Moreton Bay.... I'm Sorry !

[Chris Ryan]

Brew, mate I think society has become a passenger these days and goes along with things until it impacts them personally and then whinges to current affairs shows after the horse has bolted. Its a lot like those Poodroo speaks of that went fishing and said "good on you for protesting the closures" yet were the same people when asked to come along went "its too nice a day to miss chucking in a line today".

The days of 70's style questioning of "the man" is long gone UNLESS it is an environmental issue or one that affects a persons hip pocket it seems. Shame really but maybe that's progress (???)

[BrewGuru]

Brew, mate I think society has become a passenger these days and goes along with things until it impacts them personally and then whinges to current affairs shows after the horse has bolted. Its a lot like those Poodroo speaks of that went fishing and said "good on you for protesting the closures" yet were the same people when asked to come along went "its too nice a day to miss chucking in a line today".

The days of 70's style questioning of "the man" is long gone UNLESS it is an environmental issue or one that affects a persons hip pocket it seems. Shame really but maybe that's progress (???)

Yep maybe your right, being a newley appointed Grandad, I'd love to take the young tike fishing, when he is older, rather then telling him that fish come from packets crumbed in packets or from coles, snap frozen from Vietnam or enjoy the experience on Nintendo WII

It is a shame that catching a fish for your kids or family for a feed, will be a thing of the past, because we forgot to stand up for our rights when we should have.

Be stuffed if i will let that happen in my family!!!

[straddie]

Heya Chong

You are right with most of what you have said there, unfortunately I think some poor decisions were made early that painted rec fishing into the corner a little.

Leverage comes with worth. If you make someone your enemy you can't expect any favors from them.

[BrewGuru]

This argument and all the arguments to come over conservation, recreational fishing, commercial fishing, four wheel driving, shooting, camping and the never ending list that the greens/conservationists will use, can not be won by protest.

The greens/ conservationists have the backing of the media and the political system, and use it, fair enough. We in general (the every day bloke), urge for conservation and preservation of fish stocks, camping and all things that will keep our recreational activities on going for generations to come, yes?

As long as these issues are approved in a common sense approach and with serious consultation to ALL that it affects, common ground in policy, practice and application should be able to be achieved. The perfect out come, and all would be happy, yes?

Arguing, fighting, rallies are all good, but I think that we need to understand the view from the other side, know exactly what we are up against. Empathize (I know it is hard) but if we can see it from their point, maybe, just maybe they will start to see it from ours, and a mutual, common sense approach can be taken to all these issues.

The more we say “yes” to these closures, green zones, bag limits just maybe we might get the chance to actually have a real say before a decision is made, and once we are in, we are in for good. That’s how the green/ conservationists did it, they said what everyone at the time wanted to hear, “ save the great barrier reef”, “Recreational fishing kills to many fish, turtles, dugong..”, “horses kill national parks” and so on.

I have been involved with the TFPQ, I have sent my e-mails, singed petitions, called local members, I’m sure it all has some sort of impact but it’s always been in protest, I said “no”.

Just a thought, maybe a slightly different approach, anything may help as we are defiantly up against the wall.

Phil, keep up the good work, not trying to side track your post, just had this in my head and thought it may help.

Cheers,
Chong

i await the grill

I think we all have all heard the otherside, we have answered the surveys, we have had input into the environmental concerns, we have listened to their scientific research I don't think we are the agressor, our families and quality of life are the casualty.
Say Yes?? I don't know what your taking, or how much of it you are pushing, you want us all to agree to the establishment? yes master!

[nigelr]

Maybe it's a question of political leverage.
Lib/Nats need a swing to win gov't in Qld?
Offer up the rec fisho hordes on a platter..................perhaps it's what the greens have done with Labor?
This NSW fisho looks on with interest, NSW may well be next for the 'greenwash'.
Sincerely, the best of luck to you Qld fisherfolk.

[Mike Delisser]

I want to see if we can combine this idea with the issues with the snapper fishery - we restock freshwater so well why not saltwater? it has to able to be done and would assist enormously to the biomass of species. This question will be asked at the meeting I am attending.

Sounds good, but to pay for that freshwater restocking we pay a $35 a year fee (Stocked Impoundment Permit), plus each dam has a hard working group of volunteers that put many hours of their own time into running the program.
Maybe it's a "country thing" but they know of the $$$$ and social benefits freshwater fishing brings to their communities are always quick to rally. Somehow I can't see that happening on the coast, esp where a pro netters operate. To work it would have to be totally Gov run and a fee of aprox $100 a year but I still don't like the sounds of it.
There are places in the world where the resource is actually controlled by the anglers & hunters, they monitor the stocks and give out the licences and are funded by the fishing & hunting industries (who make the big bucks out of it), pity we didn't go down that road long ago. I suppose the freshwater stocking programs we have are a little like that. Chris, how much support did you get from Quintrex, Merc, Yam, Berkley, Shimano, BCF, ##### ect? they stand to lose heaps.

