Beef of the Week

[Dominator]

Hi all,

Yesterday on my way to a friends BBQ I stopped off at a certain fish market at Sunnybank to pick up a peice of fish for my girlfriend. Upon having a look around the shop I saw a large butchers tub containing many undersize Bream, I mean most of these fish would have been pushing it to reach the 20cm mark. >:( >:( >:(

Now what i don't understand is how these people can sell these undersize fish without being pulled up by the authorities. The DPI put's in place size and bag limits on fish and then you walk into a shop in there in front of you are heaps of undersize fish, it really pisses me off. >:( >:( >:(

I am not sure what can be done about this but I am certain some one on this chatboard may be able to go through the appropriate channels to make sure this will not continue.

Cheers,

Dominator.

[snappa]

dominator

maybe the queensland fisheries would like to respond to this ????????????? :-X

[imported_admin]

Dom

Phone the Fishwatch hotline 1800 017 116.

[gif]

Hi

I had a look myself today when I was over that side of town.

The Bream looked real small.

I always think that the “right thing to do” is report it - and with evidence of possible.

Boat and car registrations even photographs if possible.

In this case the right thing to do is buy a few fish, get a receipt if possible and report it and make the samples available.


So when they looked really small to me - that’s what I did. I bought 3.

I know they looked 20cm. But I measured them to the tip of the tail at 225 and 232 mm.

Fisheries were very helpful and picked them up promptly from an office where I left them. They measured them at 233 and 235 and 239. Just over.

They are the umpire - and I apologised for wasting their time. But I could have sworn I had the measurements right.

So I was wrong. But I still think we all have a duty to keep an eye on these things - for the same reason we all do catch and release, or let the little ones go.

Sure - have a whinge on this board - but I recon we should all do something as well - even just a phone call to the Fishwatch hotline.

Dominator did the right thing by asking what to do.

For the scouts out there – be prepared - by programming the Fishwatch hotline into your mobile phone 1800 017 116.

[craigie]

Yes guys, keep that hotline Number handy.
I recently saw some very small Flathead in a retail outlet near Bulimba/Colmslie that neaded to be reported, but alas I didn't have the number to phone it in :( :(

Craigie.

[Fisherman02]

yeh fellas
a store in another suburb has bream under 10cm!
Not sure if there is some sort of licence you can get which enables them to catch fish this small? ( i would look like a right fool) if not then ill give them a call
cheers jack

[Fitzy]

On measuring the length of a fish. I did a fisheries course a few years ago & we did the correct way to measure.
On fish with a forked tail, you are supposed to pull the outside of the tail fins together to get a total overall length. It can often add just a bit extra.
Then there's the "certified" measuring apparatus (ie ruler) that QFS officers use. We could be using stickers, rulers, tapes, bits of string etc that are inaccurate. I recon about the best around are the stainless steel rulers that you can get from most hardware stores. Get the ones with the incriments engraved into the metal, not the el cheepo ones with the measurements simply printed on. The good one aint cheep tho! Less fluctuations in hot conditions. I've got one screwed to the floor of my rig. (it gets bloody hot in the sun tho!) :-X

Good on yas for keeping a watchful eye crew.

Keep the bastard honest!!

Fitzy..

[rick k]

remember the difference between tarwhine and bream; different shaped forehead; domed profile for tarwhine, no legal length last time I checked

[shano]

yeah i know the shop ya mean in sunnybank have seen many undersized fish and crabs there !

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Hope the "Land-rights-for-gay-and-lesbian-whale-brigade" that are so vocal in accusing Rec fisho's of devestating the fish population are reading this post. Everyone is showing by their replies that Rec fisho's are much more concerned about the fish stocks that what the average joe is. And it seems, are much more concerned than what the commercial fisho that supplied those border-line fish to the shop was.
I'm sure most good rec fisho's would put anything back that needed a top notch rule to tell the difference between a keeper and a just legal. If it is going to be that close, why not put it back anyway.
Cheers,
Jeff

[gif]

Hey Fitzy

I used one of those Alvey rulers. # I checked.#it seems accurate.

But I measured the length with the tail laid out as if swimmming #- which is just how it is shown in the DPI brochures.

If their actual method is stretching to its maximum length I am not impressed. #That not what their own instructions say.

