Tin Can Bay fishing

[Nowhere Bob]

Science is always a progressive thing with knowledge added every year, but you need a starting point. So I think a golf clap is due to those who decided that the GSS was worth looking at in the first place. I sugest that much of the initial force for study, recognition & protection came from the local community.

I'm not going to bag the science used, or the young & keen people tasked with compiling data and drawing conclusions. Any fault in the quality of the study lies at the door of the funding decision makers.

Lets accept that we probably disagree with the findings. What we might be able to agree on is that there is now a structure in place on which to build. [A sceptic may call this 'Another layer of red tape']

EPA has quite different priorities to DPI Fisheries.
So perhaps over time EPA will increase the level of protection in sensitive areas, ie the yellow zones become green - further limiting the areas open to harvest. This may eventually exclude all commercial operations and even concievably all rec take as well.

This is not the thunderclap total protection that some may call for, but it may be a more fare, more science based, and more managable way to progress this.

[elprez]

Everyone calling for "bans" stop the rot now and just stop fishing. Lead from the front, take your own advice and get your boats out of the water. Heres a better closure solution, using my local boat ramp as the border for the first 6 months of the year all fishing to the north will be banned for the next six all fishing to the south will be banned, what a great idea !! If anyone is worried about a delicate environments stay the hell away from it, part of the problem then solved.
Get up there quick silent or you might not get the chance to experience this great place. P.S. if you hear the faint sound of banjos and muffled squeel of a pig on the breeze you'll know your in heaven.

[Nowhere Bob]

Noice one El Prez.
Best response ever. We'll start off by fencing off all access to GSS, put in mines and guard towers. No one with anything sharp or pointy or vaguely string-ish allowed, oh and canoe sail only of course.

[elprez]

No joke, if you want rec fishing resticted in the straits do the right thing and get out, or is it a case of I wont if he wont?

[fishel]

There are a couple of taps where you can wash your boat and flush the motor on the right just past the car parks in front of the cafe as you come up off the ramp at Norman Point. Water restrictions aren't too severe there and allow for hand held hoses, it seems. Take your own hose, of course. Cafe has the best chips!

[Lovey80]

Hi guys, I've done a bit of fishing over the last few years up Kauri creek way. Whilst I've never bagged out on any species up that way it is still in my opinion one of the most beautiful places i've ever been. While as far as inshore netting/trawling is concerned I wish that we could avoid it as much as possible. But at the same time I would feel for the local pro's if they were banned alltogether with no other work to go to. Does the bag limmits of rec fishers realy need to be adjusted???? Over the last 2 years I've been fishing with some absolute champion blokes who have been fishing that area for nearly the last 20 years from november to december every year. Whilst I have heard some great yarns from these bloke never have I heard or seen of them ever bagging out or taking anything that they shouldnt and these blokes would catch more than any rec fisher in that period IMHO this includes throwing back 3-4 Barra in a session because they're out of season. Everything that is taken is eaten that night and if they saw anyone breaking the rules they'd be the first to act against it.

These Blokes every year for the last 20 years have spent roughly 6 weeks strait every day on the water in the area and have their own opinions on the pro's in the area which is to say that it's not all good but in saying that they have sincere exeptions to that rule. They are aware of the problems with pots and too watch them religously especialy after an instance where there was a blow up with a pro crabber and their camp was raided by fisheries on a spot inspection that afternoon. "Wonder what initiated that........ 1st in 15 years" of course they found nothing and havent been back since.

At the end of the day if the average rec fisho isnt bagging out on prized fish whats the point in changing bag limmits. Are the pro's "bagging out" so to speak??? Is that the reason the very experienced rec fishers aren't bagging out???? I like the idea of spelling area's especially for parts of years and more so on the pro's than anything but so long as the same creeks aren't copping the same fishing bans every year at the same time.

Obviously a very passionate topic of mine in the area because i want to be taking my kids up there when they're old enough to appreciate it.

Cheers Chris

[elprez]

Well said Chris and I couldnt agree more on Kauri. With closures I know that pro's ie trawlers swamp areas on opening ( yes I do have mates who are pro fishermen)so do they really work, I'm not convinced.

[Lovey80]

Hi guys just thought I'd add one more point. Just read a thread about fishing licences in QLD possibly comming in. Now when I first heard about them In NSW it hought it was the rudest thing I'd ever heard but when i found out they had used that revenue to buy out pro fishers in Botany bay i did a 180. If QLD brought in a fishing licence with the first priority to buy out onshore fishers in Queensland then i would be the first to sign up for a 3 year licence. The obvious thing would be to start at the border and work the way up north..... most populated areas first.

