anything weird in your net?

[justjack]

im starting a new project at work and was wondering if people ever get weird critters in there nets, looking for stonefish, pipe fish, sea horses, angler fish, small octerpus (blue rings) and so on things like that, not much is known about the local species of animals listed above in the moreton bay area so i was wondering if people can take a photo and a few details if they catch something weird or at best keep it alive and pass it on to me where they can go in a big aquarium so i can study there habbits, also people be carefull with these species dont feel you have to keep a blue ring for example if your not sure or going to be 100% safe, i want to do this study mainly because these species are first to be wiped out by trawlers mainly so i want to know which places there found the most and to see what impact trawlers play because these are not rec species and only impacted by nets, and i cant really identify species unless i get a close look, thanks guys

[Cammy]

One, you got bullrout, their everywhere.
Second i dont think your gonna find a blue ring just drifting around, dont they hide in rock crevises and holes.

Cam

[Dirtysanchez]

Blue ring Octopus live in rock pools in the inter tidal zones, not in mud flats etc.
I have seen many over the years, and give them the respect they deserve.

Where do you work that you can do all this matey ?

[Blackened]

G'day

I've pulled up a blue ring in cast net before.... this was on a weed bed at caloundra. so it does happen.

Dave

[justjack]

doing some work at home at the moment though hope to move some of my study to DPI reseach centre at straddie i have 6 marine tanks ranging from 100litres to 2000litres all are able to hold such listed animals and all have been kept by me before, blue ring are found over a broad spectrum of habitats very much including mud flats, ive even caught them up tingalpa creek, i just want some for research if people dont want to keep me such an animal thats fine just let me know you caught one and where it was caught or something like that, thanks

[Nico.d.R]

mate i worked on a trawler for a while and never saw any off the listed brought up in the nets , not saying they wont get caught . Where did you here that trawlers are wipping them out ? its a bit off a harsh acqusation ( in my opinion ) . I also believe that most off them speicies do live near rocks , reefs or weedy areas , but i could be wrong .
if you are after stone fish try in the pine near the quarry (rock wall) there seems to be a lot there and they like eatting red snapback SPs . I have 1 about 20-25cm in a jar you can have a look at if you want and if i get any more i will try and keep it alive for you , how long would you take to get to the northside if we get some ?
let me know if you wanna do a trip down the pine to try and get some stone fish .
cheers

[tunaticer]

If you want Blue Ring Occy's go to the clontarf reefs just off the beach at low tide. There are litterally hundreds of them living amongst the mussel clumps there. I counted 38 in one square metre of the reef about ten yrs ago.

[groverwa]

I know its not from your area but this little critter was in my young blokes cast net at Pallaranda ck near townsville about 3 yrs ago during one of my trips across there

mike

[GBC]

G'day Justjack -
Some anecdotal evidence for you - and to clear some misconceptions.

We regularly caught blue rings while scalloping between hervey bay, the swains, and up to the keppels. Angry little buggers on a sorting tray. Very common on the 50m grounds off Bundy where the sea sponges and plane wrecks are.

Also got them up the Cape while prawning over the gravel.

The best catches of pipe fish we ever got was East of the Keppels - got maybe one or two per shot. Dunno if I should be making this common knowledge, but about a hundred of these little dried buggers is worth enough to pay for the victualling of a boat with a crew of four for a month. It is black market stuff, along with sea snake and croc skins, but some of our northern neighbours grind up the pipe fish and drink it to "makee dickee vellee hard"???

Only saw a couple of stonefish, can't remember seeing a seahorse, and never saw an angler (depends what you call an angler??)

Saw some freaky beasts from the hundred fathom grounds behind Lady Musgrave though.

Just for the record I have just over 1300 nights logged (East Coast, Gulf, and Torres)

Good luck with the project - I know there were a few Bay Pro's who used to have a look around here, but you might be better off hassling the Amity boys while they're in?

C.J.

[justjack]

thanks guys its just simple stuff like that im looking for aswell, im not accusing trawlers these species are very delacate and on past research from other people its shown there are low numbers where trawlers operate the most, i got 3 pipe fish in the net the other night and 1 sea horse, the pipes and the sea horse are being sent to WA to a place called sea horse sanctuary so they can find out what makes them tick, i also want to do this study to prove spoil being dumped in the bay has an effect on species like this, its sort of the canary in the coal mine thing

[Sharkie]

I know it's not a weird fish to catch in a cast net, but it's where it was caught that's a bit strange. I managed to cast net a small barra (about 25-30cm) at Colleges Crossing about 12 months ago. I couldn't believe my eyes lol

Cheers
Paul

[StephenW]

Hi Justjack, I hope that you are aware that you require permits to collect and keep Syngnathids. And that you could inadvertantly get others in trouble by asking them to keep them for you. If you dont already have such permits I would apply for them before pursuing this any further. It would be a shame for an enthusiastic young researcher like your self to get into trouble before you start your career.
Cheers Steve

[justjack]

yes i am aware of this in this surcumstance i would have member of DPI with me to pickup the animals up as the ones i am working with have the aquired permits, you can keep them without a permit you only need one to get from the wild, anyway i think this whole thing is goin to be to mouch trouble, so people dont worry about it thanks anyway for your suport and thoughts again

[Jimbo73]

Ive dug up 2 pipe fish at different times while digging blood worms in knee deep mud in the Coomera river.Is it normal for pipe fish to bury themselves Justjack?Cheers Jamie

[justjack]

yeah jamie that is actually common ive caught them to while digging blood worms up to a 1m down, do you know those little shrimp you get aswel with 1 big claw and they make "click" noises? there pistol shrimp and ive found that these pipe fish live symbiotic down the holes with these guys its very interesting but very hard and dirty to study hahaha