History

[MitchCalcutt]

I have been lucky to have a friend like David Green now for many years, recently he passed onto me the first 30 Australian angler mag’s my father published. There’s been some great reading along the way, with some interesting similarities in the techniques used to catch fish. Jigging for example was hugely popular from even before the mag introduced it to those who weren’t in the know. Only the equipment stoped them from catching many more fish, with bust up’s being more common than landings.

As the mag went on I noticed a change in dad’s writing, from the obvious joy in his journeys and many experiences to a man who was clearly becoming a man under huge pressure to reproduce the good’s time and time again. By 1975 the joy had almost disappeared from his writing, letter’s to the editor were replied with extra vinegar and his personal column became more political than personal.

In reading these mag’s I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pressure he was under, but that’s not why I’m writing this. The reason is a sadder one.

From the beginning I read articles where so many fish were caught, the fisho’s literally walked on the fish laying on the deck and didn’t stop until the bait ran out or the fuel ran out. Not once did I read a mention of cleaning or freezing their catch. Many photos showed fish so dried out they wouldn’t have been edible, even back then. I understand the total lack of eskies that could hold a Ton of fish back then, it’s just hard to comprehend the volume of fish in comparison to today.

Other stories explained the age old technique of bait gathering. Photos of tubs filled with Garfish, mullet, hardy heads, prawns and god only knows what else. Methods of bait collecting varied from net to net depending on the state the article came from. This to amazed me as I have not seen this volume of bait in any creek since I was 6 years old.

It was easy to see the dramatic reduction in fish catches over the years by viewing 7 years over a couple of weeks, the stories of conservation from Vic Macristal were clear way back then, not too many people took much notice, and why should they, there were enough fish to go around then.

Considering fish have been around for millions of years and so called civilised man has only been here for a couple of thousand the fish haven’t been able to adapt to mans overwhelming need to catch more than he needs. Take a professional netter as a perfect example, he runs his net and leaves it for how ever long. When he clears his net he has in it his target fish as well as bi catch, all dead, nothing goes back alive. His catch gets loaded into tubs, nothing gets cleaned fresh that gets done by someone else a few days later. I couldn’t imagine 50% of his catch would be in what I call edible condition by the time it hits the shelf.

Our fishery in Australia once looked unlimited, so professional fisherman using nets became huge business. Everywhere from our estuaries to our oceans; targeting everything which got caught in them. I do not know the figures regarding how much is meant for our table or the tin, I can say whatever it is, it’s a joke. Give the government a bit of credit, they covered almost the entire food chain with only micro organisms spared.



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[MitchCalcutt]

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What burns me the most is the cat food industry, when was the last time you saw a cat go out to sea to catch a couple of pilchards? I can’t even imagine how many ton of fish goes into cat food simply because it went off before it could be sold at market. Fish isn’t even a natural food for our precious moggy.

This of cores is my belief; If the nets were taken away totally from fishing, the pro’s would think they were doomed. Think about it with an open mind; no nets = more fish, the demand for the supply would still be there. It would take time but given the fact they would have to use hook line and sinker to catch fish, the quality of fish to market would be much higher therefore worth more money. There wouldn’t be any bi catch, and the big cost factor of all, no net maintenance.

Being pro fisherman in the first place, they know where the fish are, why not get into chartering?
Fish farming is huge down south; how hard would it be to do it somewhere else?

We are a greedy species and history tells us we won’t stop until nothing is left. I do take this subject personally, since dad published these stories with those images. There weren’t many comments with the mention of sport in them, mostly killed and plenty of them.

As I sit writing this, I peer across at dad’s photo in his more mature years and wish I could ask him how he now feels about those days. Being the overly honest bloke he was, his answer would have most likely have been metaphorical to the point of being illegible. In other words covering his disgust with having to answer the question, who knows?

