sick sawfish slaughter!!

[Cobia Kid]

• Dozens of sawfish wash up dead
• Backs broken, tossed back into sea
• Minister closes area for 90 days

NORTHERN Territory fisheries minister Kon Vatskalis has used his emergency powers
to close the Territory's Fog Bay area to commercial fishermen for 90 days after the
slaughter of sawfish.
The minister has also banned commercial fishermen from the Finniss River and
Bynoe Harbour after dozens of sawfish were found dead.

As revealed in the Northern Territory News this week, sawfish are being slaughtered
after being caught in commercial fishing nets.

Graphic pictures were captured by amateur fishermen and tour operators last week.

Mr Vatskalis said he had seen enough after the evidence was presented yesterday.

"When I saw these pictures, I was absolutely horrified," he told The Northern
Territory News.

"These fishermen, so-called fishermen, took the fish out of the water and broke their
back and threw them back in the water dead."

Mr Vatskalis said yesterday the department had identified the culprit and ordered an
investigation into the incident.

"If these people have broken the law, throw the book at them," he said.

Mr Vatskalis said the closure of the Fog Bay area would send a strong message to the
industry.

Amateur Fisherman Association NT chief executive Chris Makepeace said they had
been aware of the problem.

"I'm bloody astounded," he said. "Anywhere else in the world, if something like this
was not illegal, it should be."

Mr Makepeace said the culprit was confronted last week after he was spotted killing
the sawfish.

But he was photographed slaughtering the animals again on Monday.




Has anyone else seen this story...

I am fairly speechless, even just to imagine this man killing all of these fish for
shits and giggles...

please share your thoughts,
Cobia Kid

[hooknose]

What a shame, they should break his back and throw him in the drink !!!!

[ozbee]

it nothing unusual do you think only editable fish only get caught in nets. simple fact that is the only way to untangle them from gill nets . happens all the time just unlucky the flat dried out before they float away . do i support it no but the government went away from fish traps so gill netting is the major norm. sharks have no value up here so thats the result

[Spaniard_King]

When the greenies get hold of this I recon there gill netting days will be numbered

no wonder we get such a bad name when thee are idiots litke this to paint a picture of what fisherman are like.

I hope they make a example of these people

[deepfried]

Simple fact that is the only way to untangle them from gill nets

Seriously. Or is it the quickest way that also ensures that they wont get caught again. If they cant get them out any other way they should just close the area down for netting and buy back the pros licenses. One thing for sure this guy wont be commercial fishing ever again after they throw the book at him. Damn shame to see and even worse that it hit the papers. Bad for all fishing up there after the greenies get hold of it.

Scott

[ozbee]

they mesh and roll and mesh between the teeth nits it self. bit like trying to undo a bird nest of braid . what close off barramundi netting in northern Australia i don't think so you don't think our rich pollies live of black farmed mud hole barra do you. it happens in qld just as much as nt . sad but true basic sharks up here have the same result . also mud crabs you smash hundreds as they get so tangled up its the only way to get them out . the greenies and government pushed and banned fish traps because of the view and eye sore

as most sharks don't have air bladders they die very quickly in nets so most of these are already dead . the common practice to remove them as you run a net is to stand on there back and bend the sword back to it goes flexible and thus becomes more manageable to undo in a rocking boat. sometimes a blunt instrument is used to smash the the side teeth to help it undo.

a government would rather screw you for a undersized crab than the millions that are smashed up commercial netting so your call. another example is trawling for prawns over 60% of a net is drowned juvenile fish . most probable that the trawling industry in a week would kill more undersized fish than amateurs in a thousand years but guess who gets fined for a undersized fish . but on the other hand did you have prawns for easter so we all have a part>>>>>>>>>>>

[bronsonwinston]

These fish would only be only a small percent of what gets slaughtered each year. A few years ago a guy showed me some photos of several massive saw fish caught in pro nets from up the cape he took while working on the boat, these fish were like 5-6 meters long. He said a fish like this can completely destroy a net so they are dispatched usally with a rifle shot to the head untangled and then let drift away. Its no wonder when most fishermen hear the words gill nets they cringe. Something needs to be done to police this.

[35kg jew]

Thats a bloody disgrace seriously wat is wrong wit people. Dead set they should throw the the book at them and snap there backs.. Commercial bloody netters are the main reason we all have these strict laws now cause they have decimated the rivers like no tommorrow i personally hate them wit a passion!!

[disorderly]

They sure know how to manage fisheries in the territory...

Someone showed me a newspaper article this week that stated that plans were underway to kill all the crocodiles with 50 km's of Darwin..

As ozbee says about the sawfish it really does make a mockery of all the pedantic recreational fishing laws...

Hate inshore and estuary netting with a passion...

[robersl]

i saw it on the fff site

[Cobia Kid]

what is a "fff site" ?

[Lovey80]

. another example is trawling for prawns over 60% of a net is drowned juvenile fish . most probable that the trawling industry in a week would kill more undersized fish than amateurs in a thousand years but guess who gets fined for a undersized fish . but on the other hand did you have prawns for easter so we all have a part>>>>>>>>>>>

Ozbee I agree totally with your comments on netting but the one quoted above is utter crap IMHO. I have done a day here and there on (offshore) prawn trawlers for a bit of fun and each time saw nothing like what you are portraying. It may be the case inshore (which I am totally against for that reason but only through hersay). If so I totally agree with you but you need to be specific and indicate inshore trawling because the offshore guys dont get near the by catch that some portray and are being restricted to the point theyre all going out of business by the govt.

Cheers

Chris

[michael_mad_fisho]

it nothing unusual do you think only editable fish only get caught in nets. simple fact that is the only way to untangle them from gill nets . happens all the time just unlucky the flat dried out before they float away . do i support it no but the government went away from fish traps so gill netting is the major norm. sharks have no value up here so thats the result

i find ur comments very disturbing seems like you are all for this destruction of marine life, sharks are a valuble main stay of every reef system and river system in the world they clean up all sick and diseased fish, just because they have no commercial value for trawlers does not give them the right to dump hundreds of dead sharks back into the water. and how can u say it was unlucky for the the flats to dry out, i say it was a god send now we no something is a miss in the minds of trawlers. actually quite shocking seeing a site like that. also seems like they are more concerned about the money going into there pocket than the enviroment these guys are out there most days you would think these guys should be the leaders in fish preservation.

cheers mike

[robersl]

what is a "fff site" ?

a nothern territory site fish finder forums

shane

[croangler]

amazing, absolutely amazing.


this is a discrace