Fitzy, do you have any notes or manual from this course?

G

see http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/2881.html

[Fitzy]

Fitzy, do you have any notes or manual from this course?

G


I'
l'll have a dig through my filing cabinet but I doubt I still have any text books etc.

Fitzy..

[thargor]

Brisbane QB&FP Field Officers are fairly stretched when it comes to covering their "area". Theres not many of them around.

Information from the hotline really gives them something to work on. At least it can narrow down the badness out there.

[snappa]

my two bobs worth

As I have said before the pro`s only concern is to make money and no thoughts about the future stocks or the local fishing community
As more of them find it harder they are quick to blame the rec fishermen for their own negligence and not their over fishing
Case example is a so-called netter, works during the day as a labourer and then in the afternoon be seen heading off to the local creek or bay area (pine), net boat in tow and looking at the trailer could not be in any state to be legally towed or for that matter be allowed on the road.
Just think about it
There would be no commercial value ??? To what he is doing other than destroying the local fish stocks and for what gain
HIS *#* OWN.
profit driven only

This is my view and only mine.

[Dominator]

Hello Again guy's

I called the number that was posted and spoke to someone regarding this matter and they assured me they would look into it further.

I am not sure if this will be the case but next time i am in that shop again i will definately keep some of the undersized fish and show them to the proper authorities.

Thanks for the info all,

Cheers,

Dominator.

[sharkbait]

on another note what about some stores selling diver whiting under the tag 'red spot whiting', i thought they are rec only.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

I reported a shop in the Carindale centre last week. Same sort of thing - the bream looked very small but what got my attention was the smattering of small squire being passed off as bream >:( >:( >:(. I didn't hand around for the outcome, so I don't know if it was even followed up.

[Cubesy]

Dominator

Good on you for taking some action.

I will have to remember the number. I assume you can report reco's doing the wrong thing also?

I was at Nudgee a couple of weeks ago and there was a woman fishing there who kept a bream that was about 15cm. I made a point of telling her the legal size. The sad part was she was fishing with a couple of kids and obviously teaching them the wrong thing. it was too late for the fish she kept though as her method of stopping the fish from moving while she got the hook out was to stick a knife in it!!! >:(

To clarify the early post, tarwhine have the same legal size limit as yellow fin bream at 23cm according to the DPI website

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/11416.html#limits

Cheers

Cubesy

[rick k]

thanks Cubesy, an excellent change with the tarwhine, and stops a loophole.

Also reminds me of the need to check more carefully for changes.

Rick

[Big_Muddie]

As far as I can remember - and this goes back to the late 50's/ early 60's - tarwhine have always had the same minimum size as bream - 9 inches way back and now 23cm.

[rick k]

You are possibly right Michael. Are you based in Qld?

My fishing shop supplied Qld tide chart has a short list of controlled fish, and tarwhine aren't on it, which is not to say they shouldn't be. I have been given the tarwhine excuse when I have complained to fish shops in the past.
Dusky slot size is a hand written addition to said tide chart size limits.

Certainly goes to show the need to go to the source. Luckily for me tarwhine don't seem to eat stretch 5's trolled for flathead, unlike whiting and bream (and yes, I let the whiting go; too bony, and the bream; don't like the taste)

[Big_Muddie]

Yes, Qld here Fishtime - SE Qld.

My experience with "tide charts" is on 3 levels:

1. The "fishing shop" variety. They have the tides and only a small amount of info on regulated fish.

2. Publications like the Great Outdoors Tide Guide. More info in this regarding regulated fish plus a lot of other things.

3. The Official Tide Tables & Boating SafetyGuide. More info again.

The problem with all of these is that they have to be manually changed when regulations are changed during the life of the publications. One thing for certain, the onus is on us as recreational anglers to make ourselves aware of the current regulations. When it comes to being caught with fish that are undersize, ignorance of current rules is highly unlikely to be taken as a valid reason for having them.

While I was not checking regulated sizes in the 50s and early 60s, I certainly was in the late 60s and onwards. I had no choice - :-/ - I was secretary of a fishing club and was required to check legal sizes during club comps.


Thankfully, those fishing club days are long gone for me - been out of that scene for almost 24 years.