Rec fishermen bashing

[INDULGENCE]

Hi Guys
Last night locally on A Current Affair we had Crikey pop up bashing Rec Fishermen about the Grey Nurse sharks.
You have all seen and heard it before, however the thing that makes this lot different was the set up by A Current Affair
The reporter I missed her name went diving with Crikey and a local Dive Guide. Her opening statement was that she was scared and that she had taken a dive course so she could do the story.

Crikey was surprised after the dive to find out it was her first open water ,30m not really responsable. In defence there was a guide with them.

Crikey paid out on the fishermen that target Grey Nurse for their fins (they have 2 dorsal ) makes it more profitable to target this species. Grow up! I dont know anybody that would target Grey Nurses for their fins.As for showing us a Mako and suggesting it was a Nurse and finned by rec fishos, lets get real.
He also suggested that the marine park zone around Grey Nurse habitats should be 1.5km, I dont even think this merits comment.
About the only thing of sense in the whole report was Crikey suggesting that all Australians should stick their heads under water at some time. This however is not going to help a specie that has such a low fecundity rate.
I support Crikey in a lot of things he has done but this time he lacks the facts badly.I hope you guys in QLD are not subjected to such rubbish on tele for the sake of ratings.

Wally

[camsharkman]

Yeah we got the same rubbish last night here in QLD. I missed the location they were at - was it somewhere on the NSW central coast??
That show has turned pure garbage! Sensationalized crap to feed gullible minds! It was good how they just found that finned Mako right there. ::)

[Jitlands]

Little we can do to combat the resources of the media but the image projected to the "non fishing" public by rec fishers is not good and will bring increasing pressure on our ability to access waters and fish.

Reconsing that its the few bogans who are potentially screwing it for the rest of us but,

Every breakwall from Coffs to Gladstone that I have fished from is strewn with smashed stubbies, bait packets, fishing line and the like. Its rec fishos who do this and give ammo to the greens and non fishers in their moves to limit our access to fish and waterways.

Put yourself in the shoes of a non fisher who takes his family to Fraser for a holiday and happens to be camping beside a group of these dickheads. What is the impression he and his family takes away of rec fishers? Is it one of environmentally consious folk who enjoy the outdoors and a feed of fish or is it one of a mob off drunks tearing up the dunes and attempting to remove anthing with scales from the ocean, whilst burning the native vegitation.

I don't have the answer but i am sure the access to fish stocks and waterways will be drastically different in another 10 years and doubt my grandkids willbe able to wet a line like we do.

[wiseguy67]

having a guide only means the guide was not following the rules of safe diving and could loose his certification if there was a complaint or accident.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is conducted in three parts-- Knowledge Development Sessions, Confined Water Training and Open Water Dives, with the first 2 dives having a maximum depth of 12 meters and the last 2 dives with a maximum depth of 18 meters.

Politicians and Media what to do?

[INDULGENCE]

Most of the footage was around Wolf rock and Nursery reef.I wish this sort of dive was available on the Central Coast

Dont shoot the guide/dive operator he was probably trying to do his job but with producers using sharks and crikey for ratings he wouldnt have much say.

Here I find myself defending a guy when interviewed sprouted out the old chestnuts of hooks and line hanging out of the toothy grin of these sharks.

These people need to look more at nature for the causes than bash us up.

Wally

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

Hi Wally

I didn't see ACA with the show in question but perhaps it might be an idea to send them an email and voice your concerns. I am sure there would be enough members here to add weight to your approach. ACA needs to be reminded that viewers, especially those under attack, will not tolerate one sided, unbalanced reports.

Cheers to you and Ruth

Dave

[imported_admin]

A guy rang here the other day and said he was from ACA. He said that they were doing a story on a rec fisherman that was caught with 109 shark fins near Rockhampton and wanted to know if I knew anything about it and/or wanted to make comment. When I asked him for more details he didn't seem to know much other than they were doing a story on it and looking for comments and info.

[JewseeTHAT]

Rec fisherppl finning sharks for money? Who ever heard of such garbage? We all know what low life forms do that, and it ain't us!

