mackeral netter in yeppoon

[supa29]

on the way home from work in rocky i followed a big fat arse centre consul into yeppoon, i took notice because it looked a bit like my own until i saw a huge net roller on the front deck of this tinnie and io new straight away it was a mackeral netter.

I have seen the same boat when i lived on the sunny coast and i have seen the result of the netters chasing the mackeral, we would get mackeral one day and come out next and they were gone. its a shame and i thought they were all brought out by government.

Anyway just thought the locals on here should know that a mackeral netter will be working out of yeppoon for the next while and trust me the local fishery will suffer.

supa...

[Smithy]

It is probably the same fellow. I know he works out of there for a few months when nothing is going on here. Used to put in and pull out at the same time as him and his dad at Mooloolaba and they are good guys. They only target school mackerel and sharks. They are only allowed a small number of spotties as incidental catch. One of the other netters here got caught out about two years ago for having too many and fisheries pounced on him. This father/son team only work certain areas and avoid other areas to avoid conflict with rec guys. For instance here at the coast they only work Alexander Headland, Pt Cartwright, Raper Shoal etc. but leave the Gneerings, Murphys, the peg reef and Caloundra 5mile etc. alone even though they know the fish are there.

Pretty soon the new government is buying out a lot of the inshore netters. The only thing is they cut funding to the commercial fishing organisation, QSIA like they did to Sunfish so I think the process is stalled a bit.

[Shelby35]

Was fishing at Port Alma on wednesday and the was some pro's with a net across a part of a creek it had floats on either end and the were on the bigger boat are the allowed to net like this>
Byron

[Bros]

a mackeral netter.


I thought they banned that a few years ago

[warti]

Sounds like the same boat that smashed the boyne when it flooded.

[Lucky_Phill]

I thought they banned that a few years ago

NO,

High speed ring netting of Spotties in Hervey Bay was banned.

The guys in this thread have set nets... drift nets, I am unsure of the exact term.

LP

[bigjudge]

If its a big Rip Tide tinny he is from boyne island i think and i thought he only worked stanage bay area.Looks like i could be wrong
CHEERS AND BEERS

[carnster]

NO,

High speed ring netting of Spotties in Hervey Bay was banned.

The guys in this thread have set nets... drift nets, I am unsure of the exact term.

LP

High speed ring netting for mackerel of all types still exists further north, under the loophole of netting schoolies and greys. This is in addition to set nets. It is a very efficient way of catching very large numbers of all types of spawning schools of mackerel and would have to be quite damaging. I don't believe that the quotas are enforced very well in some areas for various reasons imho.

[supa29]

yeah its a big rip tide ally tinnie and shame that its still allowed to be done. iam not against blokes making a living but nets are shit and they can wipe out large amounts of fish in short period of time, i wonder if the new government will finally ban this type of fishing, if the charter boys cna catch fish nearly every trip, i think the pros should be made do the same. I know mackeral pros on sunny coast who use lines and i have no problems with them catching them as they do it our way.

i have been told of nets across fitzroy river so bad you have to snake fromside to side to get alone the river, poor old barra havent got a chance.

supa.

i hope you right smithy, i have seen them smash the schools on the sunny coast and hoep they dont do it here.

[leonp88]

Sounds like the same boat that smashed the boyne when it flooded.

Sounds like any given pro boat. There are a couple down at Boyne...

[flatzie]

Interesting discussion, I amazed at some of the Rec fishos who just want all the fish to themselves. What about the rest of the population, who like to buy and eat fish? From fishing outlets, supermarkets and the good old fish and chip shop, an Aussie weekend and holiday icon.
Whereas some on this thread have a balanced approach, some of the statements here just seek to vilify the concept of any kind of fishing etc recreational fishing.
I am all for regulation. conservation of fish stocks, its no easy goal with increases in population and over fishing in the past. Pro licences have been reduced, and there may need to be more of that.
But I am also for families and people without boats being able to go down town and buy a feed of fish and chips, and that is exactly what a lot of pro fishos work for. Step back and have a good think I say, we are all told we should eat plenty of fish by health experts, so lets be all working towards a healthy fishery for all concerned.
If you want to catch fish, there are still plenty there, yes they may be less than 20-30 years ago, but right here in the middle of a large population like Brisbane, a lot of people I know are coming home with really good feeds of fish, because they learn, research, swap notes and spend time fine tuning the skills required. Conversely, I know blokes who often come home empty, and they whinge about the lack of fish, but when you try to help fine tune their approach, they arent listening!
Tight lines blokes
Cheers
Flatzie

[Owen]

Well said Flatzie.
If we have properly researched and enforced fishing regulations aimed at sustainability in both the commercial and rec fishing sectors then there is no issue.
If we don't then our issue is with the government!