Well it happened in NSW and worked why not give it a try up in QLD too. There's one thing i would be against and thats the off shore prawners and crabbers being bought out. Those poor bastards have been regulated to near on extinction as it is theres hundreds of them trying to get out before they go bankrupt and there's only one thing more Aussie than mudcrabs and fresh fish and thats a good old Aussie king prawn. ILL BE FXXXXD IF IM FORCED TO EAT THAT FARCE OF A IMPORT SEAFOOD THEY CALL THE VANEMEI PRAWN.

At the end of the day not all of them need to bought out but if there was a lot fewer pro's that all had quotas they couldnt go over then every rec fisher would be happy.

Cheers Chris

[Big_unit]

No joke, if you want rec fishing resticted in the straits do the right thing and get out, or is it a case of I wont if he wont?

Damn straight. I now ( for over 9 months ) practice catch & release ONLY in GSS.

Do you ?

Proud to say that I am committed to solving the problem.

[Lovey80]

No i don't not always. If i get a good jack i'll keep it. If just legal he gets to go another year. Big unit do you really think that REC fishers are really doing any damage to the area??? Just your thoughts?

Cheers Chris

[Wear the fox hat]

[QUOTE]

There's one thing i would be against and thats the off shore prawners and crabbers being bought out. Those poor bastards have been regulated to near on extinction as it is theres hundreds of them trying to get out before they go bankrupt and there's only one thing more Aussie than mudcrabs and fresh fish and thats a good old Aussie king prawn.

I agree totally. At least these guys are pro-active in self regulating their own industry, not like the pro's in the GSS who just take & take until one day, there will be no more.

I can't believe the goverment allows the importation of farmed prawns as the dye that they use to make them look orange is carcegenic. After the local industry kicked up a stink about this, all that happened was that things started being labelled in the retail outlets as to their place of origin. And, you don't want to know what these imported prawns are being fed on, as you would be sick on the spot if someone told you when you were eating one.

WTFH

[Nowhere Bob]

I will take a lizard for tea, everything else gets to swim again.

I'm amazed that the Prawn Trawlers are seen as Oz Battlers, while the inshore netters are all 'men in black hats."
My personal experience / opinion is exactly the opposite. I once heard otter trawling compared to clear felling an old growth forest to catch possums. I recognise that the Qld trawlers are far from the worst in the world, but what gets shovelled off the sorting tray DOA would make anyone weep.

[Big_unit]

No i don't not always. If i get a good jack i'll keep it. If just legal he gets to go another year. Big unit do you really think that REC fishers are really doing any damage to the area??? Just your thoughts?

Cheers Chris

1) They are a PART of the problem, however the MAJOR players are the netters. It takes a lot of rec fishers to remove the sheer numbers of fish & crustaceans like pro's do.

2) Minimise netting and the fishery will SLOWLY recover.

3) Regulate all forms ( Pro & Rec ) of fishing in rotational system as I stated before and we will enjoy the benefits of this AWESOME fishery for many years to come, in fact for generations to come. Its bloody terrible when you see a netter " shoot away " and just clean out whole schools of fish regardless of size or breeding cycle, just as upsetting is seeing people cleaning undersize fish at a boat ramp.

3a ) Impose very heavy fines for breaches, multiple breaches result in confiscation of fishing equipment, boats, trailers & vehicles. 1st time warning then 2nd time a $1500 fine, 3rd time $3000 fine & if they breach a 4th time start taking property. Make certain that QBFP officers are policing these areas heavily during closures.

4) Best case scenario in my opinion is totally BAN netting in all forms from Bundaberg to Noosa, however I will settle for the rotational system because I know that many families are fed from this fishery, not just Pro fishing families either. Further to that this fishery aint completely stuffed YET.

Thanks for asking Chris.

Cheers
James

[Lovey80]

Bob its no where near as bad as what you are making out. Outside prawners have no where near the amount of a confined space to dip into as opposed to basicaly the equivalent of straining your pasta ready for dinner. Without the current regulations I'd be on yourside they wouldnt be battling to near extinction but they are getting cained. If you take into consideration the amount of product thats offshore and being caught and the amount of product inside thats being caught the ratio would be vastly on the side of the inside netter.

It's for all to see in the Sydney area at the moment. Botany and Sydney harbour have had bumper catches recently with only one change.........THERE ARE NO LOCAL PRO'S RAPING THE RIVER! It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out why rec fishing inshore is on the decline these days.

Bob not trying to pick a fight here mate but we are talking about 2 totally different things.


Cheers Chris

[Lovey80]

Big Unit, good points well presented. Do you think if the option of buying out the netters at a fair price to them was a viable one you would support it? If that did happen do you think that any complete Bans would be neccessary? Obviously some areas that are breeding grounds do not apply to that. As per my point to Bob with the Pro's gone around Sydney rec fishers saw a noticable and immeadiate turn around. Anyway thats how I'd like to see it done.

Good to see an intelligent and relevant issue not being side tracked into rubbish.


Cheers Chris