[leeadr]

Yeah, well we all know how these so called 'Responsible Media' outlets are. A mate of mine was setup by one of these shows, of course they paid for the trip o/s and for all the grog and accom. I know that most rec fishos I see respect the changes and habitats for what they are.. a fishing future for all of us when we are rolling the Oxy tanks and nurses onto our boats. Besides, they should get on to the Government of the lack of enforcement on the water of these areas.

I'll support a letter/e-mail to the show. Lets show them that minority of the rec fish population is not the whole rec fish population.

P.S. Should I comment on 'minority' of bad media outlets vs the general opinion?

[Dodge41]

Saw the show last night and as a viewer of many years there is no doubt it is gradually losing all credibility in its reporting.

Seeming to rely nowadays on a celebrity with a story beat up; regretably the Channel 7 alternative is no better in my opinion.

[Cruiser]

Strange, that mako looked awfully fresh.... nah, they wouldn't have.... surely not ????

But if it was dead or wounded in those waters I think something would have eaten it or at least had a go.


Chris.

[Billo]

I do have to agree that the protection zones around the reefs are needed ...but i don't believe in the capacity they currently have .
I think bottom bashing should be banned in KNOWN grey Nurse sanctuaries , not just areas known to have visiting populations , but trolling should still be allowed in these zones .

As for the mako shown finned , yes , does seem quite suss .....amazing how a FRESH finned Mako just popped up .
Maybe it was caught by a longliner or netter or something of the above and they used it for their own means .


As for the Rec fisherman taking fins .......few and far between ...but what about the odd Shark Fin soup fanatic that moves in to Australia permanantly and supplies mates and friends etc ....could happen !

[SHARKY]

Did anyone notice that the Mako in the show still had its pectoral fins ? These are worth the same money that the dorsal fins are :-? >:(. Also heard a wisper that there will a much larger marine park brought in in the future (5km around Wolf Rock!!!). This will mean that even the BEACH and the whole of DI point will be no fishing. The "local guide" was the main driving force behind the original closure of Wolf Rock and now wants more.

[banshee]

Needless to say that it was divers and power heads that nearly wiped them out in the first place.

[Spaniard_King]

Saw the show as well,

I think ACA was tryin to buy votes ::). I don't mind steve irwin..chasin crocks..but me thinks he should stick to that :P

Garry

[bidkev]

<snip>

As for the Rec fisherman taking fins .......few and far between ...but what about the odd Shark Fin soup fanatic that moves in to Australia permanantly and supplies mates and friends etc ....could happen !



More than likely *does*. If they catch the buggers they should strip 'em of citizenship (if they bothered their arse getting it) and ship 'em off to where they came from. OTOH they may be born and bred here like those bastards that have just been taken into custody. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!! >:( >:( That Gorpy Gorman will be kept in work for years with that mob.

kev

[rajawolf]

As Chris said looked fresh :-[ ... steve irwin gave it a cuddle and kiss ::)

[Hagar]

Hmmm - I saw the report too . If the protection zone is to protect grey nurse habitat and encourage them to breed then what business did Crikey and any other divers have there when as he stated the sharks in mating mode . If you're gonna have a protection zone then make it just that . To the exclusion of EVERYONE including divers and let the sharks get on with it uninterrupted that way it's fair to all .

Chris

[theoldlegend]

Methinks that both of these shows on 7 and 9 are so desperate to outdo each other that the truth gets lost somewhere along the line. So long as they can put together a sensational story then that's all that matters.

Here's just one example of how the media can manipulate things to suit their own ends:

Last year there was a photo in the paper showing boys from one of the local high schools over at Straddy for Schoolies, all holding up cans of beer and having a good time. I recognised one of the boys and he doesn't drink, so I rang his mum just to stir her up. She told me that the boys were just sitting around with not much to do, so the photographer asked the boys to get some empty cans from a bin and hold them up for the photo.

Gave the impression that they were playing up something fierce, which wasn't the case. The school principal wasn't too happy with the paper.

TOL

[Darryl]

My thoughts exactly Hagar, if this is an exclusion zone then nobody but fisheries should be allowed there.