I do know that there are twice as many net’s out there now to catch the same amount of fish a small hand full did 35 years ago, and its getting worse with more and more feral fish making it to our shelves. Go to any fish shop and you will see tray after tray of beautiful fish which are so old their flesh resembles mashed potatoes. Totally inedible but still for sale with a dollar per kg that makes me just as sick.

I love my fishing and more importantly I love watching other people having fun catching fish. I hope we humans get it right before its too late. I’ve been reading a lot of threads from Ausfish and other chat sites with total admiration for those who write there, You catch what you need, you enjoy it as well you teach others who read your stories. I congratulate everyone for the love of fishing and the care you take in preserving the future of fishing.

My most sincere apologies to those who I have offended, hopefully not many.

[Greg P]

Good read Mitch and I agree with the sentiments. You're dad certainly inspired a lot of young fishos to pick up a rod and reel.


Cheers

Greg

[shin25]

top read mitch couldnt agree more

[NAGG]

Thanks Mitch , very well written .... Specially with regard to past practices ...in the name of sport... Fortunately today, fishing is seen by a growing number as something to preserve rather than abuse! ..... & in many instances its the younger generation that is leading the way! ......:beer: The advent of digital cameras has allowed us to take a photo of our catch of the day ..... & then allow that fish to swim away !
I 'm pretty sure that most members would agree about the poor commercial practices that we saw in use during the past .... & that continue today! ..... Stop them! ..... & replace them with sustainable methods! ( Here in NSW ... we have run a program of Licence buy backs .... & the banning of commercial fishing in many of our estuaries ....... While we haven't gone far enough ... we are progressing! ..... Nagg
PS .... As kid & through my teenage years, I loved reading & watching your dads fishing ADVENTURES ..... & that sense of adventure has driven my fishing passion to this day..... Many of those destinations become pilgrimages for me ( Narooma , Lord Howe Is , Batemans Bay & Hat Head) ..... Nagg

[artesian]

Hi Mitch, and Nagg,

Thanks for taking the time to share your feelings.

Because one believes something is right, doesn't make it so. I'm not so sure there are too many absolute wrongs, or rights, that all believe in.

The fishers, pro or amateur who killed, or who now kill, as much as they can within the law do so because they think it is right.

The catch and release brigade seem to be very sure they are right (I am one such from time to time, but am not so sure it is right for me). I have read that C&R is illegal in Germany.

I think most of us do the best we can in the times we live in, and with what we 'know' in those times. Of course there are some who live outside 'the rules' as well.

Mitch, your Dad's work inspired me, and I believe many others to be thoughtful and better fishers. I only knew him through his work, and it was an inspiration for me.

If Ron's enjoyment of fishing was diminished because of the high standards and heavy tasks he set for himself, I hope he derived a lot of satisfaction from a job well done.

You didn't speak about this directly, or maybe even indirectly, and I don't know you beyond what you write here, and what David G has written about you over the years. If my daughter turns out to be something like the kind of person you seem to be, I will be happy that I have done my job as a dad.

Nagg, re the buy out of pro licenses, if it is the same as in sunny qld, you may find that the intention is that the pro catch not be reduced, just that the number of pros be reduced. Same number of fish out of the water, but with less effort =cost, by less pros. If that is right, license $$$ is being used to pay out pros leaving the industry, and to also make the licenses of existing pros more valuable, because they can still catch the same quota. In saying all that they clearly aren't fishing in those few places now closed to pros but open to us mug amatuers, or those places closed to all but the divers.

[MitchCalcutt]

Hi Mitch, and Nagg,

Thanks for taking the time to share your feelings.

Because one believes something is right, doesn't make it so. I'm not so sure there are too many absolute wrongs, or rights, that all believe in.

The fishers, pro or amateur who killed, or who now kill, as much as they can within the law do so because they think it is right.

The catch and release brigade seem to be very sure they are right (I am one such from time to time, but am not so sure it is right for me). I have read that C&R is illegal in Germany.

I think most of us do the best we can in the times we live in, and with what we 'know' in those times. Of course there are some who live outside 'the rules' as well.