I too have heard stories of pros acting outside the spirit of the law by laying nets alternately across the river.
But the fact is, it is the letter of the law that matters, so if the current law allows that, then it must be amended so that for example no two nets can be closer than say 1klm from another.

If the guy in question is a mackerel netter then he's working offshore anyway, so tarring him with that particular brush based simply on him sharing the same profession is pretty poor form.

[bigjudge]

I am not against anybody making a living, as long as it done within the government regulations,rec fishos have also got to abide by the rules,this way we will have a sustainable fishery for everyone.
CHEERS AND BEERS

[Owen]

I might just add that I flat refuse to buy fish from the market unless it's a "product of Australia"
I've seen dozens of people on here complaining of all the imports.
So it's pretty hypocrytical to then slam every pro for trying to make a legal living.
How much do you reckon a piece of fish would cost at woolies if every single piece had to be line caught?

[johncar]

Netting of wild fish is past it's use by date, fish stocks are getting so thin from this efficient form of fishing and I know that many of the pro's rort the system, surely we are not that naive to think they don't. I don't give a rats if the public or I can't get fish and chips at the expense of the marine life, that's not a good reason to keep doing this vandalistic method of fishing.
If it happened on land where all could see what goes on it would have been totally banned many years ago.
And for anyone who fishes with nets, I am not attacking you personally, I am sure you are good hard working people, just the method of fishing.

[flatzie]

My point exactly Johncar, Rec fishers can fish and access the resource, and dont give a rats about anyone else.
And you dont think Rec fishers rort the system? Now thats naive, to think one group do and others dont?
Rec and pro fishing will be around for a long long time, people love to eat fish mate
Cheers
Flatzie

[dan12345]

i agree flatzie seems like most rec fishos have the blinkers on to me, im a rec fisho with a commercial fishing background an have family members still involved. to say that rec guys dont rort the system s ridiculous. every form of fishing has its bad eggs that give them a bad name but to tarnish the whole fleet over one or two bad egggs is very stupid. people will always eat fish and some one some how has to catch it whether you like the way they do it or not. rec fishos have no more right to catch the fish then a commercial operator ITS EVERYBODYS OCEAN.

[Qlder1]

Not sure but don't most Qld fish and chip shops use spanish and Grey Mackeral?

I am not against commercial fishing at all but I hope the doggies and spotties aern't ending up as pet food...

[Lovey80]

Hey Smithy, if you are still reading this thread (or anyone else can answer). What is the quota on a licence like this one? I would like to know what the TAC is on an individual operator before passing judgement. It seems to me that Mac stocks are not in any sort of danger, in fact they seem to be pretty plentiful.... So I am not sure what the uproar is about a netter working open ocean is. Let's not muddy the waters between this method and netting enclosed waters like rivers, because they are miles apart.

[snapperdan]

I would think that spanish would be way 2expensive. You might get it occasionly, cooktown comes to mind..

Isnt most fish and chips NZ smooth dory and hoki and mirror dory.

[Noelm]

be kind of unlikely that wild caught Aus fish would be served in fish and chip shops, it may during the peak of a certain species season, but in reality, a fish and chip shop needs consistant supply and price, so almost all of them go for a frozen imported species, the supply is there (they can even stock up a freezer themselves) and the price is stable, this old pro v rec thing has raged for years and years, and will continue to rage for decades to come, if managed properly, pro fishos will be sustainable forever, just as us recs can be sustanied forever, but it needs to be fair for all concerned, to just yell and scream about "nets everywhere" is simply emotive babble and will reult in bugger all being done by any Government agency responsible for fisheries management.