[tincanpeter]

Afew years ago ACA had a show on the wages paid to the Gold Coast and Caboolture Mayors. The compare,Ray Martin was spitting chips that they received $130,000 a year. Just a few weeks proir Ray Martins was report as being paid $2m+ per year.
Says a lot for the show, does it.

[Wyoming]

The suggestion that Rec Fishos removed the fins (or only ONE of them ) is truly outrageous! I have never heard of this in Australia by an "Australian", but doubless, it happens. Sadly, the SF Soup is a real delicacy and is treasured by our Asian neighbours, but NOT in our waters thank-you-very-much. I have never heard of anyone reportedly nicking fins, not even from a bloke in a pub who knew a bloke who knew a bloke. Have any of you guys heard of such an act in Oz? I doubt it, so I have to conclude that this is another shameful TV BEAT UP.

On the same note though, I recon that if they were caught, they would get away with it -Scott Free. Did you see where the Patagonian Tooth Fish poachers who were caught red handed, arrested in South Africa and escorted back to W.A. were aquitted? These turds were chased for 3 days through ice packs in the Southern Ocean until our navy caught up with them. My son was on the boarding party and sailed their ship back from South Africa to Garden Island,W.A. and he reports that the Captain and the Fishing Master knew precisely what they were doing. But alas, their poor families in Portugal needed them back and our brave government aquitted them! That is laughable! Before they returned to home, they told the media what a wonderful place Australia was and how well they were looked after!They enjoyed it so much, I suspect these scum bags will return, maybe not to shore, but I'll have a bet they will take up their trade again inside our waters.

Tell me I'm not being too harsh on these citizens of the world....

[banshee]

Shark fining is alive and well on the Nth Coast of NSW,talk is that fisheries are closing in on some commercial fishers,they have names but are lacking the "smoking gun".

[Wyoming]

Perhaps I'm being naive in thinking that Australians are making a niche industry with the finning of noahs. If in fact, there are commercial operators that are into this 'orrible venture, they ought to be sunk!
>:(

[westie]

Crieky DO what Crikey wants, for the inviroment of his bank account and advertising.

He is no longer Steve Irwin, he is a item and a puppet.

Shame he was good at what he did, now he is great at causing DOO DOO

[wiseguy67]

In the late 1980's I worked on a longliner out of port lincoln we caught hundreds of sharks every day we kept the fillets of mako, other species it was fins only and over the side. The boat was from japan permitted to fish in australia. It was required to have minimum two australian crew.
Fishing practices have changed and i am not sure how many longline boats are operating as there are massive fish farms. As for the boats that are still in operation there is no doubt sharks are still a by-catch.
Just as they are on any set line bottom bashing by the pros....

Australian or otherwise pro fishos still wreak havok, i have witnessed pro fishos off WA fishing within the ningaloo marine reserve....
Just as when prawn trawlers pick up a few crays they tend to end up in the crews possesion, in season or not. I have seen some crew with large bags full of tails after a few weeks of trawling for prawns in WA. #
There were some boats that made sure the live ones where thrown back as the penalty for getting caught was very costly. Though the fisheries officers did do searches once is a while i never heard of any one getting caught.

As a scuba diver i was able to see that the cray population was in no means in any danger of depletion but that was in WA.

Unfortunatly its not just the pros and its not just the "unwanted foreigners" (as some people stereotype them to be) that are doing the illegal fishing activities.

Couple months ago meter plus noah was on the beach at sunrise it had a leader with hook attached, couldn't see any signs of cause of death but the hook tells the story. Question is was it a pro or recreational fisho....

Its up to the general public to report illegal activity but 9 times out of 10 nothing comes of it as the perps are long gone or there is no evidence.

I have witnessed rec fishos of all nationalty make a mess of fishing areas with garbage, bait bags and line litter most beachs, fish frames and whole fish, I often find shovelnose and other unwanted left on the beach to die....

As a scubadiver when i come across a fish that has be caught and released that dies, large or small its a bit sad to see as while diving the reason we go is to observe life under the waves.
Some divers are a bit much in protecting the enviroment.... such as inviting the media to report.

[turkey_beach_boy]

Crikey TO bad a shark didnt eat old steve o ;D