Blame the anglers

[madmackrel]

For about the last year have i have noticed this vessell around the northern end of the bay going about some strange movements, now call it want you want, but i have been fishin the top end of moreton for about 18 years. Over the last year one of our favourite spots the neilson, which has accounted for some memorable catches hasnt quite been its normal self Well guess what busted this ship right on top of of two of our marks the actuall neilson mark and one of our other marks . Radiod the captian and asked what he was doing and his reply was that he is dredging , could not believe what we were seeing and hearing So its us anglers that are depleting fish stocks in the bay BULLSH_T. How can the fish survive when a spot like this and god knows how many other spots are just being destroyed
PISS_D OFF Madmackrel
PS what can we do

[seatime]

Commerce comes first mate

Port of Brisbane channel dredging works, approved by the EPA.

There's also some reclamation dredging going on in that area for backfilling Fisherman Is and the Airport runway, also approved by the EPA

[tunaticer]

Yep definitely a dredge, http://home.planet.nl/~putcor/voacz.html good part about it tho is there will be deeper waters and newly released nutrients available to sealife soon after dredging.
I know it sounds odd but in the Pine River when they had dredging going on areas up to about 200m away that were not dredged yet were typically poor fishing areas. Yet fishing where the dredge had been in the past week or so was the place to fish. I scored several good sized jew and heaps of bream and flathead from these well and truely disturbed waters. This was a pattern that remained until dredging was halted there.

I would be heading out there soon and seeing what the area will fish like with the new seafloor.

Jack.

[Freeeedom]

I passed behind that vessel when I was going out to Mud Island last Friday. It was going into the port of Brisbane, fully loaded and was really travelling. It's wake had to be seen to be believed. I passed about a kilometre behind it and the wake was still about 2 metres high and breaking when I crossed it. I slowed right down but still needed a change of underwear after I got through it.
Cheers Freeeedom

[samsnap]

Your not kidding! - We had the displeasure of it passing by us on Ancac Weekend out at the M4 - we thought we were ok (as did the other 2 boats anchored up) untill we all saw the white water off its wake - I'v never seen 3 boats up anchor & RUN SO FAST in my life. I have a 6.5m & just turned a ran like a girl (that I am!) & when we thought we were far enough away turned & faced it, slowed right down but still took water over the bow - If I see it again I'm running again (Bribie looks far enough away next time!) People should be aware of this type of dredge & the danger of it's HUGE wake that follows.
As for the dredging of the bay - are you aware of the already done deal on the removal of "middle banks" for the new BAC runway, I was in on a very interesting "Public information Video" shoot last year in which the Bac filmed off Moreton Island with "ranger Stacey" as the inverviewer and the EPA scientific expert saying "no harm would come to the bay" from the works & no Dugons would be killed (interesting statement) But when the cameras were off, the story was different & very disturbing on the actual outcome on the bay - my problem is why hasen't anyone picked up on this & tried to take it further??
Anyway sorry to drag on but needed to get that off my mind - Ta Sammy

[madmackrel]

Yep definitely a dredge, http://home.planet.nl/~putcor/voacz.html good part about it tho is there will be deeper waters and newly released nutrients available to sealife soon after dredging.
I know it sounds odd but in the Pine River when they had dredging going on areas up to about 200m away that were not dredged yet were typically poor fishing areas. Yet fishing where the dredge had been in the past week or so was the place to fish. I scored several good sized jew and heaps of bream and flathead from these well and truely disturbed waters. This was a pattern that remained until dredging was halted there.

I would be heading out there soon and seeing what the area will fish like with the new seafloor.

Jack.

Jack the neilson was a vessell that went down in the sixties with enough structure today to hold a variety of fish. Should i say yesterday, the new seafloor will be just that new and baron

[o bag]

seen that ship tonight, pulling into the dock, when i was finishing work

[FNQCairns]

Does it dredge at night? would be a shocking surprise to hear that white cap with no time to run, short anchor rode as fairly typical for the bay, sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it......

In the past I have fished bommies at night but thats a calculated risk based on local knowledge, this thing with such a tight 2m wave should be outlawed from traveling so fast laden if what said above is true.
cheers fnq

[tunaticer]

I know the Neilsen and have fished it numerous times Madmackerel. The point I made was the digging around the Neilsen more than likely will elevate the amount of food sources for a large array of aquatic life which will attract larger specimens that you will be targetting presumably.

I have mentioned the effect dredging had on the pine river, add to that similar experiences in the leads to Newport waterways a few years ago as well. Dredging does in fact create environment even though it is radically different to what was there before.

Back in the days of lime/coral mining near Mud island by the then QCL to make cement out of, the fishing near the mining equipment was quite good after it had shut down for the night.

Just like a new Maccas going in...the kids are the first ones there and before long you realize you are feeding there too.

Jack.

P.S. You could also add to this debate with the rocky reef structure that is constantly being covered over and exposed some time later by the moving sandbars and channels within Moreton Bay. They very quickly become inhabited by fishlife almost as soon as they become exposed again. There are quite a lot of these locations in the bay if you wish to search for them.

[Poodroo]

It has begun. When I attended the protest rallies in opposition to the green zones this very point was raised as to how EPA could consider fishermen and women to be a threat to the bay and then under handedly approve plans to dredge up prime fishing grounds as fill for the new Brisbane Airport runway. They say something is rotten in Denmark?

Poodroo

[snapperbasher]

hey perry,

lets hope it grabs hold of the neilson and pulls itself over but all jokes aside that will destroy the place. i have a spot i used to fish not far from there which almost over night dissapeared i wondered what had happened i thought it may have sanded over but after this i think i know

cheers lochie

[madmackrel]

Hey Lochie, mate the dredge went right over the exact mark of ours and the mark in all the gps books as well. its all gone. Would be interesting if some divers could give us some feed back.
Cheers MM

[snapperbasher]

hey mate have you sounded over it since?

[madmackrel]

No mate, not yet. Will let you know when we do.

[honda900]

That ship has been out there for a while, I saw it about 2 months ago,

Check the bow wave on this puppy..