Pectoral Fin Removal Crackdown

[Derek Bullock]

Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
21/03/2007


PECTORAL FIN REMOVAL CRACKDOWN
More than 80 per cent of Central Queensland's recreational fishers who catch and keep coral reef fin fish or Spanish mackerel are continuing to ignore a Fisheries Act requirement to remove a pectoral fin, Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin said today.

Mr Mulherin said the pectoral fin removal was introduced more than three years ago to deter the unregulated black market sales of coral reef fin fish and Spanish mackerel onto the open market by recreational anglers.

"Reports I'm getting from Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers in Mackay and Yeppoon is that recreational fishers are treating the pectoral fin removal issue as a joke," Mr Mulherin said.

"After three years, the educational phase has certainly reached its use-by date and patrol officers will be issuing pectoral fin infringement notices that range from $150 for one fish and up to $375 for four fish.

"Failure to remove the pectoral fin from a catch of more than four fish may result in a Magistrat's Court appearance."

Mr Mulherin said during a routine patrol of the offshore islands adjacent to Mackay on the March 10-11 weekend, for every 10 recreational fishing boats that were inspected, eight boats would have fish in their possession with the pectoral fin intact.

"Recreational anglers in the Capricorn Coast region should expect a similar approach to the non-compliance," he said.

"No doubt there will be some very cranky anglers around in the next few weeks, but it has to stop."

"The legislation was enacted to combat black market sales and ensure the livelihood of licensed commercial fishers and the need to protect our fish stocks from unregulated exploitation."

However, Mr Mulherin said that there were exceptions to the non-compliance with reports from Gladstone patrol officers that a media campaign initiated in October last year about the removal of pectoral fin from coral reef fin fish had been extremely successful.

Media: 323 96530

[sarg]

Just curious at how far up the coast the regulation comes into force?

Andrew

[Jono_SS]

I imagine it applies to the area between the Qld/NSW border and Cape York

[kingtin]

They pulled me a while ago with a few gold spot. One of the fishery guys was pretty snotty and got my back up. I said that if the legislation was to prevent the sale on the black market, then the fact that I wasn't yet ashore should not entitle them to give me earache. I insisted that as long as I cut 'em off before I got ashore, then that should be ok. He insisted that you should cut 'em off as soon as caught, but as he didn't issue me with anything other than an argument, I'm guessing that he wasn't too sure himself.

kev

[seatime]

Just curious at how far up the coast the regulation comes into force?

Andrew

I spoke to Qld DPI&F today, it's not a geographic regulation but a species regulation.

If the fish is a "Schedule 4 - Regulated Fish" under the "Coral Reef Fin Fish Management Plan 2003 (CRFFMP03)" a pectoral fin has to be removed.

Anyway, that's what the voice at the other end of phone told me.

[Stuie]

The legislation states that the pectoral fin must be removed before the fish is placed into cold storage. I assume from this that it must be done before they go into the esky.

[seatime]

They pulled me a while ago with a few gold spot. One of the fishery guys was pretty snotty and got my back up. I said that if the legislation was to prevent the sale on the black market, then the fact that I wasn't yet ashore should not entitle them to give me earache. I insisted that as long as I cut 'em off before I got ashore, then that should be ok. He insisted that you should cut 'em off as soon as caught, but as he didn't issue me with anything other than an argument, I'm guessing that he wasn't too sure himself.

kev

kingtin, the way I understand the regs, is you cannot possess a dead CRFF without the pectoral fin removed. It's a fairly complicated list of regs, and not surprising that confusion reigns
sounds like the grace (education) period is over and fines will be issued now

cheers
Steve

[kingtin]

I spoke to Qld DPI&F today, it's not a geographic regulation but a species regulation.

If the fish is a "Schedule 4 - Regulated Fish" under the "Coral Reef Fin Fish Management Plan 2003 (CRFFMP03)" a pectoral fin has to be removed.

Anyway, that's what the voice at the other end of phone told me.

Still doesn't clarify just when it has to be removed though

Normally I wouldn't say boo to a goose but this particular bloke was talking to me (in front of my kids) as if I was something you scrape off your shoes. A bit of civility goes a long way to 'educating" others and I was rather surprised 'cause I've always found fisheries to be very courteous.

kev

[kingtin]

kingtin, the way I understand the regs, is you cannot possess a dead CRFF without the pectoral fin removed.

cheers
Steve

That seems pretty clear then, and if that's the case, I'm guilty m'lud

I'll blame the deckie in future for not reminding me to cut 'em off

kev

[samson]

Hey Kingtin when you say gold spot i'm presuming you mean gold spot estuary cod he sure didn't know shit that guy because they aren't even a coral reef fin fish there for don't need their fin cut, unless you meant gold spot wrasse or pig fish which he would have been right.

Cheers samson

[kingtin]

Hey Kingtin when you say gold spot i'm presuming you mean gold spot estuary cod he sure didn't know shit that guy because they aren't even a coral reef fin fish there for don't need their fin cut, unless you meant gold spot wrasse or pig fish which he would have been right.

Cheers samson

Yeah, wrasse mate.

kev

[toolman2810]

I asked once for a one stop fishing web site, that includes weather, boating & fishing regulations. I'm new to Queensland like so many other thousands of people. If you can't put the info in one easy to find place. Then how do you expect people to adhere to it

[Snapp]

Here we go again, over regulation. Everbody pays to stop the few.
YES I understand but.
We started cutting the fins off a couple of years back, but its easy to forget one or two in the heat of the battle.
Perhaps its a way to slow us down, classify it, measure it, cut the fin off, take a happy snap, what's next ...bag its guts!

[Derek Bullock]

What I am amazed at on Ausfish is the way everyone carefully turns their fish over so you can't see the fin thats been cut off. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


Derek

[Y-Not]

Derek you rascall you!!!! Are you suggesting that Ausfishers are all that clever to think to do that before their piccies are taken. And here I was thinking they just weren't sticking to the regs (myself included)