Nsw Fisheries

[archilles2]

Why don't we set up volunteer fisheries for NSW FISHERIES ? Kind of like a neigbourhood watch ? How many times do you see people doing illegal things and wish there was an inspector around ?

These days with camera phones and all it would be easy to snap someone doing the wrong thing.

Fisheries could give experienced volunteers ( 2 YEARS ) the authority to inspect catches and take evidence, then hand it over to authorised inspectors to determine the outcome.

Problem it's to hard to police! How many fisheries inspectors are there in Sydney as opposed to the thousands of fishos doing illegal things?

I reckon for every 1 inspector there are 70 fisherman at least. Bit hard getting around to them all.

Anyone keen on putting a proposal together for fisheries pm me, it might work hehe

Archilles2

[Blood Knot]

Why don't we set up volunteer fisheries for NSW FISHERIES ? Kind of like a neigbourhood watch ? How many times do you see people doing illegal things and wish there was an inspector around ?

These days with camera phones and all it would be easy to snap someone doing the wrong thing.

Fisheries could give experienced volunteers ( 2 YEARS ) the authority to inspect catches and take evidence, then hand it over to authorised inspectors to determine the outcome.

Problem it's to hard to police! How many fisheries inspectors are there in Sydney as opposed to the thousands of fishos doing illegal things?

I reckon for every 1 inspector there are 70 fisherman at least. Bit hard getting around to them all.

Anyone keen on putting a proposal together for fisheries pm me, it might work hehe

Archilles2

Know where you are coming from, but I suspect most guys might not want to spend their fishing time taking on the angst and agro involved in confronting rule breakers. I have been there and it sort of ruins your day to some extent. Might best be left to those who are paid to do it even though their numbers may be small.

Cheers Blood Knot

[fishmaniac]

Know where you are coming from, but I suspect most guys might not want to spend their fishing time taking on the angst and agro involved in confronting rule breakers. I have been there and it sort of ruins your day to some extent. Might best be left to those who are paid to do it even though their numbers may be small.

Cheers Blood Knot

I agree 100%. Well said blood knot. Although its frustrating to see illegal fishing, those confrontations make me feel agro for the rest of the day. It really spoils the fun. Furthermore, Australia is becoming enough of a granny nation as it is without more citizen watchdogs.

If more funding is needed so be it, but its dangerous for civilians to try and deal with these issues. Without proper authority, you may find yourself in a real mess.

[plazmaman]

Where have you's been?

I fish Botany Bay Gorges river system and have been inspected so many times!

You just get comphy in your spot, and you hear a outbord motor,oh no! sombody thinks

im on a good spot, Its Fisheries, inspection again! whot the heck, dont you's know

by now i cant catch a fish for shit!

I pulls up at Cooks river boat ramp, Fisheries inspection! The young lass calls out

have you any fish on board? Im getting sick of this, so i yell back, yep heaps!

a crowd of on lookers gathers, oh the surprise when i hand the fisheries inspector

a block of pillies!ha ha.

Our foreign friends keeping undersize fish is a pet hate to all responsible fisho's,

I myself if a fish is not of decent size, back she goes, and if the fish is a stud

off great size i also realeaes them as very important BREEDERS! Example Jewfish

our great champion of esturine fishing excitiment, personally if it is under 7 to 8 kg

back she goes. The issue of uneducated or ill imformed people keeping undersize fish, i

have a few techniques of dealing with them, if i am in a boat and they are either in a other boat

or on the rocks and i see them keeping of undersize fish i let go good size fish in full view

to psychologically upset them for them to realize it is acceptable to catch and realease.

If i see them shore base i very politley give them a very long lecture in the nicest way.

There activities hase nothing to do with declining fish stocks as i said a pet hate to

people that do do the right thing.

