PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant VBA_SCRIPT - assumed 'VBA_SCRIPT' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in ..../includes/functions_navigation.php(802) : eval()'d code on line 1 Our fishing future?
I'm a very keen fisherman. I have fished alot of places around the world but Moreton Bay is my back yard and I have fished here for nearly 40 years.
I used to go fishing outside with my grandfather in his old displacement cruiser, before anyone would even consider going outside in a speedboat because outboards were just not reliable enough, before GPS, before marine parks, before bag limits, before size limits.
We found the V-reef by land marks. When we found it, we would invariably catch a boat load of snapper (>100). We used to use snapper winches, with 100 pound line, very large sinkers (or anything that would get the bait to the bottom) sometimes with 3, 4 or even 5 hooks.
We would clean the fish all the way home (usually about 4 - 5 hours steaming back to the river) and then spend the rest of the night finding people to give the fish to.
Now I know this story sounds disgusting in today's conservative world and quite rightly so, but back then it was what everyone did.
At the time there was no education campaigns on sustainable fishing, as a matter of fact, I dont think the word sustainable even existed in any government policy.
From my first memories of fishing, and up until about 10 years ago I noticed it was getting progressively harder and harder to catch a feed of fish.
Over the past 10 or so years in Moreton Bay we rec fishers have had to swallow some pretty bitter pills in the form of marine parks legislation, greatly reduced bag limits and increased size limits.
We also have much better boats, outboards, electronics, fishing techniques, and about twice as many people boating and fishing here than we did 10 years ago.
But on the positive side, I have noticed in the last 5 -10 years that the dramatic downturn in our fisheries productivity has slowed, if not stopped. I now seem to be able to regularly catch legal size fish in places you had to try very hard to catch a legal fish. Is it because of marine parks protecting some key areas important to our fishery? Is it because of bag limits and size limits? Is it because most of us rec fisherman are very protective of our fishery?
I dont think it is any one of the above individually, but maybe all of them. The one thing in common to all of them is that we, as individuals all play a role in managing our fishery. Its not about blaming any particular area be it ethnic, commercial, industrial, individual or government. Pointing the blame is just a cop out and achieves nothing.
Its about listening to all of the data and making informed, non-biased, smart decisions for the future, not just today. Its about doing something yourself, not waiting for someone else to fix the problem. Its about thinking of the big picture, and the big picture is about being able to come out to Moreton Bay and go fishing in 50 years time and enjoying it like we do now.
If the government do not put in management principles like marine parks, bag limits and size limits how else can we do it especially when you consider that the population in SE QLD will double over the next 20 years.
Don't believe for a second that they will stop commercial fishing in the near future. Anyone who believes that is out there with the fairies.
I'm not proud of the way I used to fish in the past. I can only try and make amends and fish for the future.
Its up to us to take one for the team, for the bigger picture, for our fishing future.
sealife...you have forgotten to mention environmental issues which I believe have made the greatest impact on the spawning areas around the foreshores of the bay. One of the key issues that I believe has made a significant difference to fishing in the bay is the cessation of coral dredging that happened about 10 or 15 years ago. This has now allowed the coral to grow again and the fish to return to the bay reefs.
I must agree with both comments regarding this topic so far. 30 years ago my old neighbour (back in those day everyone knew everyone else in the street and most were friends) used to go fishing at Woody Point and used to bring home 30 or 40 snapper every trip. He would give a couple of fish to a guy (Jim) up the road because he had been put off work because of a serious accident and he wasnt able to work anymore. He could keep a couple to feed his family and the rest he would bury in the back yard as fertilizer. Even back then I didnt understand why he had to catch so many just to bury.
Back in those days there where no limits on size or bag. I cannot and will not critize him because of catching so many fish, but I still dont understand if he only needed a few did he catch the rest just to toss them in a hole in the back yard. The level of information and education we have today IMO has made us better fisherman in regards to sustanability and allowing future generations to enjoy what we do now.