Mitch, your Dad's work inspired me, and I believe many others to be thoughtful and better fishers. I only knew him through his work, and it was an inspiration for me.

If Ron's enjoyment of fishing was diminished because of the high standards and heavy tasks he set for himself, I hope he derived a lot of satisfaction from a job well done.

You didn't speak about this directly, or maybe even indirectly, and I don't know you beyond what you write here, and what David G has written about you over the years. If my daughter turns out to be something like the kind of person you seem to be, I will be happy that I have done my job as a dad.

Nagg, re the buy out of pro licenses, if it is the same as in sunny qld, you may find that the intention is that the pro catch not be reduced, just that the number of pros be reduced. Same number of fish out of the water, but with less effort =cost, by less pros. If that is right, license $$$ is being used to pay out pros leaving the industry, and to also make the licenses of existing pros more valuable, because they can still catch the same quota. In saying all that they clearly aren't fishing in those few places now closed to pros but open to us mug amatuers, or those places closed to all but the divers.
Hi there,
Your right in what you say, The governing bodys who make the decisions are led to there conclusions and rulings by people with calculators. Our fish stocks are down and I believe the only way to get them back will hert alot of people. Or will we become the same as other places in the world with no fish left at all.

Mitch Calcutt

PS Dad did love his work, Particulaly his photography

[Horse]

Ron was the top of his field and his writing greatly influenced me as a fisherman. The passion and credibility of the core writers from that era leave the current crop a long way behind :-[ . I still pull out some mags from '74 and marvel at the techniques and ideas being used. When others"discover" these methods and claim them as their own decades later it really amuses me ;D .

A lot of Ausfishers tell me that the fishing in Moreton Bay has never been better. I disagree strongly :-X . I reckon their point of view would change if I put these blokes out in a little tinny with no GPS or sounder, a solid glass rod and clunky reel filled with harsh mono. Add a few brass swivels and a handfull of blunt hooks. This was all that was needed to get a feed in the Bay back in the early 70's. We now use advanced techniques, high technology equipment and state of the art software to put a feed in the boat 8-) .
I am not totally opposed to commercial fishing but I believe that there is a time and a place for everything. Some practices should probably be restricted more heavily in areas like Moreton Bay. Inshore netting and especially trawling is one of my concerns and possibly we should be looking at sunset clauses and financial restitution for some licenses in the future.
One of the reasons I am not jumping on board the new fishing lobby group is the close affiliation with ALL commercial fishers :( . I feel we are two distinct user groups fighting for a limited and at times over utilised resource. Work together by all means but rec fishos must make a stand against wastefull and unsustainable commercial practices and in some high poulation areas fight for a greater share of the resource.

Regards

Neil Dransfield

[nigelr]

Great post Mitch, I'm sure your thoughtful sentiments are shared by the majority of, if not all, the members of this site.
Thanks also to the other contributors for expressing their opinions.
As a NSW Rec fishing licence holder, I would agree with NAGG, we have a long way to go with making our 'buy back' scheme the best it can be for licence holders.
I live on the Bellinger River in NSW, which is a designated Rec Fishing Haven. While pro fishers are excluded from working the river, travelling commercial beach haulers are allowed to net fish at the river mouth as they leave the river system each Autumn.
While ostensibly targetting 'sea' mullet, their major $$$ are earned from by-catch such as mulloway, bream etc. Personally I find this completely legal practice to be in total contradiction with the purpose of buy-back. I can tell you mulloway catches in this vicinity have been extremely poor at best this past winter/spring, which I feel is in no small way due to a reputedly substantial catch of mulloway taken by beach haulers in June this year. Leaves a very bad taste in the mouths of many local rec licence holders I can assure you. This is not the only occasion this practice has occured in recent years, the same mob enacted the exact same scenario 3 or 4 years ago, with the same results.
Apologies for mounting the soap-box, however I believe this issue of beach hauling is a bone of contention amongst many rec fishos, both here in NSW and Qld.
As far as a model of fish stocks management/conservation is concerned, Iceland is a shining example. If they can do it, why can't we??????
http://www.worldseafishing.com/adventure/iceland_more_than_cod.shtml
Cheers and once again thanks to all for taking the time to express their opinions.