[luderick59]

ill second that

good on ya george

[Basil D]

ill second that

good on ya george

hear hear.

well said George

[Basil D]

Well this topic has move a few anglers, as we only see Fisheries on the water every blue moon on Botany Bay, (I can`t question other water ways) my thoughts on this is to take them off the water saving us a lot of money and this could lead to reducing fees ect and let them carry out boat ramp, wharf, rocks all land based fishing and hand all water stuff over to Water Ways as there on the water every day on every system let them carry out all on water duties any thoughts on this, it seems to make sence to me.

Regards Scotty Lyons

Spot on Scotty.

[jim bream]

hear hear.

well said George

good on ya George well said

[plazmaman]

George I did not say you keep undersize fish.

Im having a lighthearted approach to the topic of people keeping undersize fish.

The people that i have lectured,(did not mean to sound patronising or demeaning in any way)

have enjoyed listining to my thoughts on the subject.

I do release a lot of trothy fish, I figure im fat enouth, and by releasing this fish

it will breed and give another fishrader the same pleasure as it gave me, thats just me

what others do is there buisness.

George i come from a migrant family That helped build this nation, and am so glad of the

fantastic seafood quasines it has to offer.

What i would not like to see is aggressive behaviour towords others regarding the subject in question.

And i like Scotty Lyons idear of management of resorses.

[SNAP-ER]

guess that explains why they have coppers tag along during the summer at the Entrance

They need to be up at THE ENTRANCE more often,seen 2 blokes there a couple of weeks ago catching undersize bream and told them they were undersize,they said they would check the size of them later but they were clearly about 10cm too short so told them I would ring the fisheries and report them,they packed up and were on there way home with all the fish within about 3mins.That made me mad seeing that happen.

Edited November 1, 2010 by SNAP-ER

[plazmaman]

Good one George

Managment fish stocks is a very difficult subject.

I was lucky to experience fishing in the 70s and 80s with no bag limits,

The decline of fish stocks especially in the Georges River systems and Botany bay

(witch is my home turf) was very sad,having your lines tangled from the sea grass ripped

up by the trawlers and then running the gauntlet across the bay dodgeing the trawler nets.

I did my bit to campaign for the closure of comercial fishing in the Botany Bay Georges river systems.

One of the main points for the closure to comercial fishing was the lack of trothy fish.

Fisho's have the right to catch a feed of fish for themselves and their families.

Also sportfishimen with their large contribution to the marine recreation industry also

have a right to be able to catch trothy fish.

We know the law and it is up to us to use the resorce in a responsible way.

I am also here to make friends and enjoy fishing George, i also love to see fishoes with their catches

and how they cooked their catch.

The touchy subject of keeping undersize fish if not policed is difficult to handle to responsible

fisho's, My previous tounge and cheek posts are just my way of dealing with the situation without anger and aggression.

BTW George i wish i did have super human vision,so i could of avoided hitting that yellow plastic

marker on the southern side of Caption Cook bridge last week and smashing my electric o/b on my 80k US custom

bass boat!Felt like a real dickhead.lol

[Hodgey]

This has made for some very interesting reading, and it is very encouraging to see so many fisho keen to enforce the management of our fisheries. The issue of Inspector numbers and their effectiveness is (and always will be) a sensitive topic. Two main points spring to mind:

1. Fishing activity, both water and land based, has skyrocketed in the last 20 years and Inspector numbers have not matched this proportionately. Budget and politics seem to be the two factors that have the most impact on employment opportunities within Fisheries.

2. Law enforcement of any description requires a certain ‘type’ of person. Their actions, attitude and even their body language needs to ensure they do not escalate the situation. I have fished with many people from all walks of life, and generally they are a gregarious bunch sharing a common interest … but not all. Even with appropriate training, some officers get it wrong (as many of you have experienced), so to recruit civilian volunteers is not the answer.

So, I can write to my local member about Inspector numbers, I can support posts such as this, and I can express my opinion to the Inspectors themselves whenever we meet (7 times in the last three years). At the end of the day though, I still feel like ‘a result’ lies with someone else. What can I do as an individual?