[Noelm]

Netting of wild fish is past it's use by date, fish stocks are getting so thin from this efficient form of fishing and I know that many of the pro's rort the system, surely we are not that naive to think they don't. I don't give a rats if the public or I can't get fish and chips at the expense of the marine life, that's not a good reason to keep doing this vandalistic method of fishing.
If it happened on land where all could see what goes on it would have been totally banned many years ago.
And for anyone who fishes with nets, I am not attacking you personally, I am sure you are good hard working people, just the method of fishing.
not 100% sure I agree with this, nets are just "tools" used by tradesmen (pro fisherman) no different to a trap (that recs can use) or anything else, would you support a ban on all nets/traps for rec fisho's? lets say cast nets, prawn nets, bait nets, crab traps and so on are banned for all, do you accept that would be OK?

[Smithy]

Not sure Lovey. I don't run into him any more as I have a moored boat so don't use the Mooloolaba ramp. I know he does look at Ausfish though. Maybe he might pipe up.

[MackerelMan]

Plenty of fish and chip shops sell locally caught fish as well as imported stuff. Its seasonal what they have but mackerel, trout, mixed reef and even mahi mahi are all pretty common.

[ifishcq1]

line fishing has never depleted any fishery, anywhere, ever, but nets sure as shit have

[Noelm]

and that "fact" is bsed on?? are you trying to tell me then that hard fished (by line) places fish just as well now as they did (say) 50 years ago?

[Qlder1]

I asked around re netting of Mackeral and it seems that most likely it will not be fit for human consumption because of damage to the fish. Also the smallish boats used don't have the ability to process them well enough. I would love to hear from anyone that knows more that could confirm or deny this.

Would be a shame to see such a great little fish wasted on cats....

I think lots of fish and chip shops in central and northern Qld use Spanish, mostly caught in NQ and frozen so its available almost all year round. Maybe further south its different..

[mayer60]

Supa you really need to get a life mate..you follow a boat home and then jump to all these conclusions and then post them to create hysteria!!..The guy in question is a commercial fisherman from mooloolaba and came to Yeppoon to assist Fisheries Qld in filming a documentary on the best practices in releasing SOC (species of conservation, sharks etc )). He was in Yeppoon for two days, has never been in the Boyne, has never been to stanage and was never in the Fitzroy.the film will be available on youtube shortly for all to view.
If anyone would like to contact him his name is Bill , number is 0412986959.
This guy works harder than anyone in pursuing a better outcome for both commercial and rec fisherman and all it takes is ONE guy to kick a person in the guts with emotional B shit.
If supa wants to put his name and contact on here ,I am sure the facts can be put to him. To all the POSITIVE replies I know we still have some intelligence out there.
Gary ..0407039446

[ifishcq1]

world wide studies and data collected by various organisations locally
yes Noel look at it this way if ten boats went out 50yrs ago they caught 100 fish each, now 100 boats go out and catch 10 fish each it is still a 1000 fish
Noel show me a line fished only area where the fish stocks have gone

[Smithy]

"" What Gary said above. Ring Bill and get the facts. He is only too happy to have a chat. He rang me last night to say what he was doing which was the filming for the DPI. I have seen some of the older videos they have done before. You should be able to Google them on Youtube. He is the net rep for the QSIA as well.

[Noelm]

Noel show me a line fished only area where the fish stocks have gone

easy, there is a place right near my local ramp, we fished there all the time for Tuna, Kingfish, Snapper and Jewfish, it has (and the surrounding area) has never been netted, but now you would be lucky to catch a Pike there, back in the "old days" it was common for 30-40 boats to be anchored up and all catching fish! wonder where they all went??

[Noelm]

As I alluded to way back, this issue is emotive and at times personal, however, we cannot just blame the pros for everything that goes on, there is a thousand factors at play, from rec fishing, pro fishing, environmental impacts, all sorts of things come into it, but it is far easier to just lump all the pros in one basket and want to ban them all!