I have been guilty of the same type of thing so I am in no position to critize anyone for the past when we didnt know about sustanability or conservation. When I was a kid 5 years old I got my first rod and my dad took me fishing down to the woody point jetty, he promised me that when I was 10 he would take me to the pin on my first trip, to him I would be old enough to understand about boat safety and good enough with casting not to cause to much trouble for anyone else. I still remember my first trip because I was so excited about finally going with him to a fishing spot that he had been going to for over 20 years. Back in those days it was nothing to catch 60 or more bream and we used to clean them at the ramp at jacobs well, most guys used to do the same and everyone used to have about the same numbers as we did.
I guess what i am trying to say is that compared to those day we are all a lot older and a little wiser, we now have a sustanable fishery that we can hand down to the future generations and maybe they wont critize us to bad for our past sins. Sorry if i rambled a little.
Sorry guys im only a young fella but i have trouble seeing how anyone at any stage, Government regulations or not could ever belive that fishing in such ways would last???
But i guess i also cant say i would have been or seen things any different if i was bought up in the same era with the same influences.
IF marine parks and conservation REALLY work perhaps my childrens, children
will see things returned to their former glory, but i know ill never see it in my lifetime the damage is done ....sad really
The opinions and experiences expressed thus far from a handful of long time fishos is representative of many thousands who have the same experience in their fishing lives. This is not insignificant. I believe that people that have a vested interest or hidden agenda will NEVER listen to these experiences as told over and over.
Isn't education marvellous?? The only regret is the time span before the relation of cause and effect is realised. Why wait another decade to realise that there is no enterprise can survive while killing its breeding stock. End of story.
It is a load of crap to say that the schools of bait fish will ALWAYS be there or to say that the more you net the schools the thicker they return next year. Is this logic the same as...If you shave your legs, the hair grows thicker!
When you know better, you'll do better.
The solution starts with yourself...flatstrap
I suppose the moral of the story is that we have to trust the government to do the right thing by the environment and fishing in general. But you know what? They are exactly the people who have proven time and again they can't be trusted with it. I'm not just talking about the Beatty Govt either, it's any govt.
There has to be a better system. When they do an environmental study and pay Milions of dollars for it, do you think they don't indicate to the author what results they expect to find in it. The authors primarily know this themselves, i.e. if they think I am going to give them a response they don't like, then I won't be paid to do it.
That's my say,
Horny
Live every day as if it's your last - for one day you're sure to be right!
Thanks for your views pinhead, sushi-fish01, flatstrap, and hornblower.
Its really refreshing to hear your views and to see I am not alone in my opinions.
I am only relatively new to this chat site but have noticed alot of finger pointing, complaining and anti-regulatory reference, but not much in the form of ideas to maintain or even improve what we have now apart from the standard-" blame the commercial sector".
Dont get me wrong, I agree fully with your comments flatstrap regarding baitfish etc, but it is going to require alot more than that.
Pinhead, you are right on the button regarding areas such as Mud Is etc. You can actually see how good the coral is getting there.
Sushi-fish01, there is hope, although alot of damage has been done, the regenerative capacity of our waterways is amazing, just look at Mud Is. After years and years of coral dredging, it is slowly making a recovery with both soft and hard corals growing there, all within 3Nm of the mouth of the Brisbane River!
Hornblower, it scares me to think that senario takes place. I think you might be right though, it really depends on what questions you ask to get the answers you want.
Anyway, I did not post this as a doom and gloom topic, more to see what other fisherpersons thought, and to see if I am not alone in my thoughts.
The baitfish is at the base of the food chain....Once that is fundamentally destroyed, EVERYTHING crashes.
Can you imagine a living planet without the humble plant?
The native Americans (Indians) philosophy was that the world was like a web, all is interconnected, destroy one section and all are affected. Methinks they had a better viewpoint than most people today.
Sorry to disagree, but this subject is a biggie!...flatstrap
sushi..it will never be the same..absolutely no chance of that now with all the foreshore development and the relevant destruction of the mangroves along these foreshores. It is not all to do with quantities of fish that have been caught..there is a myriad of other factors...foreshore development which has led to run offs of fertilisers etc into the Bay...industrial development...even the changing of the mouth of the river for the current port facilities..any change impacts on the spawning areas and flow of the water around these areas and the toxins etc in the water.
