Oyster Thieves! ps-bugs and spanners

[Siminikish]

Was great to hear two men at toondah were caught for removing over 800 oysters and also for 10 undersize sand crabs! Apparently fisheries are 'slighlty' useful. what wasn't so good to hear was the measly $750 fine they recieved. Now how many time had they done this? It must be assumed more than once. This is not much of a deterrant to determined criminals in my books. Even though it is illegalk to remove oysters, they were obviously taking more than themselves and their immediate family could consume (although i have been know to consume more that 100 oysters in a sitting so it should be obviouys they were to be sold/distributed. Where are the adequate laws to deal with this! If i get a speeding ticket on the way to work i don't quit my job! So whats the chances they will? They will probably just get smarter and are out there now pillaging to pay off their meager fines!

On a different note i feel like oysters and the article referred to 'public oyster grounds' Are these random oysters like the ones i find on rubble grounds at low tide or are these old leases? Could anyone help me out cos i'm a little hungry.

The article can be read in March Bush'n'beach. Any opinions

[Siminikish]

oh yeah the bugs'n'spanners

Was curious as to where and by what methods moreton bay bugs and spanner crabs are caught and if they are available to the rec fisher? I caught one small spanner in the rous channel a long time ago

[shayned]

Do a search on the bugs here there was a thread last year concerning if it was possible to catch them as a rec fisher, sorry cant remember the result.

[Chezzy13]

Unreal, they should of thrown the book at them... Its people like them that rake the system dry..Should of got more of a fine than that..

[trueblue]

Go to Crab'n Gear at Clontarf and buy some spanner crab dilly's and he'll tell you all about them. Weird little buggers the spanner crabs and a strange sort of dilly.