[Matt_Campbell]

I can tell you mulloway catches in this vicinity have been extremely poor at best this past winter/spring, which I feel is in no small way due to a reputedly substantial catch of mulloway taken by beach haulers in June this year

Do you think it may have something to do with the poor state of the river entrance? With the shallow water stopping the mulloway from entering the river?

[nigelr]

Hi Matt.
Thanks for your question, in reply to which, no I do not think the poor state of the river mouth stops mulloway entering the river, however I would agree it may make the river less attractive to them as a habitat, and as such may indeed lead to lesser numbers of mulloway being present within the system.
The mouth of the river has been badly silted for many years, and is only cleared after a substantial flood. Even then it closes up again over the next few months.
However this has not stopped good catches of mulloway being taken during previous years, the fish will manage to enter/exit the river as they presumably always have.
My contention is that if a large proportion of those mulloway exiting the river during the 'mullet run' are taken by beach haulers, then this event will have an impact on number of mulloway caught from the adjacent beaches/rocks during the proceding months.
I would further contend that allowing beach hauling at the mouth of a declared Rec Fishing Haven is counter-productive to the interests of Rec Licence holders, whose fees pay for the establishment of RFHs and the subsequent buy outs of commercial fishers operating within the Haven areas.
Cheers.

[MitchCalcutt]

It’s great to hear other fisho’s airing their concerns. Once again it’s apparent the almighty dollar has decided the outcome of our fisheries in favour of the organisation that is in question from the outset. Isn’t that commonly known as bribery?
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my thread and reply with interest. It is a subject that has in the past been decided by money and not scientific facts.

I was fishing a sand bank in the Coomera river a few years back, on the Friday we caught whiting, bream and Garfish for the entire tide. Next day zilch, found out from another bloke that bank had been netted that night. Results speak for themselves.

Thanks again

Mitch

[dunmears]

Hi Mitch, Many years ago I wrote an article on lure making, I was very proud of my little article. I sent the story to your fathers magazine " The Australian Angler". Your father contacted me and invited me around to his home ( I think it was in Sans Sousi ) in Sydney. I was only twenty years old at the time and he made myself and my future wife so welcome in his home as he chatted to me about my article. He told me that he would publish my story and I was the proudest young bloke alive. The article duly appeared in the "angler" in March 1971 ( I still have the magazine) the cover showed two bass lying in very green long grass with a rod and reel beside them. I received $35 for my efforts which was a substantial sum to a twenty year old in those days. I was very sad to learn of your fathers passing, I was very grateful for what he did for me.- Brian.

[artesian]

By crikey I'm over typing posts that get gobbled up by a refresh or similar on this site.

Rumour has it that pros were paid to stop fishing Pumicestone Passage, and accepted that payment, only to set up tunnel nets just outside the closure area.

Legal, apparently. Moral? who knows or cares..............

[MitchCalcutt]

Hi Mitch, Many years ago I wrote an article on lure making, I was very proud of my little article. I sent the story to your fathers magazine " The Australian Angler". Your father contacted me and invited me around to his home ( I think it was in Sans Sousi ) in Sydney. I was only twenty years old at the time and he made myself and my future wife so welcome in his home as he chatted to me about my article. He told me that he would publish my story and I was the proudest young bloke alive. The article duly appeared in the "angler" in March 1971 ( I still have the magazine) the cover showed two bass lying in very green long grass with a rod and reel beside them. I received $35 for my efforts which was a substantial sum to a twenty year old in those days. I was very sad to learn of your fathers passing, I was very grateful for what he did for me.- Brian.
Thanks very much for your reply. I have that copy of Aus angler I'll read the artical a bit later.
I remember San Sousi, Thats where Dad started the mag next to a window off the loungroom. I still have some photos of that unit. Great hearing from you.

