewerage issues). We really need a clearly worded exeption. We can have nine or so people on board so thats a lot of fish cleaned and ready for consumption.
As for fisheries, things have changed in recent years and we have had visits from them the last two trips to Musgrave.
This is the same sort of arguement we hear concerning having a few cleansing ales at the end of the day when in an anchorage. You are in charge of a vessel andd can be charged with DUI.
As it stands we rely on fisheries good will and not the protection of the law.

Neil

[Needmorerum]

do you mean for immediate consumption or for compact storage in the esky ???


Yes... for compact storage in esky/fridge. It would be good to be able to fillet out there without having to bring them all home. Just another clean up task that can be done on the water.


Corry, maybe you should get a copy of the regs and take them home and study them until you feel comfortable, and then try and come up with some "what if" questions. Discuss these "what if" questions with your local B & FP mob.

Will do that TOL, I was really looking for the places to find the regs, thanks to those that have helped out here. I'll go to the sites and have a read.


So you're catching so many now you can't fit them in the esky corry?
Might have to start following you around ::)
BTW
The big esky is for the fishies. The little one for the rumbo's ;)
cheers,
Owen

No point following me mate, my fishing habits haven't changed that much. Got onto a few the other day, but nothing worth writing home about.
I think I'd rather keep the little ones that will fit into the esky, couldn't see myself MT'ing out the big esky just to put fish in it, afterall, it is called boating isn't it? Not sure where this fishing bit come into it. Ha Ha.

Cheers
Corry

[thumps]

The legislation is very clear in its wording. I regularly cruise and this topic is often brought up among other cruising fishos(along with sewerage issues). We really need a clearly worded exeption. We can have nine or so people on board so thats a lot of fish cleaned and ready for consumption.
As for fisheries, things have changed in recent years and we have had visits from them the last two trips to Musgrave.
This is the same sort of arguement we hear concerning having a few cleansing ales at the end of the day when in an anchorage. You are in charge of a vessel andd can be charged with DUI.
As it stands we rely on fisheries good will and not the protection of the law.

Neil


if you have nine or ten people on board...thats easy....fillet the catch to the law requirement...if you choose to feed the "crew" with the days fishing...then thats your problem...not the laws...but you still have to obey the rules.

as for the booze problem...thats easy too....you cant be intoxicated in charge of a vessel..or a vehicle for that matter...whether its going or not....nominate a skipper...and he doesnt drink.

people want exemptions to fart these days...look at the law...read what it says...and obey it

i for one cant see the problem.....it is clearly stated what to do

[Cruiser]

The main problem I have with the filletting rules is with regards to bait...

We quiet often buy mullet fillets for use as bait when going offshore. #(when mullet was cheap six months ago we could buy 3kg for $10.) #These fillets have the skin on but are scaled and are maybe 20-25cm long.

According to the regs, we could get pinged for having fillets (without scales) on board the boat even though we bought them at a bait shop before heading out.

I can only assume common sense would prevail :-/

Any thoughts on that?

Chris.

[fish2eat]

It only applies to regulated fish, ie those having a bag or size limit.......so that the inspectors can check them.

[thumps]

thats just it Cruiser

many seem to lose the common sense thing

what you take out with you....is directly against what the law states

the law is for "bringing in"....

bit like taking a sandwich out ...you dont need an exemption to do it

common sense would dictate