I ensure everyone I fish with complies with Fisheries size and catch limits

I encourage C & R, without making those who like a feed of fish feel like second-class citizens

I carry the Fisheries Hotline number on a card in my wallet

I have introduced a lot of member to the Fishraider Community

Every fisho knows at least one other fisho. 11000 Fishraiders account for another 11 000 fishos, and so on. In no time at all, the numbers venture into the 100’s of thousands. That’s a lot of people proactively encouraging responsible fish management. It doesn’t address the shortfall of Inspectors on the water, but hopefully it does reduce the number of people who HAVE to be monitored.

I am a firm believer in the adage: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”. It’s unlikely I can gain employment as an Inspector, and I personally cannot assist in the funding of more officers (other than my normal fees, etc). I don’t trust the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of our dubious politicians, and my opinion of Green activists is not suitable for publication here. What I can do is pay my fees, educate those around me, and conduct my fishing and boating activities in an appropriate manner. The way I see it, the less time officers need to spend with me, the more time they have to detect offenders.

Cheers

Hodgey

[plazmaman]

Im with you two Hodgey.

If i fish a area i consider a nursery or it feeds a nursery , im strictley c/r.

If i am going take people to what i beleve to be a sensitive area and they want to take fish,

thay are not coming with me!

I love to cook and eat seafood so i have fishing areas where i will hopefully get a feed.

What percentage of fish stock would be taken as undersize fish maybe .0001% ?

We we have to look more deeply into insuring the longevity of our beloved sport.

[james7]

I agree George. Well said Hodgey!

You expressed many things I agree with clearly and succinctly.

This is an interesting topic, and it's good to hear a variety of opinions, but why is it in the Fishing Reports section?

One thing's for sure, it's a complicated issue with no easy solution. Maybe the first step is to ensure we all do the right thing ourselves. Teach your kids the right thing to do by being a good role model (as many Raiders do). Explain to your mates the rules and regulations about sizes and bag limits when they go fishing with you. I think eduacation is the key rather than more inspectors and bigger fines. That type of approach (i.e. more speed cameras etc) hasn't stopped people speeding.

Cheers

Peter

Edited November 2, 2010 by peterS

[italian stallion]

Its a big shame you dont see fisherys out there that often. I hate it when people keep under sized fish

Cheers Marco

[oapns]

Education needs to start with our children. I often take my kids out on the boat and they have ball. All fish that they catch go into the live tank and they take turns in releasing them when we r finished so they can go back to their " mums and dads". Now I personally don't eat fish, I fish for the sport but they eat it and understand that a fish has to be a certain size before they can take it home. Unfortunately for my old man this means that most legal catches go back for another day as well. If we can educate from a young age there a better chance that they can do the same thing with their kids.( kids ages r 4 and 8 ).

[kingiemaster]

some legal size on certain species are a joke e.g The kingfish size keeps on raising, don't understand why since the traps were stopped years ago when they were used for cat food and the jew fish in my opinion is too small for 45cm legal size, should be 60cm minimum.

I’d argue that there is some science to the size limits whether you agree with it or not. Until you get a degree in marine biology I don’t think your opinions mean much. It’s not like a group of Fisheries people sit around a BBQ on a Sunday arvo with beer in hand and say “lets raise Kingie size limit to 65 that will piss em right off”.

[kingiemaster]

he reckons that more damage is done to the system when people take home the breeders and not the small fry, as most small fry gat eaten anyway and dont make it to breading,Were as the large Lizzad for example has made it to breeding and someone takes it home for a feed.Thats what does the damage.The breeders should go back in if we want fish in the future.

Regards Stu.

This is an interesting topic, a mate of mine who did a fisheries course, was told that only 1 in a few hundred fish make it to 1 year of age and then only 1 in a few more hundred make it to 2 years, then only 1 in a few hundred more make it to 3 years and so on. I'm no rocket scientist but it seems to me that a 40cm Bream which is over 25 years old had about the same chance of getting to that age as me winning lotto.

I think its probably best to let the 40cm model go and keep a 25cm one or am I wrong?

I would like to know the facts on this.

Does any one have any thoughts?

