Cast nets are illegal in NSW completely. I think we have some wires crossed here Fisher28
Democracy: Simply a system that allows the 51% to steal from the other 49%.
Matt you are correct that is where the majority of prawns caught in the clarence river end up. I think that has been mentioned several times in this thread and I don't think anyone disputes that. My point is those same school prawns if left alone in the river will run out to sea where they can be harvested in a much less environementally sensitive area.
Also when they do run down river they can be targeted using much more environmentally friendly (not to mention fuel effect) pocket nets.
Matt, I am pretty sure you have made that point already in this thread. We get it that these terrible practices allow Rec Anglers to drown a prawn. Do you really think the public would cry too hard if they had to catch thier own prawns in a cast net, especially CONsidering that the tweed prawn bait bags work out more expensive than buying fresh off the boat edible Green prawns at the co-op or market. Or it would be such a nuisance to use other bait?
I would assume that you are privy to information about how many ton of by-catch sold at market by all the different types of licenses? Why not post up that information to set the record straight to alleviate our fears if the fisheries BRD's are doing their jobs and other netters like mullet netters aren't targeting Jew and tailor and other prime species.
Democracy: Simply a system that allows the 51% to steal from the other 49%.
Hi guys here is the links below, please go there and voice your comments i tried to edit and add the comments from us on this thread to the comments page but was told that they were to long and after a lot of editing realized it was a bit of a waste of time and it would be best for individuals to do this and leave there names .
Cheers Rob
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/...r-common-sense
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/...er-over-jewies
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/...ts-on-mulloway
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/mulloway-massacre
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/...on-on-mulloway
Shut up and fish
i guess what im trying to say is that although im not familiar with the trawling of the clarence and other nsw rivers,i am familiar to trawling in qld.i realise that cast nets are illegal in nsw and would dearly love for them to be banned in qld.the trawlers only have certain grounds where we can trawl and some of those spots are too rough or lumpy or soupy to trawl,whereas cast nets can travel to alot of places that we dont trawl,browns bay for example near the mouth of the logan river.
i do not have a problem with joe bloe going and catching some mullet or herring for bait,or prawns for bait or a feed,i do have a problem with the abuse of them.i do not understand why the hordes that work together have ice boxes built into there boats when you can only keep a bucket of prawns?
the prices of packeted prawns are absolutley ridiculous,this year trawlers are selling them for as little as two bucks a kg,and they sell for 5-6 bux for 200 grams,that makes me wild but there is nothing we can do about it.
hopefully that uncrosses the wires
support your local commercial fisher,its never too late!!
I dont want prawn bait to come from any nsw river. None whatsoever. Especially the important Hawkesbury and Clarence systems.
If there is a shortage of prawn bait so be it...a frozen packet of prawns is not an essential industry in the least for nsw. Obvious the marketplace can and will very easily and very quickly adapt and find a substitute from less sensitive regions. I'm sure we can survive without a frozen plastic packet full of overpriced prawns that could be just as easily farmed anywhere. Same goes for the mullet.
Sick of hearing the stupid and pointless arguments supporting any kind of net fishing in these nurseries. It goes on and on when everyone knows the answer and what inevitably must happen anyway.
Time to act was years ago. They're a fast growing fish and i'd be ok with not being allowed to catch even a single jew or bully mullet for 3yrs if that helps kick it off. I can wait...just sick of seeing my river exploited and decimated for no gain whatsoever.
Perhaps start by getting the ATO to randomly audit all pro licenced fshermen that net rivers/estuaries in NSW. If they make a living from the rivers they should be ok with that...including everyone from the patonga mullet men and any brooklyn/gosford/brisbane water pro's.
Here is the latest on this topic .We can only hope that the government see sense .
Cheers Rob
How to keep jew alive
Mulloway - Fishing World Aug 2005
Hook removal study
Tag team fishing
Fish mortality study
Effects of hook & line capture
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/...ie-candr-works
Shut up and fish
Trawled packet prawns should be banned for the damage they do.
Prawns for bait should only be farmed.
Trawlers should not operate within 5km of enclosed waters and river mouths.
Prawns sold for bait - infact all bait should be in bio-degradable packets not plastic bags - Maccas were forced to lift their game - so should we.
If mulloway breed at 70cm then the min legal length should be 80cm.
With flavoured plastics these days why aren't there better alternative to a packet of prawns being actively marketed - dam sure it can be done. Especially if a packet of prawns was twice the price of the alternative that works just as well.
Went across Moreton Bay Monday a few weeks back it was so windy the only boats out there were the trawlers and me and they were turning the mud over on the bottom so much the bay looked like it was flood water - if that isn't decimation of habitat wtf is!
Cheers
Trev
Good robust discussion gentleman! Hope you all enjoy Easter , the weather sure looks great for a fish. Good luck and good fishing, from those of us that have to work . let us know how you went?? Loz
aquaculture is not perfect either im afraid.
mate,if the people who buy the prawns stop throwing all the bait packets in the water it wont be a problem.
do you reckon the wind and rough water might have been stirring up the silt left from the flood as well,or i suppose the rest of the bay was crystal clear?
trawlers have been around for sooooo long now its not funny.we're still able to go and catch a feed whether its for sale by commercial operators or a feed by the recs.get a grip and be happy with sharing a resource.
support your local commercial fisher,its never too late!!
The resource has dwindled sooooo much that people are getting annoyed at catching Nothing when they used to catch Something. And we know that there are not enough reco's to have caused such a Problem. Times nearly up for all of us now with the increasing GREEN zones. Prawn Trawling and river netting has a lot to answer for.