Fish stocks to collapse within 50 yrs

[pjw200371]

"This not true. We are about average in productivity for warm temperate and tropical areas."

Which are less productive than cold water areas. We're a victim of geography, but we need to realise it is a factor and we don't have the same productivity as many other places in the world.

"The figures of relative fishing pressure are readily available from government figures. I got them from some of Dr Walter Starcks articles."

Thanks, I'll look him up.

"You say that 20 or 30% no-take zones are not an excessive burden. Well it is if you happen to live in one of these areas."

And if you're completely non-mobile I presume. But point taken. We should endeavour to place exclusion zones directly next to land-based national parks where possible. This is certainly possible in Moreton Bay.

"Also given that they are usually designed to ban fishing in areas of value for anglers, eg inshore reefs. In the Byron Bay MP 30% SZ's means that 98% of the accessible inshore reefs are locked away! The 70% left open is mainly unproductive sandy stretches. 70% of nothing is still nothing."

I stayed in Byron this year, and went diving at Julien Rocks. It was spectacular, teeming with life. Huge schools of golden trevally and other species circled the dive anchor as we rose/descended. Blue grouper followed us around along the sea bed. Part of me was drooling and wishing to drop a line, and another part was marvelling at the absolute splendour and the sheer volume of fish life. If the price I have to pay to preserve a magnificent area like is go down the road a few k's to fish (I actually went doen to Ballina and caught heaps), then I'm prepared to pay it. Maybe some of the locals don't like it, and I can appreciate their point of view, but you simply can't please all the people all the time.

[rando]

Farmers have to plant what they harvest.
Foresters have to replant what they cut down.
Miners have to rehabilitate what they dig up.

Why is there no effort to actively replenish fish stocks?????
regardless of who harvests them(recs or pros).!!!!

[jim_farrell]

I saw the halibut program as well kev. For those who didn't. they take the ear bone from every fish caught and from it, they can tell the fishes age. This has been going on since 1914. They have yearly catch records for almost 100 years. Depending on numbers, the boats are told how much they are allowed to harvest.

Now that is management.

Whilst ever we have governments that can't see past the next election we will be in trouble. I don't think rec licences fix anything until the government is serious about finding out fish populations and take percentages.

Jim

[threadfin_jim]

I agree flick..at this meting the dpi guys put up stastics about the numbers of fish that get caught..they explained the comm stats were acurate ,,apparently from logbooks?? but rec catches were based on phone polls etc...until we get accurate fish populations how are we to manage this resource??

[Poodroo]

Not sure what is a scarier thought. No commercial fishing in Australia in 40 years or me being an 83 year fisherman. I think at that stage I will be having my seafood in puried form only.

Poodroo

[tunaman]

Poodroo! The good thing about eating fish, is that you just need gums.



signed tunaman

[RASA]

Here is the link to the actual news release which relates to more than just fish create the problems

It's always amazing how they deliberately not print all the story. More research coming up but see this for starters >

http://www.fmap.ca//ramweb/media/bio...lSciencePR.pdf


Here is the heading from Science if anybody is a member to get a copy

ECOLOGY:
Global Loss of Biodiversity Harming Ocean Bounty
Erik Stokstad
If a new analysis of marine ecosystems data is correct, commercial fish and seafood species may all crash by 2048. (Read more.)





Bob Smith

[PinHead]

"In an analysis of scientific data going back to the 1960s and historical records over 1,000 years, the researchers found that marine biodiversity - the variety of ocean fish, shellfish, birds, plants and micro-organisms - has declined dramatically, with 29 per cent of species already in collapse.

Extending this pattern into the future, the scientists calculated that by 2048 all species would be in collapse, which the researchers defined as having catches decline 90 per cent from the maximum catch."

The records from 1000 years ago are based on what accuracy...I don't think they had the resources back then to even get close to what would be classed as scientific. 1000 years ago…1006..we had not even had the Invasion of Normandy, the signing of the Magna Carta, discovery of the Americas or Australasia etc etc etc

Then they extended this pattern....once again it appears to be guesswork.

How can he make this assumption when he is supposedly involved in a marine census project…one would have thought that the census would come prior to making predictions of what the census will be in the future. http://fmap.dal.ca/project.php

It appears to me that the world media thrives on doom and gloom.

When I was a kid, the media was constantly on about the Cold War...how any day there was going to be a nuclear war against those nasty "red" people...reds under the bed etc.

Then we had some quiet times...and then...out with the "green" bandwagon...and on and on it goes..every report preaching doom and gloom..sorry people, but this blcck duck isn't buying it...I am not living to live in doom and gloom..I am here to live…and bloody well live I will.

