Fish Frames at the Ramp - Blatant Waste

[bigmack]

This has been bugging me for a couple of weeks and decided to post and see what other people feel - in the last couple of weeks after the full moon, the ramp (at Buddina) and sand in front of the fish cleaning tables have been littered with fish frames and skins etc. The fish have been large snapper, AJ's, Kings, Xos Pearl Perch, Parrott etc. My problem is that these fish have just been hacked by the fisherman who caught them - taking only the top of the shoulder and the best part of the fillet down to the tail. No attempt at all to fillet the fish properly or then dispose of the mess. No wonder amateur fisho's get a bad name.

If you go to all that effort, travel to the Barwon Banks (most likely place) why not make the effort to get all the value out of your fish!! and then at least throw the frames further out into the river. If you know these people - say something! If its you - have a good look at yourselves!

Does this happen at other ramps? Does it bug other people? not a good way to win friends if more serious limits are imposed on us. And One last thing I almost forgot - remember the big snapper are the breeding fish - its the 2kg / 4kg fish that eat the best.

What happens at other ramps - does the council cleanup or provide a facility for collecting fish frames.

My 2 cents worth today
BigMack

[zaneg]

I too hate seeing fish being wasted.

When lucky enough to catch a feed I either cook my fish whole and pick the frames clean or if big enough to warrant filleting, I try to do a neat enough job of it and whats left either gets ground up for burley or for the compost heap down the back.

The problem we face in North Queensland, Bole boat ramp being one of them, is that these clowns that do their fish at the ramp are enticing those Lizard Like Dinosaurs in for a free feed. It will be those same clowns that will be screaming blue murder when its their leg that gets chomped on whilst launching/retrieving.

My Wifey isn't very fond of fish so I use to do all my cleaning in the boat at the slow end of the day, always hoping that the extra time in the water with fresh burley would snare me that last fish. Now that the Wifey is getting use to smell of fish I have been able to put the frames and guts to better use.

My 5c (incl gst)

Zane

[beefaman]

Was at Wellington Point the other week, and there were frames scattered everywhere.....obviously thrown in at hightide, and then exposed at lowtide. Absolutely disgusting!!
Dunno about you guys, but I dont want to step on a frame of a big snapper whilst launching or retrieving my boat!!

[basserman]

i'm like zane and although i belive it is against the law to clean and fillet the fish at sea (not sure of in the river but would think it is the same) i still do all my cleaning and filletsing on the boat away from the yockels and in peace
i always do it in the smae strech of river away from any swimming areas and in deeper water


as for doing it at boat ramps i don't like it for a few resons
first nothing worst than launching from a stinking boat ramp and second i hate how many of these blokes block one side of the ramp while they sit filleting everyfish they caught that day and yes i agree it does look unsightly but it does get washed away and eaten fairly quickly

for you boys in the north i sure can understand how it would annoy the crap out of you as the last thing ya want is those walking handbags around anymore than they are

[razorline]

I live accross the road from a boat ramp on the Pine River and a couple of months ago some pr!ck
dumped a whole sail fish at the ramp. Why would anyone do this
Razorline

[Kiktz]

I was told by a guy that claimed that he was with fisheries, that this is an unaccepted practise at some ramps. I ask why and the reason that he gave was due to the fact that the dumping of frames attracks sharks and then would be a harzard to families that wanted to use the beaches for swimming.

Personally I think this should be done at sea where it will go back and feed fish. Not at the ramps but the Law is the law.............

[bigmack]

To Propdinger - I guess by the smiley that you replied with indicates its funny to you or it is you. Mate - what you dont realise is that there are always locals sniffing around the ramp and watching what goes on - I have seen them chip people with undersize fish and complain about early morning noise. If you leave enough mess - that will be next.

But also think about the visual impact it makes to the do gooders - 100's of fish frames everyweek dumped by fisho's. Who will be the first to complain when they impose severe limits on fish or they decide to levy a saltwater licence to aid in fisheries management? I have always had a beef about pro's ripping the guts out of various places we have fished and I can now understand why some pretty pointed jibes are made at amateurs.

