Charter Boats

[maztez]

Went for a walk down the seaway spit this morning just to have a sticky beak at what Im missing out on by not being on the water at the moment.
From 530to around 700 I counted 19 yes 19 fishing charter boats heading out for a days bash .
I wouldnt have thought that there were so many based down here ....the mind boggles...
cheers Terry

[Heath]

and a bash is right in those conditions.

[gawby]

I shouldn't start this but imagine,
19 charters x 8 persons = 152 fishing.
Say they catch 10 fish each = 1520 caught.
During the week might be a bit quieter so about 94 charters per week with 8 persons on board catching 10 fish each
gives something like 7520 fish caught a week.
Some charters do 2 trips per day.
The mind boggles at how many fish are being taken out of one area.
I AM NOT A GREENIE as i like to catch a feed myself.
Good catches off the Goldie are few and far between and i have had some dry runs in the past.
I suppose there are no limitations to the amount of times a charter boat can go out, so be it but it is a hard wack on a limited area.
This is just my opinion on it and am not looking for a heated debate on my comments.
Graeme

[lippa]

with a few exceptions, every charter ive been, or friends have told me about. the average fish per person, would be more like 3-4. still a lot of fish!!!!!!!!
i think most charter operators are mindful of there own industry. ive heard countless times people saying, "we were on the fish" and the operartor moves!
it would fantastic if we could get actual numbers. i have no doubt the rec angler would pull more numbers per week.

cheers

lippa

[Braddles]

I am a regular charter customer, and whilst I am loyal to one in particular (IMHO the best charter operator on the coast) - I am rarely taken to the same mark twice in a dozen trips... These guys have 20+ years combined family experience of the reefs to the 50 mark and have dozens of marks between the seaway and the 50's - perhaps in the hundreds I might suggest - if not close to.... On a 6am to 3pm charter you might visit 3 to 6 spots - 8 spots would be extreem. They have FAD marks and reef patches that they know would be hot to trot, but if they are on the fish at spot X - they wont take you to another known hot spot - they have to protect both the environment and the sustainability too - afterall it IS their income if that is the only motivator.

As for 10 pp being the "average" catch - thats not the case I can assure you. Sometimes we have had 10, but that would be the exception and certainly not the average. Most boats take 10 passangers pax too for bottom bashing and 6 - 8 for trolling. Most times its 3-5 nice fish each, and sometimes once we get one decent cobia or yellow tail kingie each, we move to target another species / reef or the charter agrees as a team to catch and release unless something special is caught, or change to trolling for pelagics / black marlin etc....

Although there is a massive difference in the price they charge, the shine of the boat and the experience of the crew / how hard and far wide they will go to put you on the fish - I think they are pretty responsible and must give credit where it is due.

[2DKnBJ]

From what i recall one of those 19 are attracted to a certain haines V17L.
I wont name the owner but i think the boat is called MISTRESS.

Cheers Dazza