[billfisher]

Heres some more info:

1. It is a story rehashed from "Letters to Nature" Myers and Worm, May 2003 "Nature" , and expanded on in other Journals.
2. The authors, Ransom Myers and Boris Worm, specifically refers to commercial fishing in International waters, which is completely unregulated.
3. The authors, in the article, stated "We need protected areas in the open ocean"
4. The authors specifically stated that "Most fisheries within sovereign countrie's EEZs (generally 200nm.) are well managed"
5. The Australian and NSW Fisheries are the most regulated in the World.
6. Australia has 30% of the entire marine parks of the World.

[rtranter]

Me thinks, Poodroo and Tunaman be peas in a pod.
But on a more serious note.
Down here in Gods own State , NSW, the Charter Fisherpeople, or part there of, actually record the catch on there boat for Fisheries. As A Fishing Club Committee person, NSW Fisheries have asked that our Club Record all fish caught in the Orara River during our outings (we don't have comps). This would help them monitor Bass numbers and even Eastern Cod numbers (if we ever catch any) and as such work out the type of figures you're talking about be it only for Bass/Eastern Cod/Catfish within our Fresh water system. Maybe we should record our catches and have these figures past on to the relevant DPI/Fisheries, at least then we would know that they have the correct figures as we do and that any tom foolery with such figures could be questioned with back up?
Just a short story in the life of brian, sorry Rob.
Regards
Rob

[billfisher]

Which are less productive than cold water areas. We're a victim of geography, but we need to realise it is a factor and we don't have the same productivity as many other places in the world. We have similar productivity to the majority of regions. Many such regions support far greater fisheries than ours, eg NZ with twice our fishery, coral reefs with 100 times the fishery of the GBR

""You say that 20 or 30% no-take zones are not an excessive burden. Well it is if you happen to live in one of these areas."

"I stayed in Byron this year, and went diving at Julien Rocks. It was spectacular, teeming with life. Huge schools of golden trevally and other species circled the dive anchor as we rose/descended. Blue grouper followed us around along the sea bed. Part of me was drooling and wishing to drop a line, and another part was marvelling at the absolute splendour and the sheer volume of fish life. If the price I have to pay to preserve a magnificent area like is go down the road a few k's to fish (I actually went doen to Ballina and caught heaps), then I'm prepared to pay it. Maybe some of the locals don't like it, and I can appreciate their point of view, but you simply can't please all the people all the time.
How do you know the abundance of life is the result of the marine park and in particular the banning of angling? No proper studies have been done on marine parks in NSW. In lightly fished regions the sanctuaries are not likely to result in much benefit. Eg in the case of the GBR the effect of no take zones was studied for 14 years (Mapstone Study). The researchers found no significant difference in fish numbers between the open and closed areas. The most productive region was the most heavily fished one of all!
Also do you realise that in NSW most targeted species are highly mobile and their larvae is pelagic and can float on the current for a 100kms or more. The benifit such species get from a sanctuary is therefore limited.
Finally in the Byron Bay Marine Park non compliance is rife. The locals still fish the sanctuary areas because they have nowhere else to fish!

[madmix]

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I have a feeling a new
group of JCU freshmen have been put amongst us.
Perhaps they should have the decency to read some of the
archived posts first.

cheers Mick

[wayneoro]

why are people with secret agenders allowed to come on site post there crap and then never heard of again > thankfully we've got members like billfisher to deal with it

[Genomic]

I reckon it as a good discussion, both billfisher, pjw200371 and just about everyone else made some good points. I even read the links with interest (I think these are very important issues). In fact, almost all the posts were useful except that last one. I'm fairly new here myself, and I've found you to be a friendly bunch of blokes (and blokettes), but slagging off someone for having a different (but apparently not totally unreasonable) position from yours gives me pause. Claiming 'crap' and 'secret agendas' isn't very helpful.

[RASA]

Here is a media release from Minister Abetz>

The Australian Government categorically rejects claim made by northern hemisphere scientists led by Canada’s Dalhousie University that Australia’s fisheries are “set to collapse.”

“The reality is Australia is a world leader in fisheries and oceans management”, Fisheries Minister Senator Eric Abetz said today.

“While we obviously welcome any serious scientific contribution, instead of trying to tar us all with the same brush, these scientists should instead be singling Australia out as an example to the world of how to ensure fisheries sustainability.”

For example:

Under the Direction issued by the Federal Fisheries Minister, currently being implemented by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Australia has a comprehensive plan to ensure the sustainability of Commonwealth fish stocks for generations to come;


Of the world’s area of marine protected areas, some one third is in Australian waters;
Australia is a leading member of several Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), including leading landmark reforms at the recent 13th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna;


The Howard Government is amongst the leading nations in the world in the fight against illegal fishing, both in our own backyard and on the high seas;
“Frankly, we get a bit annoyed at northern hemisphere scientists, whose fisheries management often leaves a lot to be desired, making sensationalist predictions about the state of Australian fisheries from half a world away.”

“In reality, Australia’s record at oceans management is up there with the best and credit should be given where it’s due”.



Further inquiries:
Senator Abetz’s office: Brad Stansfield 0419 884 666



Bob Smith