[dogsbody]

Yes a lot of fish were caught back in the ole days. It would be interesting to know how many fish per angler was caught compared to today with more and more people fishing.

Also there seems a lot of "The Pro's" brought up firstly in a debate of fish numbers. I like to take a wider view of what's going on. We have more roads than ever with all the oil and worn tyres and cigarette butts,exhaust emissions polluting the creeks how much does this effect the survival rate of young? Will we ever know? Or is this a case of out of sight out of mind.

To fix the problem we must take the whole picture into account. But i suspect the cost of such a task will never allow it to see the light of day.


Dave.

[tunaticer]

I think that more than the total banning of nets for the pros, a rotational green zone should be established right along our coastline right around Australia. I believe that pro fishermen should not be given access to estuarine environments unless they are dedicated bait collectors. Every 4th river or creek that enters the sea should have a 12 month green zone allocated to it and once that 12 month period ticks over the next river / creek in a clockwise direction has its 12 month green zone initiated. Unless we protect the breeding environments from over-use and over-fishing we will not have a chance to pass onto our great grandchildren fishing as a viable past-time.
The current thoughts of our country's governing forces are to impose eternal greenzones and I see these as wasted potential as very few areas along our coastline actually fall into a green zone. It would be much better to give everywhere a 1 in 4 chance of sustainability.

Jack.

[MitchCalcutt]

Yes a lot of fish were caught back in the ole days. It would be interesting to know how many fish per angler was caught compared to today with more and more people fishing.

Also there seems a lot of "The Pro's" brought up firstly in a debate of fish numbers. I like to take a wider view of what's going on. We have more roads than ever with all the oil and worn tyres and cigarette butts,exhaust emissions polluting the creeks how much does this effect the survival rate of young? Will we ever know? Or is this a case of out of sight out of mind.

To fix the problem we must take the whole picture into account. But i suspect the cost of such a task will never allow it to see the light of day.


Dave.
Hi Dave, Without a doubt the pollution will have some sort of affect on the cycle of thing. Unfortunately the noticeable reduction of our fish stocks was mentioned as long ago as the mid seventies. The Southern Blue fin Tuna fisheries was almost wiped out in only ten years once ring netting showed its ugly head. The Orange Ruffy population took only a few years to decimate, and as they take up to twenty years to grow to full size it will take another 50 years to repopulate unless their wiped out in the mean time.
It’s a great debate to have but unfortunately for every reason we can come up with for fish population drop, the bone can be pointed in the general direction of a Polly.
I don’t have anything against Pro fisherman, just nets.
Mitch

[dogsbody]

Yeah to true Mitch, I got nothing against a pro either they service a need in the community.

We will never get back to the way it was. With the population of the world ever increasing and the need to feed people we can only try a few sustainability methods and see how things pan out.

Dave.

[Matt_Campbell]

Mitch
Do you believe rec fishers contribute to reductions in fish stock size?

[Matt_Campbell]

Hi Matt.
Thanks for your question, in reply to which, no I do not think the poor state of the river mouth stops mulloway entering the river, however I would agree it may make the river less attractive to them as a habitat, and as such may indeed lead to lesser numbers of mulloway being present within the system.
The mouth of the river has been badly silted for many years, and is only cleared after a substantial flood. Even then it closes up again over the next few months.
However this has not stopped good catches of mulloway being taken during previous years, the fish will manage to enter/exit the river as they presumably always have.
My contention is that if a large proportion of those mulloway exiting the river during the 'mullet run' are taken by beach haulers, then this event will have an impact on number of mulloway caught from the adjacent beaches/rocks during the proceding months.
I would further contend that allowing beach hauling at the mouth of a declared Rec Fishing Haven is counter-productive to the interests of Rec Licence holders, whose fees pay for the establishment of RFHs and the subsequent buy outs of commercial fishers operating within the Haven areas.
Cheers.

