Abandoned crab pots?

[marto78]

What are the laws in regards to picking up abandoned pots? In a river or creek its no problems as you can just throw it up on the bank above the high water mark, but what do you do if you come across a free floater out in the bay? Are you allowed to pick it up and take it back to the ramp and try and contact the owner if it is marked or are you not allowed to touch it at all?

The reason I ask is I came past a pros nice clean double float pots last week and a couple of k's further on I saw a single round float all by its lonesome covered in algae and only just above the water line. I wanted to pick it up and bring it in but seeing as it was fairly close to the other pots I didnt touch it.

But after reading Doublexl's post in the "share farmers" thread about losing 160 pots in 12 months I am starting to wonder if I did the right thing or not?

Does anyone know what the law is regarding this as I would hate to see a ghost pot floating through the bay on a killing spree, but then again I'm not real keen on getting shot for trying to help out the environment?

Marto

[TheRealAndy]

Cant touch them mate. Report it to Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol.

[marto78]

Cheers Andy, you haven't got a contact number for them have you?

[TheRealAndy]

I did have the office where the guys work from at pinkenba but cant find it. Brisbane head office is 3224 2282 and fishwatch number is 1800 017 116

The do act on it, but due to a lack of staff and budget it may take them a little bit to get to it.

[marto78]

I did have the office where the guys work from at pinkenba but cant find it. Brisbane head office is 3224 2282 and fishwatch number is 1800 017 116

The do act on it, but due to a lack of staff and budget it may take them a little bit to get to it.

Which is not much good if it is floating with the current...

[robersl]

The Scummy Pots Are Pro Pots Do Not Touch They Get Checked Every Day And Have Them On Gps Marks

[Cheech]

I made that mistake not long after I got into fishing. Ran over a pot a Mud Island that wrapped around my prop. Bugger of a job to untangle it. Then an hour later I came across a pro pot that I was convinced was abandoned and a hazard so I pulled it up and took it home. There was the Pro's rego number on it so I tracked the owner down to arrange to return it. Only to find out that he had died a couple of months earlier and it actually was abandoned. Since then I have seen many pots that look in similar state, but now I know they are not abandoned, just in poor repair. I think they like the floats to be covered in growth to help them hide from share farmers.

[Lancair]

I ran over a pot float once, near Blakelys. It was painted black, luckily I only ran over it and took a nice cresent shape slice out of it with one blade of my prop, didnt get tangled in it at all.When I checked the float it had a name and number on a tag under the float, but it wasnt a phone number. I picked up the slice I took from it so it didnt become another piece of rubbish in the ocean and left the float alone.
Are they allowed to be painted black ? surely that creates a navigation hazard ? I was lucky I didnt get tangled.

Lancair

[skipalong]

most of the pots in the bay are there all year round and are slimed up both floats and ropes, they are still being worked day in and day out so don not touch them.

[marto78]

Hey Skipalong, if Doublexl is losing 160 pots per year, how many do you lose to thieves or currents?

[GAFYM]

I have just moved to Bribie (November). Was renovating the house and had a bloke come storming through the front door demanding to know who the crab pot thief was. Had my boat in the front yard at the time with a home made pot on the bow.
He insisted that there were only 3 people in Aust with those type of pots, 2 here and one in Brisbane . Had not even had the boat in the water. Said he was coming back with the Police but never did which was a pity as i have a mountain of the green net round the back which i make my pots with. He insisted that only "PRO" fishermen have pots made with green net. Guess i better dye it. Oh and the Police told me that if he comes back they will arrest him for trespass as he entered our house.
Stray pots? Hundreds of them up here in the Passsage
Cheers

[uglyfish]

Maybe the pros should try and keep there floats a bit cleaner, I know if I get one tangled in my prop and the float was slimey and shit, is cut the rope and throw the bloody pot on shore. It's a friggin hazard and they'd be the first to winge if it were a rec pot and they run over it and done a seal or sheared there shaft...

[Gazza]

most of the pots in the bay are there all year round and are slimed up both floats and ropes, they are still being worked day in and day out so don not touch them.:-? , skip , they're a water hazard , need to be REMOVED or at least seen....please

I won't bother to collect or throw them anywhere , just cut the slimed-up float to float away , your GPS marks will still be valid mate.

jmo , no aggro intended

[TheRealAndy]

:-? , skip , they're a water hazard , need to be REMOVED or at least seen....please

I won't bother to collect or throw them anywhere , just cut the slimed-up float to float away , your GPS marks will still be valid mate.

jmo , no aggro intended

I hope you get caught doing it, and reported.

Cutting floats is totally irresponsible and really is a stupid thing to do. These guys are out to make a business and if you think its a problem then report it.

[marto78]

Hey Gazza I have to agree with Andy mate don't cut the floats off because that pot will never be found again and will just go on killing until it rots away. I know that if I went to pick up my pots and there was no floats left I wouldn't start dragging the bottom looking for them I would be cursing the prick that stole my pots.

Hey Skip I know you probably wont answer me but how often do you clean your pots and floats? Do you have some kind of maintenance schedule like some of the pros in the southern bay?

[ranga7]

I hope you get caught doing it, and reported.

Cutting floats is totally irresponsible and really is a stupid thing to do. These guys are out to make a business and if you think its a problem then report it.


Yeah and having slimed up non visable floats is irresponsible and a stupid thing to do. Yeah there out there to make a business and the rec's are out there to enjoy themselves and getting rope out of a prop at sea isn't enjoyable. I don't cut floats personally i think its wrong and i have mates trying to make a living out of it, but i can see why some do. if they cant spend the time keeping there floats and rope visable why should some spend the time to carefully get it out of there prop and replace it as found rather then cut it. Again i don't agree in cutting but i don't agree with non visable floats either.

[Gazza]

So we report to whoever "there's invisible floats out there actively used by pro-crabbers" :'( that would be DANGEROUS in bad weather conditions , if they fouled somebodies prop ,and caused the motor to stop or be switched OFF in an attempt to rectify, particularly in adverse conditions.

"Visibility in adverse conditions is PARAMOUNT to boating SAFETY imo"...your Honor !!! :argue:

no ,the pot was not violated ,or removed from it's location , the slimey float/rope pot was simply in a neglected condition(& a possibly abandoned/lost/ghost pot), more probably not maintained by it's pro-owner....imo...
:argue:

p.s. your Honor...is the owners details easily "visible" if inspected by Fisheries :o , or is there a different rule applying to pro-floats :-* without confiscation of property??
That visibility regulation DOES "seem" to be applied to RecFishos >:( and hence confiscation ,does it not??