PDA

View Full Version : Illegal Netting or not???



keepitreel
30-01-2007, 02:44 PM
Here are some photos I took on a recent trip up North. I don't want to name the spot but it is in the Gulf Region of Queensland. Now this place is very remote with access by extreme 4wd tracks and a long way from any sort of civilisation so it is safe to say these netters arrived by boat.
There was evidence of the remains of the nets still attached to mangroves all around the river system. This was just one of the piles, we found 2 others.
most of the fish were Queenies with the odd Salmon, Jack and Barra.

Would these guys be pro Fishers from Australia or the Illegal kind from Indo.

It was very disturbing to all that were there, and we couldn't comprehend the reasoning of these people.:'(

saurian
30-01-2007, 03:05 PM
Don't think indo's , fish is far to normal and none of those fish look like they've been filleted.
Maybe someone put a net in and got a few more fish than they bargained for.
My best guess would be tourists or natives.
Either one , they don't care about the future or others.
But it just peevs you off but........
Ta

Blackened
30-01-2007, 03:16 PM
G'day
I haven't been that far north yet, only cairns but i'm surprised they wern't eaten by crocs before drying out like they seemed to have done?

Dave

fishphile
30-01-2007, 03:38 PM
Have come across creeks at Hinchinbrook that have had the entire mouths netted and not mentioning any names I know these guys were locals and were selling the fish illegally making a fortune. These were also the same guys having the first whinge when someone theived their crabpots.

Dave

Synful
30-01-2007, 03:40 PM
Can't say anything other than "such a waste".... :'( >:(

I hope that the people who did this got taken by crocs and that's the reason why the fish didn't get eaten by them - so much activity as the nets were dragged out of the water would have to attract a few of them surely?

Freeeedom
30-01-2007, 03:51 PM
That is one of the most disgusting and disgraceful sights I've ever seen. What is the mentality of people who will kill and discard such quality fish for no apparent reason. If they've caught more than they can carry why not return the rest to the water? The remoteness of the location makes any sort of law enforcement next to impossible. I guess public shaming of the act, if not the culprits, is all that can be done. Maybe you should forward the photos to the news media!
Cheers Freeeedom

keepitreel
30-01-2007, 03:54 PM
We only found the fish when the big tides came in allowing us to see up onto the flats. We could smell them for a few days but thought it was a dead cow or something. We were the first vehicles allowed onto the property after the wet which is why they must have came in by boat.
We have seen legal barra boats fishing there and when I say legal they still net off whole creek mouths and make it hard for anyone else to fish there. we never get a barra after they have been. Same with the crabbers. They set 80 pots all up and down the river and we don't get a muddy after that.
Gives you the shits when you drive nearly 3000km's and see crap like this>:(

major-defect
31-01-2007, 05:28 AM
Unbelievable!!!The mentality of these people.The people who did this should be used as croc food.Damn a bloke shouldn't get this angry this early in the morning.

choppa
31-01-2007, 05:56 AM
keepitreel,,, it is a possibility that as you posted in your second reply that these fish were the victim of the wet,,,

my eldest son was born in townsville some 25 yrs back,,, and we spent a good deal of time in the top end,,,things then were different then i know,,, but it wasn't unusual to see a fish kill that was caused by a flood,, and of course with the receding water,,, schools get caught in the backwash

most of the indigenous people would pull them out and dump them in piles to keep the what was left of the water clean

i noticed you stated that there was evidence of nets tied to mangroves etc,,, a few pics of these would have been good as well

its hard to comprehend anyone travelling so far with nets,,, only to dump part of their catch,,,unless of course these were the smaller pickings and their iceboxes were full, but my guess is they would have to be local/indigenous


no,,,,i think your best bet,,, send your copies of to dpi&f,, sunfish,,and maybe even the FPQ,,, you'll get a response i'm sure,,,,,,,,

choppa

johnlikes2fish
01-02-2007, 03:21 PM
While in the Army around Wide Bay/Tin Can we would often find these nets stretched almost across entire creeks, one or two of us would swim out (the stupidity of youth) and get the net the resulting fish was a welcome addition to the rubbish we were normally eating. The nets were brought back as all rubbish was and disposed of.

Matthias
01-02-2007, 04:30 PM
Due to the amount of queenfish left behind (worth diddlysquat) I'd say someone who sells fish either illegally or commercially did it. Unfortunately this crap is common in remote areas.

Pete.

snipe
01-02-2007, 07:46 PM
Spot on Matthias - queenies dumped for no commercial value. The sad thing is what they are worth as sport fish - people all over the world pay the $ to catch them, esp the wand wavers

I have also heard of 'ghost nets' up there which are long lengths of ex professsional nets that somehow get 'lost' . They proceed to randomly float around the ocean indisciminately murdering fish - giant walls of death - apparently the queenies get a real caning from them - pretty rank behaviour