Lucky Phil, when referring to the clowns trying to shut us out of the Bay on ideological grounds I wish you would use the word animal liberationists instead of greenies. It's like boaties & fisherman, some guys fish, some just go skiing & boating while others do both. I know an animal libber that drives a big V8 and a few greenies that love to fish.
Cheers

[Chong]

Thanks for the comments, I was expecting it and I’m not taking anything thanks Brew. I understand that we all have heard the arguments, research, estimates, impacts, conclusions and the proposed reasons for the positive and negative in regard to environmental impacts.

Fact is if we (everyone in the world) don’t get some of this sorted soon the whole place will be as good as fishing in a septic tank.

I’m not a greenie, I love my fishing, and I have tried to see all sides. One thing that never changes is you have a positive and negative, yes?

We want this, we don’t, we should, we cant…..
IT never ends and the real problems are not addressed, or if they are someone is not happy.

I thought twice about putting up my post, it seems we (mostly me) are all missing the point, my post was just meant to make you think slightly positively about everything involving the changes we face.

Sorry if I have come across the wrong way, was not my intention.

I truly hope our smallest problems are the fight for Morten Bay.
Cheers

[BigE]

votes count ............ everything else is just horse shit....... sorry guys but that the facts votes count and not much else.

BigE

[4x4frog]

Yikes.....have been busy here lately, no fishing for months and then log on to find out submissions didn't close. Surely there has to be something legal amongst all that because it looks and smells fishy, to use a punn. The Green lobby obviously knew what we didn't and kept sending in submissions. If we could prove that the information sent to certain interested parties conflicted in detail, surely we could stretch the deadlines a little longer?
I will compose an email or five in the following days. I don't fish as often as I'd like, same as most I guess but the option to do so, where we please will disappear if we don't speak up soon.
Any more protests due before the final closing date?


Sorry if this had been mentioned before but I have a house with 3 tenagers on school/uni holidays and they all want to be taxied to 3 different ends of Brissy so it seems and being the house dad I still have house things to do too. Anyone want to borrow a teen for a week? They are cheap

[mowerman]

Sorry frog

Ive got a teen of my own at home at the moment.


Im glad to be working all day.

Even spent an extra half hour talking to Timiboy yesterday.


Rod

[TimiBoy]

Just had my youngest turn 18 and become his own man. And you're offering more Frog? Nuts!!!

Seriously though, I have heard this point from a few folks now, including Mowerman. The sleeping giant which is the outdoor recreational crowd is starting to wake.

People have been seeing a large amount of what was really "dicking around the edges". Most of us don't live on the GBR, for example, so it drops into the Green slime with ease. But now a lot of folks are really getting their toes trodden on, and are starting to get pissed about it. I can't wait until an Anti Green (Animal Lib thanks Chong!) Bullshit Movement (AnGreBuM) really gets moving.

I'll be there.

Cheers,

Tim

[Lucky_Phill]

[UNCLE NUGGY]

imagine what could have been achieved if the dozen or so that have posted here used the last 6 months to put flyers in local shop windows,door knock the suburb around there home,talk to local member twice a week,send letters every week,got to now there local fishing community,get media involved,demand mettings with govt officials.
cheers
UN

[mowerman]

The local member has heard a lot from me in the last 6 months.

Had some interesting conversations with him.

Never idle Uncle nug.

As I told Tim. Word of mouth. Keep spreading it.


Rod.

[Lovey80]

Phill, thanks for the first draft of our new add campaign! if only we could get matty hayden saying exactly that with the bay as back drop on prime time tv. 5 nights a week.

Chris Ryan, unfortunately im not sure I agree with the Snapper restocking. Do you think that it would have a large inpact on the snapper biomass? I'm not sure we even have a problem. As Phill has said previously the size and bag limmit changes need time to take effect. We still see many great posts every week of guys catching a great feed. I would probably support a restocking program for a more inshore fish like Mangrove Jack provided that the marine environment could actually sustain larger Jack numbers..... know what I am saying?

On the sea grass program, I would certainly support this. In tune with this (I know I have said it many times before) why not go down the path of extensive artificial reefs inside the bay and offshore. Surely with more habbitat= more fish = larger biomass all together. If only 30% of the bay is considered fishable why bother taking half of that away from fisho's to proctect the fish instead of making 50% or more fishable habbitat. If the bay was 75% good fishing and they wanted 15% then I doubt we would all be as pissed off as we are. If that were the case I doubt the EPA would actually have a case to start with.

One question I really want answered! Why the hell is DPI not standing up and telling the EPA the pull thier heads back into thier own back yard and let the DPI do thier job!!! This make me so angry

Cheers

Chris