The netting of mulloway has occurred at the motuh of the Bellinger for years - there were mullet netters on the north side of the entrance 25 years ago. From the italicised section above you have said that good catches have occurred historically even when pro netters fished the entrance. I contend that more jewies are caught by rec fishers inside and outside the river mouth than by pro's. Matt

[DR]

Yes a lot of fish were caught back in the ole days. It would be interesting to know how many fish per angler was caught compared to today with more and more people fishing.

Dave.


one article from the 70s that sticks in my mind was 'Breakwall Bonanza' it was from somewhere around Ballina ( I think, was a long time ago but never forgot the article) 2 fishers in a single session caught something like 15 -20 Jewies all around 40-60lb & the photo of them all laying in a heap was the front cover shot.... i think it was in the Australian Angler..:'(

[Horse]

one article from the 70s that sticks in my mind was 'Breakwall Bonanza' it was from somewhere around Ballina ( I think, was a long time ago but never forgot the article) 2 fishers in a single session caught something like 15 -20 Jewies all around 40-60lb & the photo of them all laying in a heap was the front cover shot.... i think it was in the Australian Angler..:'(

I remember that shot :o . I think it was revisited in recent years.
I doubt that that sort of feat could be duplicated today and would be frowned upon but in the early 70's thats what made you a gun fisho
Now most of us can appreciate that it does not take wholesale slaughter to make a successful trip.

Neil

[MitchCalcutt]

Mitch
Do you believe rec fishers contribute to reductions in fish stock size?

I’d love for there to be a yes or no answer to that question, HOWEVER; I believe the current bag limits are in most cases unreachable by current stock availability. If the stocks ever increase the limits should not increase with them for a healthier echo system. There are so many variables to stock management, especially when they are so low to manage.

Mitch

[MitchCalcutt]

one article from the 70s that sticks in my mind was 'Breakwall Bonanza' it was from somewhere around Ballina ( I think, was a long time ago but never forgot the article) 2 fishers in a single session caught something like 15 -20 Jewies all around 40-60lb & the photo of them all laying in a heap was the front cover shot.... i think it was in the Australian Angler..:'(
I’m going to buy a lotto ticket in the morning, I had to drop off a battery to Dave greens house tonight, while I was there he gave me some more old Australian angler mag’s. one of those mags May 1974, main cover Breakwall Bonanza, written by Alex Julius. That is the type of feature that inspired my to write History in the first place.
Plus I don’t want to see that many fisherman all together wearing Budge smugglers ever again.

Mitch

[jman2016]

When my father emigrated to Australia after the World War 2, he used to tell me stories of how the creeks, estuarys and bays used to teem with fish and mudcrabs. How you could just about walk across the backs of the mullet, gar, herring, king salmon etc. How the banks of a creek would be lined with mudcrabs or sandcrabs would be that thick you could pick them up by hand.

Photo's of unbelieveably huge fish used to grace my grandfathers shed. Murray cod, barra, groper, estuary cod etc.

As a old pro once told me -'we used to fish until we ran out of bait or ran out of fish to catch' - go home and the start again in the morning.

He also said that he knew then what he knows now then yes he would do things differently.

I have noticed the decline in fish stocks in my 20+ years of fishing to the point of not even getting a nibble in areas that used to supply a feed.

Mitch, I'll always remember a story of how your father used to keep his boat immaculate and his friends would wind him up my being messy, dropping sinkers , swivels etc. just to a bite if the fishing was slow!;D. Can't remember the publication but it always made me smile

[nigelr]