[supa29]

Supa you really need to get a life mate..you follow a boat home and then jump to all these conclusions and then post them to create hysteria!!..The guy in question is a commercial fisherman from mooloolaba and came to Yeppoon to assist Fisheries Qld in filming a documentary on the best practices in releasing SOC (species of conservation, sharks etc )). He was in Yeppoon for two days, has never been in the Boyne, has never been to stanage and was never in the Fitzroy.the film will be available on youtube shortly for all to view.
If anyone would like to contact him his name is Bill , number is 0412986959.
This guy works harder than anyone in pursuing a better outcome for both commercial and rec fisherman and all it takes is ONE guy to kick a person in the guts with emotional B shit.
If supa wants to put his name and contact on here ,I am sure the facts can be put to him. To all the POSITIVE replies I know we still have some intelligence out there.
Gary ..0407039446

mate before you put your steel caps on and start kicking people in the teeth, go back and read my thread, all i said is i followed him into town, and i didnt start anything here mate. As per this country at the moment everyone gets offended and starts baging people for there freedom of speech. i simply said i followed one home and with my experiences on the sunny coast where mackeral netters destoryed many a season of mackeral fishing by going out and taking huge schools, and all were, as someone else said for pet food, then yeah i was letting people know that, im far from against professional fishers, i used to manage the Penzone whalfs at mooloolaba on sunny coast, so get of the box mate and realise that it was a simple observation.

As for pros verse rec fishing yes there is problems on both sides but IN MY OPINION 200 rec fishers put more into a local economy than one or two pros, they both have a right to co exist and fish but the benifits to the community i feel are on the side of the rec fisho, i understand the pro has more reasons to look after the fishery, as it is his lively hood but when pros take a thousand fish in one haul in one boat and 200 recs take a thousand fish in 100 boats, even a dumb f...k like me gary can see what benifit that does to any small community.

i didnt start this to be a pro bashing thread and i havent in any on my replys done it, but i have seen first hand what they can do when they go hard on fish, and i understand that this guy may be here for other reasons and i doubt if my emotional bulls...t have effected his days in yeppoon, if my out of control emotions and mad ranting have caused all of the AUSFISH community mass hysteria and has effected Bill, i apologies but if he is like most pros he has heard a lot worse then I SAW THIS BOAT COMING INTO TOWN and probably will in the future,
If there is need for you or anyone to ring me, pm me and i can give u my work number.

And Gary my lifes fine mate thanks, yeppoon is a beautiful place and enjoying life.

kel....

[Aussie123]

This argument that pro's put little back into the economy compared to recs is just ridiculous.
An average prawn trawler can spend anywhere from 50k to 100k a year on fuel alone.
Then they have gear costs,electronic costs,maintenance costs,slipping and mooring fees,registration,survey and licence fees,taxation and accountants fees,wages and insurances plus a whole host of other fess,charges and expenses.
It takes an enormous amount of recs to spend a similar amount to that of a full time working commercial boat.
Then you have to look at the product they catch and sell.
Without commercial fishers you have no bait industry and yes,that is an industry for rec fishers.
You would have far less fresh seafood outlets.
There would be less fish and chip shops,especially the specialized ones who sell a lot of fresh local seafood.
Their product supports and creates massive turnovers for restaurants,supermarkets,take away shops,seafood vendors,wholesalers,exporters,corner stores and many other Australian business that sell seafood.
All of these industries that rely on Australian caught seafood employ people to handle,process and sell it.
They all have massive expenses like electricity for fridges,freezers and again many other associated costs that all goes back into their local economies.
The money that is generated down the line from seafood that our pro's catch is enormous so yes they do put back a little bit more into our economy than what some recs think.
We won't mention the money they put back into their local economy when they buy themselves a house,car furniture,raising a family ect just like every other person does because this money comes from the rape and pillage of our oceans.

[Noelm]

I told you it was an emotive issue!

[GBC]

Aust fisheries exports are worth in the order of $1.4 Billion a year. The aust commercial fishing industry consumes as much fuel as the whole of The Netherlands each year. The downstream effects on the economy as you would imagine, are significant.

Right or wrong it's a very solid part of our GDP. Didn't see rec fishing on the pie chart last time I looked - just saying.....

If you want examples of line caught fisheries being flogged by rec anglers, have a look at the NT barra fishery. They have fought hard over the last 15 years to bring it back to somewhere near sustainable. The rec fishing effort easily outstripped the professional effort for a long while until they worked out where all the fish were going.

[bg1000]

"As per this country at the moment everyone gets offended and starts baging people for there freedom of speech."

I think people get upset when someone posts made up storys on internet forums. Fair go Supa you had no idea what was going on but made it your duty to make up a story to suit your own opinions.

