Failure to remove fish fins will cost $$$

[fishingjew]

Failure to remove fish fins will cost
News release | 04 October, 2006


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Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries officers will issue fines - not cautions - to recreational fishers who catch and keep coral reef fin fish or Spanish mackerel and then fail to remove a pectoral fin.

DPI&F Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol senior field officer Graham Shield, who undertook an eight day surveillance patrol aboard the Gladstone-based 24 metre offshore patrol vessel K I Ross last week, said the message relating to the removal of the pectoral fin was just not getting through.

The pectoral fin removal legislation was introduced in December 2003 to deter the unregulated black market sales of coral reef fin fish and Spanish mackerel onto the open market by unlicensed recreational anglers.

Mr Shield said the K I Ross crew inspected 183 vessels on the surveillance patrol that included the Capricorn Bunker Island Group south to Hervey Bay and found 95 per cent of anglers with reef fish in their possession on board their boats had not removed the pectoral fin.

"It is now close to three years since the Fisheries legislation was enacted so our officers will be issuing pectoral fin infringement notices that range from $150 for one fish up to $375 for four fish," Mr Shield said.

"Failure to remove the pectoral fin of more than four fish can result in a Magistrate's Court appearance."

Mr Shield said the excellent weather during the September school holiday break had attracted many boating families onto the water and they had ventured further out to sea than they normally would.

"As a follow-up to the inspections of these recreational vessels which were up to 50 nautical miles offshore, our field officers issued 15 infringement notices for non-compliance with boating safety equipment regulations," Mr Shield said.

"Most breaches related to lack of Personal Floatation Devices (lifejackets), out-of-date flares and failure to carry an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) in open waters.

"This is disappointing considering the consequences for these families if the safety equipment is to be used in an emergency situation."

Mr Shield said six on-the-spot fines were issued for the possession of undersize fish and investigations into a Green Zone fishing breach was continuing.


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[Geoff_Atkinson]

It cost a mate of mine a few weeks back, we both took our boats out and we have a standing bet that whenever we both go out, the one who has the least amount of fish has to have the other over for the barby and beer

This time, he absolutely creamed me but he forgot to take the pectoral fins off, so his fish were deemed illegal, which made me the winner.

It always tastes better when its free!!

Cheers


Geoff

[marlinqld]

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the logic behind finning them? What does it show? What does it prove?

I dont understand the reasoning behind cutting a fin off.



Mike

[seatime]

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the logic behind finning them? What does it show? What does it prove?

I dont understand the reasoning behind cutting a fin off.



Mike

think it's to help stop the black market trade, if they're seen in a shop with the fins off it has come from a rec fisher.

rgds

[marlinqld]

Thats logical gelsec............... i see you also are a redlands boy...... lots of us reddies


Mike

[agnes_jack]

Yeah thats the theory, but how long does it take for the fish shop man to fillet and skin a fish????

Regards, Tony

[grich]

I am just getting into game fishing and fishing from pelagics. I obviously don't want to get a fine and I know that lack of knowledge is no excuse. Do you guys have a website or a book that you could recommend to identify fish. cheers g.

[fishingjew]

grich


http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/xc...0_ENA_HTML.htm

[finga64]

All boils down to education and letting the public know about it.
In all the bait shops I've been into there is hardly any information about this topic let alone leaflets about fish sizes and bag limits.

They can spend squillions on election compains but can't spend a few buck on telly and radio advertising for rule changes.

Even now I see so many people in boats with kids without PFD's. Considering how many people in QLD own and use a boat you'd think a serious advertising campaign could be done just so people know the rules before they get busted.

How many guys and girls here fish all the time and has been fishing for a long time
and had no idea about this rule??
This can only be blamed on bad communication between the law makers and the general public.
So what fishes are considered coral reef fin fish??? I had a look on the DPI site and very hard to find any info other then don't forget to cut a fin off.
Or is it just safer to cut a pectral fin off any fish we are keeping just in case??

In NSW where we go at Evans there are signs at both the boat ramps advising size and bag limits as well as other important info. At least they're making an effort in advising people what the rules are.

[grich]

Cheers for that fishingjew. I will look into it to avoid the fine.

[Cruiser]

Yeah. I don't have a problem with size and bag limits but the pectoral fin cutting off rule is the most ridiculous law I've ever seen.

Mate of mine got chipped about it up at 1770 last week. The fish were in the kill tank. He explained he was going to take the fins off before heading in. No good - like size and bag limits it’s a possession thing. The fins have to be cut off as soon as you land the fish.

Trying to hack the fin off an angry Spaniard or big reefy is both cruel to the fish and dangerous to the angler. I’d rather just slip 'em into the kill tank.

Another poorly thought out law in my opinion.

Chris.

[whiteman]

It is a stupid rule brought in by a bunch of bureaucrats with nothing better to do on a wet and stormy day. Probably affects 0.000001% of the retail industy. The cost of policing the rule with advertising, etc has probably triggered the need to recoup costs from fines. How many of you have chucked a live and kicking reef fish into the esky and forgotten to cut the fin because there is so much else to look after? I know when I catch a Spaniard the last thing I want to do is to hack of a pectoral fin. And as said previously, what's going to stop a local fisho offering his catch to a restaurant that will fillet the thing in 5 minutes?
I will now stand down from the soap box for someone else.

[Feral]

Sounds stupid to me, what if your keeping it alive to see if you can get a bigger one (tossing the smaller one back if you do) bit cruel to cut it off alive, and can the fish survive with it removed if you end up letting it go?

[Duyz72]

Looks like blitzing with zero tolerance does get the word around pretty quickly to those of us who are more than likely to be doing the catching.

Just gotta get in to the habit I suppose when I bring out the knife to slit the throat to take off the fin at the same time.

Would definitely be a bit rough to pick up a fine if the fish is being kept alive for possible release though!

[hogesTS]

If I hadnt read it on here I wouldve had no idea that this law even existed, there are no bait shops etc up here in which to advertise such a law, and I could have been stuck with a $375 fine or a court appearance. I agree that it is a stupid law, and would make little to no difference to blackmarket fish sales (is this really such a big problem in the first place..?). I agree that I wont be stuffin around trying to cut the fin off an angry mac, sounds like a good way to lose a finger or cop a hook in the arm

Also, how do the fisheries officers determine, or proove, who caught what fish? If theres 3 or 4 guys in a boat all catching trout, parrot, macs etc how do you keep track of whose fish is whose, have a personal esky each? Or does it come back to the owner of the boat that it is their responsibilty?