Hi Matt.
I would have to disagree with your contention.
Approx 2 tonne of mulloway were taken by a single mob of travelling Qld based beach haulers in 2004.
This equated to approxiamately a couple of hundred mulloway, some of which were in excess of 20 kg.
Prime news aired video footage of part of this catch, local rec fishos were eye witness to it, the issue was represented in the local papers.
As a local resident at North Beach I can assure you annual rec catches of mulloway come absolutely no where near this figure.
As you appear to be aware, mullet netting occured historically on the southern and northern sides of the mouth, although the southern beach has been closed for quite a few years.
You would also be aware of the friction between the travelling pros and locals, due in no small part to the cavalier behaviour of the pros, camping in prohibited areas etc.
You would also be aware of the efforts of the local fishing club, which was instrumental in having the Bellinger river made a rec fishing haven, and was also involved in bringing about the closure of the southern beach to beach hauling.
Rec angling brings a lot of money into the local community, as it does to many other similar towns around the country.
As other commentators have noted, fish numbers have dropped very substantially in the last 30 years. It is rare to see ANY sea mullet hereabouts these days, as compared with 30 years ago. Likewise the large rec catches of mulloway taken on local beaches rarely if ever occur.
The ability of beach haulers to operate legally at the confluence of Rec Fishing Havens such as the Bellinger, Hastings, Macleay to name a few, is an issue I find difficult to understand.
Hopefully in years to come the laws that allow this to happen will be changed, to the benefit of rec anglers whose licence fees pay for these schemes.
Apologies Mitch for taking up space on this issue within your post, some things never change it seems, the debate between pro and rec fishing priorities is still alive and kicking.
Cheers.

[Matt_Campbell]

Approx 2 tonne of mulloway were taken by a single mob of travelling Qld based beach haulers in 2004.


So this is a one-off event? Do you have any more instances of this occurring.

[Matt_Campbell]

As a local resident at North Beach I can assure you annual rec catches of mulloway come absolutely no where near this figure.

I was a local resident there for 15 years Nigel and there were years when the groups of blokes I fished with caught that many mulloway. If you know anything about jewfishing, you'd know how secretive the blokes are. Dont be surprised if there are still a few being caught.

[bugman]

Mitch,

While it is nice to look back with longing ... I guess we all do, I just wonder what is the point.

Do old photos and old stories prove the fishery was at it's best then?? The fishery would have been at it's best about 250 years ago before white man got here. Or maybe it was worse then than what it was 1 million years ago when our land mass was a bit higher and the water a bit warmer?

I guess the point I'm making is what is the point of having more fish in the water?

Is it just for us to feel better that there's more fish in the water
Is it for us rec anglers to catch more fish
Is it for pro anglers to increase there quota and the domestic or export consumption increase.

With all the pressure on fish stocks from physical and environmental threats I guess there's a population level of sustainability that enables everyone to harvest something and for the fish to re-populate.

There are some well known species that the brakes have been put on to help out the stocks but do we know that our bread and butter species are in the same boat.

Brett

[nigelr]

Last reply Matt, late June this year same beach hauling of mulloway occured at the confluence of the Bellinger, although on a smaller scale.
I've lived at North Beach for 28 years, guess you lived here before my time as I don't recognise your name.
Cheers.

[MitchCalcutt]

Hi every one,
Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts on this subject, I’m sure there are many who are biting their tongues on this topic.
Firstly I’d like to reply to Matt, your story is common to around Australia’s shores and I’m glad your having a chance to air the knowledge you have on the topic, great stuff Matt.

Secondly Too Brett AKA bugman, I understand where you are coming from, we simply just don’t know. BUT what we do know is over the millions of years that evolution has controlled things, the comings and goings of fish numbers would have happened over a period of hundreds of years. Most likely events would have occurred in a local environment where perhaps a particular species would have been in abundance, and out grown its food supply. We humans have succeeded in lowering the total marine food chain in only a matter of a few decades. YES it is for the survival of the of the human race and the industry that supply’s it.
BUT, we so-called intelligent humans are renowned for farming our food for hundreds of years, why is it so hard to farm fish? We were smart enough not to kill all the cows which supply to us yummy steaks, and look at how profitable that industry is.