" sunny coast where mackeral netters destoryed many a season of mackeral fishing by going out and taking huge schools"

The guy your on about has a 6.5 meter tinnie. I just want to know how he fits all these tonnes in his boat. Do you even stop to think about what you are writing.

I thought Mackerel were a migratory fish? So how it it that mackerel stocks off the sunny coast are decimated? It's pretty clear regardless of of rec or pro that mackerel seasons are are good some are bad. It's just fishing. North QLD in bowen and townville have just had a tremendous mackerel season (from what i've heard). Yet where was all that fish last year when the goldy and sunny coasts were quiet. Those fish were out there somewhere.


Supa please inform me of your experiences of the mackerel netters destroying the mackerel stocks off the Sunny Coast.

Is this simply another fabrication. Please enlighten us here on how you were able to come to this conclusion.

One look on the reports on the fishing noosa website or Smithy's charter site in mackerel season would suggest that there are still plenty of fish there. Your claims seem to be very subjective.

To simply claim mackerel stocks are decimated in one area is a fast?
Firstly: Which species are you refering to if not all?
2. What is the stock structure of the species (migratory or local)?
3. How many commercial operators are in the area to which you refer?
4. What was the total catch that you refer to which has deplected that stock?
5. What would you suggest would be a sustainable total catch on the species you refer to?


Have you even read the latest inshore fin fish report put out by fisheries, on there you can see quantities caught in both line and net commercial fishieries. Catches over the last three reports seem to be fairly consistent. There will always be variation due to weather/currents etc.
What gets me about your claims is that Mackerel stocks are quite well regulated. For both commercial and rec sectors.

1. Spanish Mackerel:
Commercial: No net take. Line fishery only with a individul quota system.
Recreational: 3 fish bag limit

2. Spotted Mackerel:
Commercial: 140 Tonnes Total Allowable Catch. Line fishery only with limited by-catch in net fishery.
Recreational: 5 fish bag limit

3. Grey Mackerel
Commercial: 240 tonnes Total allowable catch. Net or line
Recreational: 5 fish bag limit

4. School Mackerel
Commercial: Net or line fishery
Recreational: 10 Fish bag limit

Three of the four main types of mackerel have a limit in what can be taken commercially. That is regardless of whether a mackerel is caught on a line or in a net there is a total limit that has been set by fisheries as to what their research and observations suggest is sustainable.

The same cannot be said for the rec sector. Although there is a daily possession limit there is no management tool which can ensure that the total catch from the rec sector is limited. So the question is which is more is likely to be more sustainble. A commercial sector with defined catch limits or a recreational sector that has a daily catch/possession limit?

My point is supa at least I have gone away had a good look at the rules and the reports from fisheries and can clearly see that unlike what you suggest commercial fisheries are well regulated. I have not even touched on closed area , green zones and yellow zones or gear restrictions etc that commercial and rec sector is regulated by.

Here is a link to show the type of research fisheries qld have been doing. There is plenty there if you simply look. But at least it shows that fisheries do put alot into there fisheries research.
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/documents/Fisheries_ServicesAndGeneral/Spanish-mackerel-results-update.pdf

Like you said as one is entitled to free speech. But when you go online these days with with unsunstaintiated claims don't expect to be taken seriously.


BG

[supa29]

This argument that pro's put little back into the economy compared to recs is just ridiculous.
An average prawn trawler can spend anywhere from 50k to 100k a year on fuel alone.
Then they have gear costs,electronic costs,maintenance costs,slipping and mooring fees,registration,survey and licence fees,taxation and accountants fees,wages and insurances plus a whole host of other fess,charges and expenses.
It takes an enormous amount of recs to spend a similar amount to that of a full time working commercial boat.
Then you have to look at the product they catch and sell.
Without commercial fishers you have no bait industry and yes,that is an industry for rec fishers.
You would have far less fresh seafood outlets.
There would be less fish and chip shops,especially the specialized ones who sell a lot of fresh local seafood.
Their product supports and creates massive turnovers for restaurants,supermarkets,take away shops,seafood vendors,wholesalers,exporters,corner stores and many other Australian business that sell seafood.
All of these industries that rely on Australian caught seafood employ people to handle,process and sell it.
They all have massive expenses like electricity for fridges,freezers and again many other associated costs that all goes back into their local economies.
The money that is generated down the line from seafood that our pro's catch is enormous so yes they do put back a little bit more into our economy than what some recs think.
We won't mention the money they put back into their local economy when they buy themselves a house,car furniture,raising a family ect just like every other person does because this money comes from the rape and pillage of our oceans.


