The great fishing debate

[bugman]

These were two stories posted on the ABC today regarding fishing.

It's funny - commercial fisherman arguing on both sides of the coin.

From Cairns

Fisherman threatens court action to stop reef moves

A north Queensland commercial fisherman says he will apply to the Supreme Court in Townsville to stop the expansion of green zones in the Great Barrier Reef.

The first phase of the marine park authority's review of representatives areas closed yesterday, and more than 10,000 submissions have been received.

Innisfail trawler operator Geoffrey Ashton says if more green zones are added it will mean the end of the Queensland fishing industry.

"If they take another 25 per cent off trawling, or recreational fishers, or commercial fishing on the Barrier Reef there'll have to be a 25 per cent reduction because the effort that's there will be concentrated on 75 per cent," he said.


From Hervey Bay

Petition war begins in commercial fishing dispute

A battle of petitions is now on for the future of commercial fishing in Hervey Bay waters.

Sunfish has put a 3,000 strong petition to the Queensland Government on behalf of recreational fishermen for a ban and the Queensland Seafood Industry Association is now gathering signatures for a counter petition.

Urangan Fisheries manager Paul Farmer says the Government should make it clear whether it wants to close down some seafood processing companies.

He says the Sunfish proposal is the last of many attacks on commercial fishing operations.

"Being a public resource, all legitimate interest groups within the community should have a right of access to the resource and unfortunately, as I see it, Sunfish's claim is to take the resource and make it exclusive to one group," he said.

"That is unfair on the broader community, particularly when our industry contributes so greatly to the income and wealth of the broader community."

Meanwhile, commercial operators are being reassured any decision on restricting their fishing rights in the future will not be based on the strength of petitions alone.

Terry Healy from the Queensland Fisheries Service says a fisheries resource allocation policy is being developed, which will be used when considering any proposals for recreational only fishing zones.

Bugman

[jaybee]

Hey bug sounds to me in the end we will all (including commercial fishers) be fishing around a small hole in the ice..so to speak..I like many others realise sunfish and recfish do a good job representing us...and without trying to sound repetitive..all amatuers need to be writing to their respective local members to support these groups, before it is too late..if it isnt already.A good start is on this board then getting their neighbours and relatives to write as well..i dont know too many people that dont fish at least once a year and they all count. A scary thing is commercial fishers are allowed firearms on their boats..and I know for a fact they have fired on amatuers before and foreighn boats..but that is going back a long way..but this could get scary when you think about it
cheers

[Kerry]

.... A scary thing is commercial fishers are allowed firearms on their boats..and I know for a fact they have fired on amatuers before and foreighn boats..but that is going back a long way..but this could get scary when you think about it
cheers

Now come on that's getting out of line and rather a bit dramatic and scare mongering, that sort of crap doesn't need to be included in this issue.

If you think all amateurs a sweet little angels then you've got off at the wrong stop. There's some incidents involving shameteurs which I could recall from years gone by would no doubt make you feel a bit creepy but leave it in the past as there was no gooders on both sides.

Cheers, Kerry.

[jaybee]

that was the point i was trying to make kerry and if it boils down to all fishing around a hole in the ice who is going to come out on top ..i have had experiance of answering a phone at early hours in the morning of a commericial fisherman firing on amatuers because he thought they were encrouching on their ground ..its not scare mongering its facts

[Volvo]

jaybee not tryin ta start an argument or anything mate but with outlooks or comments like the above we as rec fishers lose credibillity and at the days end the Gov will do as they see fit and wont listen to either party.
Mate ive in the past run up a small creek ta lift me crabpots and there was a Rec fisho with his young lad about the seven to eight year old mark cuttin of the roap to one of me pots, now what do you think he had in mind ta do with that pot and with his young lad in the boat it woulda looked good for me ta jump over and flatten his old man wouldnt it??(mind ya im a Rec fisho too).
Rather i had few words with him so's i wouldnt frighten his young fella and also at same time show him what an acehole his old man was .
So my point is there is good n bad both sides of the fence and we gotta learn ta live with each other and in harmony.
Let me tell ya i know some Commercial Fishos in my neck of the woods and they are bloody top fellas just tryin ta make a livin and do want to live and fish alongside everyone else without all the slandering thats been goin on to and fro between rec Fishos and Commercial fishos.
They are not dumbarses and do know whats happening to the species and habitat as much as we do but like i said in previous post "About time both sides got around the table and worked together before we are all fishin out of a small hole ey.
Cheers and no dissrespect meant to anybody.

[jaybee]

Np volvo i couldnt agree with u more
cheers