All I’m saying is there has to be a better way,

Kind Regards

Mitch Calcutt

[billfisher]

Any sustantial fishing effort will result in a reduction in the fish population. The good news is that you only need 30 - 40% of the original stock to replenish the population - due to their extreme fecundancy. In theory they can be harvested at this level indefinitely. Under fishing pressure the population dynamics change in that recruits have better survivabilty through reduced predation and reduces competion for food. Ie they grow faster. Most fish are fast growing and recover from overfishing in less than 5 years when effort is wound back.

Note that Australia has the lightest fishing pressure in the world (1/30th world average). We have reduced our commercial fleets by 75% in recent years. Our scientists regard our fish stocks as stable.

On a personal note I catch more than I did 20 years ago because I am a better fisherman now. I live in Sydney too where the pressures are much greater on fish stocks than less populated areas.

PS: It's worth remembering the rec take is similar to the commercial take for a lot of 'bread and butter' species.

[Barrykrocker]

good discussion.

My 2c:

commercial guys should stay out of estuaries all together and I liked the idea espoused earlier in this thread about rotating green zones for the entire coast.

I'm sick of hearing horror stories about commmercial guys. I know of a nth sydney catch recently of several hundred good jew (10kg+) by some out of town pros in a couple of nights.

i feel such catches are nothing more than an amoral a dash for cash committed by people who have failed to come in line with modern concerns for the environment.
It jsut saddens me when great rivers like the Hawkesbury often fail to produce a catch.

I would advise all rec fishers who truly care about the fisheries and our environment to refrain form buying frozn prawns or squid or pilchards. We know that often these baits are netted from our estuaries such as the hawkesbury(squid and prawns) and the river can't cope.

Catch you own bait or stick to lures I say

[seabug]

While there is condemnation of Pro-netters fishing estuaries and creeks there has been no mention of the effects of the thousands of cast nets used daily to catch bait by amatuer fisho's.

Surely this has an enormous effect on the population of fish as these areas are the nursery of the fish breeding cycle.

In what other places are cast-nets permitted?:o :o ;)

Regards
seabug

[MitchCalcutt]

While there is condemnation of Pro-netters fishing estuaries and creeks there has been no mention of the effects of the thousands of cast nets used daily to catch bait by amatuer fisho's.

Surely this has an enormous effect on the population of fish as these areas are the nursery of the fish breeding cycle.

In what other places are cast-nets permitted?:o :o ;)

Regards
seabug
Hi Seabug, I couldn't agree more, Its not pros that get to me its the nets that are used to catch the fish. Everything dies including the sea grass that is a nursery to countless numbers of critters that are the food chain.
Mitch

[ryansrods]

i just want

to add my 20 cents worth regarding the mulloway i live in yamba nsw and am somwhat of a jew fanatic my talking to alot of the old fishers around the area the main problem we face with ctching a jew through winter is the mullet meshers they take huge amounts of mullet and blackfish leaving no bait for the jew to hunt so its not actually the jew that are being netted but the bait when this happens alot of jew are caught on offshore reefs probably cause this is where the bait is an old fella johny garvin recons the jew nfishin in this area is about as good as it was when he was a kid he reacons the problems are people are tryn to be too fancy and techniquall with there gear and techniques somtimes simplicity is the key and his results reflect this

[Red Bull]

ryansrods, it appears you have a distinct aversion to using any sort of punctuation, or capital letters to start a sentence, etc? Or was that supposed to be one long sentence? :)

But seriously, I agree with your point about the bait disappearing due to pro netters, leading to less likelihood of jew being in a given area at a given time. I wonder if the mullet netters on Sth Straddie are partly responsible for the fact that very few jewies seem to get caught along that beach?

Cheers,
RB

[nigelr]

Mulloway are a permitted by-catch of beach haul netters targetting mullet.
And a far more viable catch commecially...........
During the mullet run, there are often schools of mulloway in attendance.
Better to take a tonne of mulloway @ $8/kg than a tonne of mullet @$0.50/kg.
Under the present rules and regulations, who could blame the pros.........after all they are in it to make a living, one would assume.
Cheers!