Kel, Sorry I missed you out in my thanks list. Your reply was much appreciated and you certainly weren't rambling. I dont know about you but I could write a book on this topic.
Sealife it isnt a problem mate dont stress it. I know times have changed and I can only say they are for the better when it comes to fishing regulations. I would like to see a toughing up of some rules and bring in some new ones to insure we do have fish for the following generations. I would like to see the legal size of bream increased to at least 25cm and a bag limit of 20 put on them. This could be reviewed after a few years after a proper study has been conducted.
I know my next idea wont be greated by many fisho's but well here goes. IMO selected areas should be closed for a season or two just to allow fish stocks to build up again and to take a little pressure of them. I know my ideas wont make a lot of ppl happy but for a short time of pain I do think that it would result in better quality fish and a less stressed population of fish.
The closures could start at the pin and progessively work up the coast to the frasier coast. As I said before I doubt many ppl would be happy with my idea but in the long run I think it would go along way to helping the situation. As well as this I think that a gov buy back of commercial licences would also help. I have worked on a trawler and the slaughter is unbelivable, small crabs that are scooped up are crushed under the weight of the catch or under the foot when they spill off the sorting tray, small fish are killed by the same means or arent put back into the water fast enough to be able to survive the netting.
I know we need commercial fishing in order to supply the shops and markets but if we can reduce the number of licences out there then we can start to address some of the issues that we are facing at the moment.
I know i have opened myself up for some abuse here but it is my opinion and to me it makes sense.
GTF
I like your idea. Take pressure off existing stocks and allow the mature fish to at least spawn. Makes sense to me.
No fear of abuse from this area. Thanks for your input...flatstrap
I strongly belive permanent closures ie greenzones are not the answer IMO these areas need to be rotated over a period of a few years, close half a reef for 2-3 years then open that half and close the other. Theres a limit to how many fish can populate one area before dominant speices take hold and drive smaller fish away eg coral trout if left untouched dominant fish will control an area eating and driving other smaller trout away, if a big trout is removed several smaller trout will quickly take their place increasing the population.
Im sure they arnt the ony speices that works in this way.
The hardest part is getting ur point across to people who have the acsess and opertunity to make a difference...
just one opinion.
josh
P.S i realise im a bit further north than this topic started but were all afected.
You are right Josh, we are all affected. The only reason I didnt include north of frasier island in my comment was that i dont know the area so i cant comment on it. It would be just as easy to continue the temporary closures further up the coast. Sorry if i left you out, it wasnt a deliberate slight.
There have been some good points made in this discussion. Perhaps the most salient is for us as fisherman to think about taking some responsibility for the excesses and mistakes of the past and ensuring they aren't repeated. Like Sealife and Kel many of us or our families or mates will remember tales of trips to Fraser Island with each bloke catching more tailor than he can carry, and Toyota ute trays being filled with fish caught in a single day. Same goes for winter bream fishing at the Pin where if a tinny didn't come back with 100 bream (and a couple of fishos stinking of mullet gut and Bundy) then you just weren't trying.
Makes you wonder when it's the same blokes who happily went down this road in blissful ignorance are now blaming governments, marine parks, fisheries and most of all commercial fisherman for the fact that it's not like the good old days any more...
Don't get me wrong I'm not exactly blameless either.
Think of your best and fondest fishing memories - your first fish as a kid, or finally achieving that sought after prize such your first jewie off the beach or finally catching a snapper with a real knob. I reckon the things that we have in common as fisherman today are more about enjoying the treasures of what we have than repeating the slaughters of the past.
Any thinking person can see that the future has to be with sustainable and wise management - otherwise the fishos of the future will have a lot less to look forward to and may indeed miss out things that even today we take for granted (let's not mention barra cod or maori wrasse!)
Could be good time to take a look at ourselves in terms of catches, impacts (not forgetting pollution/lost or discarded line/plastic bags etc etc) before
getting stuck into whoever else's fault it might also be.
Fish smart and act smart and I guarantee you'll come home feeling better about the whole thing and rest easy that at least you did your bit.
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