Take heed of the no hooks or lures laws

[JIMBO99]

Jimbo99.
I have been discussing the new Moreton bay exclusion zones etc. with my nephew (pro Fisherman Delegate) and it seems that, when these new rules come into effect, (In october I believe ) it will be a fineable offence to travel through any exclusion zone with a line which has a hook or lure attatched ?? If so, lets say you were fishing east of green island and decided to take a run to the sand hills, you would pass through the exclusion zone east of Mud island, and if you had a line with a bare hook or a lure attatched you would be in breach of the law and would be fined.
This means that if you are fishing in one place, you must cut all hooks and lures off all lines in the boat, even if they are stowed in racks etc. before travelling through an exclusion zone, there are some other cute little laws also embedded in the rules which can be applied to your financial detriment, so read the fine print, that is if you have a spare month or two to waste reading the whole package. because ignorance of the law will be no excuse it is stated.

[JIMBO99]

Gees Fleety, where would you start, Fisheries,Parks and Wild Life, Greenies, Polititions, B$$$dy hell you'd be horse if you started abusing them all, there's so many of the Buggars.

[FNQCairns]

This is the sort of Martial behaviour that you blokes down there need to stand up to!!! you blokes because of population denisity have a lot of untapped community power.

Organise a big flotilla and sit there with some lines down with sinkers only and the other rods hanging in the holders fully rigged and let whichever nazi do what they do best, we are used to it but the full doctrine is just taking things far far far too far this time.

Of coarse this action is appropriate only if the above is true.

hard to put anything past the quality of what our betters under law are capable of these days.

goods luck

cheers fnq

[Scott nthQld]

To be blunt, that is just plain bullshit. they can't fine you for having hooks or lures attached to your lines. They've excluded fishing in the areas, you can still have as many lines as you like rigged and ready to go, but as long as they stay in the boat, you're not breaking any laws. It reminds me of an old joke:

A husband and wife went on holiday to NSW, where the husband spent most of his time fishing, while the wife would stay at their water front cabin, or go shopping, doing as they both pleased. One day, the husband decided not to go fishing and the wife, who was reading a book decided that it would be a nice day to go out in the boat and read in the fresh air and sun.

A fisheries officer pulled her up and asked to see her fishing license, she replied, she was not fishing, so she didn't need one. The fisheries officer argued the point using the reasoning, because you've got all the equipment on board, she could start fishing at anytime, thus breaking the law. To which the woman replied, if you give me a fine for not having a fishing license, simply because I have all the equipment with me, I'll have to charged with Sexual Harassment.

The Officer, stunned, said, but how, I haven't done anything to sexually harass you. The woman simply replied, no, but you've got all the equipment and you could start at any time.

So its simple logic, to be fined for fishing in an exclusion zone, you must actually be fishing, having the means to is irrelevant, I mean using that logic, everybody would have a criminal record, regardless if they've committed a crime or not, everyone has the means to do it.

I'd like to see what would happen if they tried to pull this shit, I wonder how the courts would deal with it. And besides, how long does it take someone to tie a hook on? 30 seconds? what stopping someone from tying a hook on in an exclusion zone if they see a decent show on the sounder. Having the means does not prove anything.

[roz]

It's not the police or the fisheries officers that make the laws.

However it is their job to uphold those laws, whatever their personal opinions may be. So why make their jobs more difficult than it already is???

I honestly can't see how difficult it would be to cut a hook/sinker or lure off your line.

the worst thing that's going to happen is you lose a few inches of line and a few minutes out of your day.

That's the way I see it.

C'mon no tanties!!!!!

cheers roz

[Mike Delisser]

No different to the way it is now in green zones and fisheries habitats. Stowed = not in use.

[JIMBO99]

Jimbo99
Fellas I was not complaining about having to remove hooks, just pointing out how stupid the law makers are. And how much power the various law enforcement groups really have. There is already a proposed legisation for all vessels to have their registration numbers painted on a horizontal surface fore deck etc. reason?? so that military type satilite searching can identify any vessel operating in an area of marine parks that is prohibited for vessels to enter,and fines issued like fixed speed cameras on the road. you'll get a picture and a fine. wont be worth going out fishing I'm glad I'm near 70 and have had a good life on the water to look back on. Our kids wont be so lucky. Jimbo99

[Spaniard_King]

Jimbo,

I hate to tell ya but you have been fed some Bull Sh!t.. as has been stated.. you must have all rods in a rod holder or stowed in a rod locker when pasing through a green zone.. Someone is beating up the laws a bit

[roz]

Jimbo99
Fellas I was not complaining about having to remove hooks, just pointing out how stupid the law makers are. And how much power the various law enforcement groups really have. There is already a proposed legisation for all vessels to have their registration numbers painted on a horizontal surface fore deck etc. reason?? so that military type satilite searching can identify any vessel operating in an area of marine parks that is prohibited for vessels to enter,and fines issued like fixed speed cameras on the road. you'll get a picture and a fine. wont be worth going out fishing I'm glad I'm near 70 and have had a good life on the water to look back on. Our kids wont be so lucky. Jimbo99

I take your point Jimbo, and agree up to a point.

However, would requiring this type of rego display help weed out illegals fishing in Australian waters, by making them easier to detect???

Just a thought..

cheers roz.