Yeah mate i dont disagree with you, we all buy furniture and stuff mate and with a full boat ramp at Rosslyn Bay with on average i would say 300 boat trailers and on average 200 bucks a boat in fuel bait and stuff, thats 60k a day along so there is arguements on both sides mate, i know that the pros always put back in the community and i didnt say they didnt and i dont say that rec fishos are all perfect and dont do things wrong, as i sadi there is good and bad on both sides and i dont think the solution is kicking sand at each other, but hey as old mate the pro i been called worse and i wont loose any sleep over this.

The thing is i thought this was a forum to express ones veiws and ideas and swap info, not crusify someone who has different ideas to you, maybe netting is a touchy subject.

All good mate, and i do agree only buy australian fish.

supa.

[krocspoon]

i would like to say i can deny this! and who the hell did you ask? maybe this stinks like sunfish.netted school and spotted mackeral are certainly fit to eat , as for damage to fish have you ever line fished spotties they get themselves pretty roughed up , pull em out of a net and they are no worse off . ring netting of spotted mack was banned 10 years ago and how many more fish are out there? yeah thats right . smallish boat usually dont process at all as the fish are iced down and unloaded daily. as for the old cat food line , mate whiskers does not have fresh mackeral or any of the fish i catch in it !
I asked around re netting of Mackeral and it seems that most likely it will not be fit for human consumption because of damage to the fish. Also the smallish boats used don't have the ability to process them well enough. I would love to hear from anyone that knows more that could confirm or deny this.

Would be a shame to see such a great little fish wasted on cats....

I think lots of fish and chip shops in central and northern Qld use Spanish, mostly caught in NQ and frozen so its available almost all year round. Maybe further south its different..

[dan12345]

i used to manage the Penzone whalfs at mooloolaba on sunny coast, so get of the box mate and realise that it was a simple observation.



Where the the hell is penzones wharf. never herd of it.and ive lived on the sunny coast my whole life.
i assume you mean pinzones wharfs so i would assume if you managed it you would at least know how to spell it. When did you manage theese wharfs as myself and some of my family members have been working from there for over 15yrs. and also used to work on the commercial netting boat before it original owner passed away. (i assume its the same boat a plate pacific) with the drum up front?

[grahams]

I kinda promised myself I wouldn't get involved in these matters but it upsets me to see a group of people who are all passionate supporters of our marine environment arguing with each other

Here are my thoughts;

1. 95%of issues facing recs and pros are the same
2. There are rogues in both camps
3. Let's look at fish stocks from the good old' triple bottom line and start to question whether we are getting the best value from a precious resource
4 environmental factors are most important sustaining fish populations is paramount and there is nothing wrong with the precautionary principle
5. Social and economic values rate equal second

so as we argue about net caught mackerel or barramundi or prawn trawlers, think about the economic socia
And environmental values and ask yourself if it is the best possible outcome.
I'll try a couple of examples.
A charter operator like Smithy provides a fantastic social benefit to fathers and sons or workmates to experience the natural environment and enjoy something almost as a traditional right of passage. The few kegs of fish taken have contributed maybe $100. Per kilo to the economy....Scores well.
Barramundi are a total icon and enjoyed by both fishermen and restaurant diners...and both expect a chance to enjoy barramundi, however most rec fishermen I know don't need to eat it to ,enjoy it. so the same fish might produce enormous economic benefit thru rec fishing and then ultimately also satisfy a diner. If we can get size and bag limits and TAC s worked out Barra could be a winner on all 3 values.

I fish for GT's. I think they have cost me thousands of dollars and I really hope I haven't harmed a single fish. They are worth virtually nothing to pros and should be protected.
Reef fish should be able to shared as the values are reasonably similar. Likewise mackerel. Other species clearly have more value to pro fishers, mullet,sharks,prawns etc

I wish we could all agree to number one look after the resource then be big and brave enough to understand if a fish has to die then at least respect it enough to recognise its highest value