Cheers Langa

I can’t agree that keeping undersized fish is unlikely to make a difference to stocks just because survival stats suggest not many make it anyway. That’s the point. Not many make it so they need all the help they can get especially as WE are the apex predator. A breeding sized fish has bred. A tiddler is yet to breed so the more people keep the less there are to breed in the future.

In any event it’s a combination of size and BAG limits that make a real difference including the one/two fish over x cms rules for certain fish.

[plazmaman]

Yeah that's right George!

You don't need a uni degree to see things arn't right

in your own back yeard, eh bud.

[plazmaman]

Hi, me again, lol.

Can't help myself, intersting topic.

If you google released fish survival Botany Bay.

It is a informative read, and how many fishraiders took part

in the catch and release experiment at Botany Bay 2004?

Was a interesting event held by fisheries to show the fishing

community what is being done to restore fish to the Botany Bay

Georges river systems. BTW on the sunday of the experiment, we

had 41 deg and i got really bad sun burn on my unprotected

ankles and feet, lol

It is also important to note that fish were kept in live wells

in that temperatues, which you would think would reduce their survival

rate.

[dsorongan]

Had my recent fishing fix by hitting the rock ledges on Sat morn.

After we had finished up with a nice feed of Drummer, I walked past two seperate groups of fisher people in seperate spots. The blatant disrespect for size limits and rules realy annoyed me. Both groups were fairley well equipped, both groups said they had fishing licences. When the issue of size limits were raised, one in the first group gave me the "no englis" line the other replied "were werent going to take them home any way" - even though both fish were dead on the rock. He then picked them up and threw them back in the water!!!!!

In the second group, I saw a number of very under size goper, I asked the guy who was cleaning them, if he had a license. He replied "Yes". i asked him did he know the fishing rules. He said "yes". I asked him did he measure the fish. No reply........ IN the heat of the momengt I said I was going to call fisheries (in hind sight I should of left it and just called them). He responded by picking up his undersized catch and also throwing them into the water. Serioulsy felt like throwing him in the water.

It appears that some know the rules and keep undersized fish, knowing that it is highly unlikly they will ever encouter a fisheries officier.

I should of taken photos. I was tempted to pull the rope up on my way out - heh heh

[mazin1978]

Had my recent fishing fix by hitting the rock ledges on Sat morn.

After we had finished up with a nice feed of Drummer, I walked past two seperate groups of fisher people in seperate spots. The blatant disrespect for size limits and rules realy annoyed me. Both groups were fairley well equipped, both groups said they had fishing licences. When the issue of size limits were raised, one in the first group gave me the "no englis" line the other replied "were werent going to take them home any way" - even though both fish were dead on the rock. He then picked them up and threw them back in the water!!!!!

In the second group, I saw a number of very under size goper, I asked the guy who was cleaning them, if he had a license. He replied "Yes". i asked him did he know the fishing rules. He said "yes". I asked him did he measure the fish. No reply........ IN the heat of the momengt I said I was going to call fisheries (in hind sight I should of left it and just called them). He responded by picking up his undersized catch and also throwing them into the water. Serioulsy felt like throwing him in the water.

It appears that some know the rules and keep undersized fish, knowing that it is highly unlikly they will ever encouter a fisheries officier.

I should of taken photos. I was tempted to pull the rope up on my way out - heh heh

FFS!! that's all i have to say

[Piss'n'Broke]

They were at Tunks park on Saturday doing a massive blitze. The ole staying, they cant be everywhere, but ignorance or other factors play a major part in the keeping of undersize fish. Recently after speaking to a Fisheries officer, who has a specialised dive role (ex-navy) when out on patrol they have been hammering people exceeding the size and bag limits for rock lobsters, and dishing out MASSIVE FINES

Dan

[rickster]

What's wrong with many of us being "Honary Inspectors" and given identifaction recognition by state fisheries. I'd have no problems talking to those keeping undersize fish, flashing a card of who I am, and letting them know the consequences if caught. Having a "hotline number" that maybe able to locate the nearest inspector would be handy for those who refuse to do the right thing would make a lot think twice.

Rickster