[bushbeachboy]

Jimbo, when I was living up north they introduced the green zones up there. The law actually stated that stuff about not having lines rigged etc. But common sense came into play and it was announced in the paper (Townsville Bulletin) that they would only be enforcing against people caught fishing, not having rigged outfits in their boat. I would imagine the same would apply in Moreton Bay.

Mind you if you get pulled up and fail the attitude test you might be making things difficult for yourself.

[frogfuzz]

My local creek where I live is up one of these exclusion zones. I emailed the EPA and asked them what the go was, as I have to travel through this zone to get home from fishing offshore.

The reply I got back (I don't know if I have it, if I have time and can find it I will post the reply here on this thread), was that the rods would have to be "stowed". They did not say anything about un- rigging them.

In other words not in use. Having said that I would trust any Gaia worshipping EPA person as far as I could throw them (let alone any PIG - Politcian In Government).

[frogfuzz]

This is the email I sent in:

Dear EPA

As a resident of Pumicestone Passage and a keen fisherman, I have a couple of questionsabout the "Zones" proposed for Moreton Bay/ Sunshine Coast.Question 1. In a "Yellow Zone" can I travel through this in my boat, with morethan one rod? (eg from my local ramp to head offshore with say 3 rods+ to go deep seafishing).Question

2. Can I possess, but not use, fishing rods (read plural) in the Green Zones? (egagain for travel through the zone, but not fish)Question

3. Can I have more than one rod on board in a Yellow Zone, but only fish with one?(in other words I am only using one rod at a time to fish, with the spare rods stowed away).I cannot find any legal definitions on the Zones on your site. The ATO website givesexamples which show how its rules and regulations can be used in given senarios, do you guyshave anything similar?

Thank you for your assistance in this matter

Name and address was supplied


Stupidly I have deleted the reply. I suggest somebody here email the same and see what response you get.

[bushbeachboy]

Froggy, the answers will be that you can travel through any zone except exclusion zones (pink and green from memory) with as many rods on board as you like. That means that unless it's illegal to travel through the area, you can go there with rods.

Not sure if they are planning exclusion zones in MB. Of course in a genuine emergency, you are legally able to enter an exclusion zone. But you might have to prove it's genuine.

In a yellow zone, you can only fish with one rod if at anchor, but if you are trolling you can have up to three rods in the water per person. Not sure if that applies to drifting.

[CreelReaper]

Hey guys, I tend to think that we will not really know the full gist of it until it actually comes out. True it wil be too late but nought we can do. A rebellion????? maybe the answer....a floating flotilla of unified fishers hell bent on setting things right would only be seen as being "rednecked and unruly" Maybe we could organise similar activities like the truckies and farmers did outside Parliament House a while ago. This and many other limitations have been on the hidden agendas of many a greenie for many years and long awaited deals are finally coming to the surface now that Labor is in.

This is straight from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park website and I would assume that the changes in the wind for SEQ and environs would be along the same lines.

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site

How must my fishing gear be stowed or secured to travel through a GREEN Zone?
You can travel through a Marine National Park (Green) Zone with fishing gear on board provided that all fishing lines are stowed or secured; that is, any line or hand-held rod is inboard the boat or in rod holders. While a hook can still be attached to a line, no part of any fishing gear may be in the water.
If a commercial trawl fishing vessel is navigating through a zone where trawling is prohibited, any equipment that is used for fishing must be stowed or secured in accordance with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations.

What happens if I unknowingly drift into a GREEN Zone while fishing?
Fishing, unknowingly or not, is not allowed within a Marine National Park (Green) Zone. Fishing or collecting in a Green Zone may only occur if written permission is obtained from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

What is the difference between line fishing in a YELLOW Zone and line fishing in LIGHT and DARK BLUE Zones?
Line fishing using not more than three hand-held rods or handlines per person with a combined number of not more than six hooks attached to the line(s) is allowed in General Use (Light Blue) and Habitat Protection (Dark Blue) Zones. In the Conservation Park (Yellow) Zone, line fishing is limited to one hand-held rod or hand-held line per person, with no more than one hook per line (note also the definition of a hook below).

What restrictions are placed on trolling in LIGHT BLUE, DARK BLUE, YELLOW and OLIVE GREEN Zones?
Trolling means fishing by means of a line or lines trailed behind a vessel that is under way using no more than three lines per person (with no more than 6 hooks per person in total). Trolling is allowed in the General Use (Light Blue), Habitat Protection (Dark Blue), Conservation Park (Yellow), and Buffer (Olive Green) Zones. In the Buffer (Olive Green) Zone, trolling is limited to the take of pelagic species only including species of trevally, scad, queenfish, rainbow runner, dolphinfish, black kingfish or cobia; barracuda, sailfish, marlin, swordfish, mackerel, tuna, bonito, wahoo, small-toothed jobfish, and green jobfish.

How does the GBRMPA enforce zoning?
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works with the Australian and Queensland Governments to ensure compliance and protect the Marine Park from illegal activities.
Boat and aircraft patrols operate in the Marine Park on a daily basis, checking on activities and monitoring ecological conditions.
Penalties apply for individuals who enter or use a zone for purposes other than that allowed for in a zoning plan. Further information is available under Day-to-Day Management.

Who can I address any other questions to?
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about zoning, please contact the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on free call 1800 990 177 or email us at info@gbrmpa.gov.au.
If you have any queries about State waters (above low water) or possible State zoning, please contact local Environmental Protection Agency office.

I hope this helps.

Shane

[CreelReaper]

sorry......posted twice