The 'REAL' cost of bait

[flipper]

Has anyone really considered the REAL cost of bait.
No, I'm not talking about the $10 - $15 we pay for those inferior blocks of pillies that are so 'melt-in-the-mouth' they almost fall off the hook before they reach the strike zone. I'm talking about the pro-boats that are raping the bait schools, driving the predators that we as recreational (rec) fishermen target to greener pastures, then via a medley of hands- co-ops, wholesalers and retailers- sell them back to us so we may try and catch the predators that are no longer there! Something not quite right in that equation!
I'm a NSW fisherman and apparently the licence fee that has been imposed upon me and my fellow rec. fishos has been used, in a great part, to buy out some commercial fishing licences. I think that's great and I would pay quadruple if the buyout were to continue. Unfortunately, from what I have heard is that many of the ones that were bought out were not really that 'active'.
This is a huge issue that won't be solved in a big hurry but we, as rec. fisherman, can do our bit. Stop buying bait. > As a stout believer of 'match the hatch', that is, find out what the fish are feeding on, catch or collect some then feed it back to them on a hook, I will guarantee you that not only will you immediately catch more quality fish, you will also ultimately do the ocean rapists out of a job and then......the bait schools will return and there will be even more fish for everyone.
Grab a bait jig, a cast net if legal (unfortunately both probably made overseas), dig a few pippis..... heck, if you have kids this might be the most enjoyable part of the whole fishing experience for them and say no to that almost mandatory trip to the servo to pick up bait before you head out.
I apologise to any people that may be affected by the reduction now and in the future of pro- fish licences. I personally have changed careers several times in my life as circumstances have changed and remained flexible enough to accept those changes. Our fish stocks are finite and unless we change our habits and occupations we may all be destined to eating farmed fish from, dare I say, Vietnam. YUK!

[bo_sawyer]

i hear what your saying. Though i wish too there were less comercial fishermen taking all of these fish, we gotta remember that we do it for fun and there doing it to put food on their table.

[waldo35]

11 million effort days estimated as queensland rec fisher harvest of this 'finite resource' excuse me! u accuse profesional fishermen of being ocean rapists. stop believing the ropaganda and do a little impartial reserch before u slag my legislative right to harvest environmentaslly sustainable seafood for all not just 4 a select group of enthusiests

[fisher28]

catching bait is my job.i catch bait prawns with a beam trawler and sell them directly to one of the largest bait companies in australia.i sell directly to them because i believe it gets me a slightly better price,and gives you guys a fresher prawn.when we fish the river,which i have done for a long time,you get used to where and when the prawns hang out in certain places.the fish which and prawns run in different depths.it is no good us trawling in say 5 metres of crystal clean water,when there is only fish there..prawns like to be in the deep when the water is clean.likewise the dirty water,there is no use me being in 16 metres of water when the prawns are in 5 metres.the boats which are catching the majority of your bait prawn tow a steel bar,normally 65mm square,in front of the net and about 60cm off the bottom.a 65mm square face makes a lot of noise and pressure waves going throught the water which scares off fish.why dont we use round bar,because we dont want the fish!!noone makes us use square,we choose to.we trawl at a maximum of 3 knots(sog)with the tide and anything between 1.5-2.5kts(sog) against it.not exactly rocket ships but once again lets the fish get out of the way.we could go faster if we wanted but once again,we dont want the fish.on our beamies we have a ted which has very close bar spacings,normally 50mm from centre of bar to centre of bar,anything bigger than this gets excluded out the bottom via a flap large enough to pull a standard car tyre out of.the rack sits on a 45degree angle with flap at top or bottom,normally bottom.we cant trawl in the areas where i assume the predators you speak of,would hang out.rubble bottom,ledges,reefs,rough country,all these things rip our nets to shreds hence we stay away.id much prefer to sit and watch the nrl on the weekend rather than sew up ripped nets.thats about it for now but come on give us a bit of a go,if youre having a dig at another fishery(not beamies)please state so.oh and good luck for the next trip!!!

[flipper]

Fisher28,
Thankyou for your reply. It would be a sad day if I could not be further educated and you have done just that.
Yes, I guess my 'dig' should have been more specific but nowhere in my posting did I mention prawns. Your reply, which I repeat was quite informative, dwells on methodology of bycatch reduction. Perhaps, if you have not already, check out and comment on the postings with regard the massive whiting kill that has occurred recently on the Sunshine Coast. Perhaps those trawlers responsible should be using your techniques.
Anyway, happy prawning and glad to hear that your nets are not disturbing the weed beds so necessary for the breeding cycle of so many fish.
Enjoy your NRL.

Any pilchard, whitebait, mullet, etc. pro netters like to come in to comment?
Any fellow Ausfishers reaching for the bait-jig instead of the 'block-of-pillies'?? Hey, you might, like myself, end up doubling your success rate.
Tight lines and stretched arms.

[fisher28]

true flip,you did not mention prawns at all.as for the whiting kill,i beam trawl and they were not beam trawlers so it would be unfair to everyone if i was to comment about something im unfamiliar with.i dwelt on bycatch because it is my understanding that everyone thinks we catch all the predatory fish as well,which we dont,oh and calling people rapists tends to make them a little agro as well.but you did not mention prawns,just bait in general.and i dont trawl in the ocean either so you may be able to distance yourself a little more there to.

anyway,anyone else in the bait industry,stand up and be counted.people are asking for education and answers.the old secrecy game wont work much longer.a reasonable response to a question goes a long way.

[mickstar001]

rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr getting a tad bitchy rarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[fisher28]

[gotwet]

the truth is out there (someware)
cheers mal

[gotwet]

the truth is out there (someware)
cheers mal

[gotwet]

sor






ry one to many tonight

cheers mal

[waldo35]

fissher 28 great to hear professional fishers putting 4ward an alternative to the green propaganda so often pushed on this web site by people that have no real knowledge of what the pro sector is about. good onya mate keep up the good work

[jake_snapper_king]

hay i fish at mooloolahba and i catch my own bait i have found that in the last 5 years the slimmines and yakka have goan to neare zilch i have been having problems to get enought bait becasue off the guys that get them in a 10 m squared net and then sell them ten dollars for about 9 slimmines is it just me or is the price for fresh slimmines to high .. i think so

it would be great to let the schools come bac so us local and people who fish for fun could get some bait and have a good day fishing

i have now resorted to go get my bait in the rivers wif my cast net last weekend i castnetted in currimundi creek and hit big on mullet hards and whitting u know y cause the pro havent hitt that creeks casue its to shallow its great thay cant get in there

but the pro do it for money so you have to give them some gredit ....... but its only the guys that take to much waste too much and that kill marine animal too much that r having a big impact to the enviroment

so please only take wat u need and nothing more so the stocks can reproduce and not become scairse

im 14 and i can see the problems that are happenig to the the seas and enviroment
soo please think before u take too much ty happy fishing every one

[fisherman3]

A well known land spot in NSW has had minimal bait fish this year and thus a lack of predators.

Why?

Because the longliners come within 50m of the ledge. They run a net around the schools with the use of a smaller inflatable boat and then they scoop all the fish up.

Then its off to sea to drag 1000 hooks with yakkas and slimies on them or whatever they do.

Too bad for Joe public who doesn't have a boat. All you can do is sit back and watch your viable fishing option being removed.

This "we work to put food on our table" arguement is not sustainable. Plenty of other industries have had to change to keep inline with public opinion. Apparently the fishing industry isn't that mature yet.