I like to have a good catch too and like to have some nice fillets in the freezer - we just need to be mindful of what we do and how we treat our fishery and facilities provided by the tax payers.

Cheers

[kc]

And the law is stupid!! It is illegal to fillet fish at sea and as such dispose of frames at sea. In theory you bring them in whole, fillet fish on shore and dispose of the frames.

So, you take them home and get abused by the missus, dump the frames in the bin and get abused by the garbo, maybe, if you have a freezer you can dump then frozen so you only have the wife to worry about.

You can clean them at the ramp...relaunch the boat and take them to sea and dump them...then, when you come back to the ramp, you will have fillets on board (or in the esky in the car) and can be booked.................or, you do what a lot of people do...dump them at the ramp. Attracting crocs, sharks, stinking up the place and generally giving fishos a bad name.

Surely some geniuos in fisheries could come up with a minimum fillet lenght which( allowing for a small margin for error) was the legal fillet lenght for each species. Not the current rot where a fillet needs to be 40cm for a fish with a legal size of 38cm.

Without any doubt the best scenario is fillet at sea, retain skin or portion of skin for identification and have fillets from a legal size fish fit into a size range for legal sizes fillets......seems just too bloody simple doesn't it!!

KC

[mackmauler]

Prove me wrong but I happily fillet snaps and perlies at sea with no problems, and the fillet can be any size I like.

rob

[zaneg]

I use to do all my cleaning in the boat at the slow end of the day, always hoping that the extra time in the water with fresh burley would snare me that last fish

Just as clarification, I only gutted and gilled whilst still in the water, the rest was done at home. The few times fisheries did have a look at our catch nothing was said.

I was aware of the 40cm fillet requirement (not often I would be lucky enough for these size fillets) and I remember reading that skins must remain on. Now that you have got me thinking I will have to rehash my memory on what is and isn't allowed.

Thanks

Zane

edit: This is for Queenland

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/11416.html#skinning

Skinning and filleting fish
In relation to fin fish (other than coral reef fin fish) a recreational fisher must not:

remove the skin from a fish on a boat until the fish is brought to shore;
bring a fish ashore and remove its skin and return the fish to the boat;
divide a fish into portions other than in a way that allows an inspector to easily count the number of fish possessed by the fisher; or
possess a dead Spanish mackerel unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish.

In relation to coral reef fin fish a recreational fisher:

must not possess on board any boat fish taken from a boat other than in one of the following forms - whole, gilled or gutted or filleted;

may possess on board a boat a fillet of a fish other than a Chinese footballer (blue spot) trout as long as the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;

must not return fish taken ashore from a boat and filleted and returned to a boat unless the length of the fillet is at least 40cm, and skin and scales are attached to the fillet;

must not put whole or gilled and gutted fish into cool storage without first removing a pectoral fin (see illustration in “Fish measurement”); or

must not bring live fin fish ashore.
Note: for information that may apply to recreational fishers on a commercial fishing tour please consult theFisheries Regulation 1995 and/or relevant management plan. Copies of legislation are available on the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel website.

[bigmack]

In Qld I am sure that it is against the law to (mutilate) fish at sea. Fisheries words........and that your catch must be brought back to the ramp whole!

From the DPI website

Skinning and filleting fish
In relation to fin fish (other than coral reef fin fish) a recreational fisher must not:

remove the skin from a fish on a boat until the fish is brought to shore;
bring a fish ashore and remove its skin and return the fish to the boat;
divide a fish into portions other than in a way that allows an inspector to easily count the number of fish possessed by the fisher; or
possess a dead Spanish mackerel unless a pectoral fin has been removed from the fish.

[zaneg]

Hi Bigmack

My take on the info provided by the DPI QLD for fin fish other than coral reef fin fish is this:

You can fillet your fish BUT the skin must stay ON and the fillets should be recognisable as a fish i.e One pair per fish. The point about Mackeral is obvious.

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Zane

edit: I appoligise if this is taking the subject title off topic

[snappa]

"fillet & release" is what i do....

[mattooty]

Can i just ask, what is the go with the removing pectoral fin from the spaniards? I dont get it?
Matt

[gropeher]

Mattoty, it is so you cannot sell the fish to the fish markets etc.