12 Month Holiday?

[fisho]

I was interested in posting this poll as I too would be interested in seeing the effect of catch and release in certain areas over a a 12 month period. It will probably never eventuate but from what I have learnt about fish breeding I would be confident it would have a positive impact.

I love my fishing (and eating my fish) and like almost everyone am conscious of bag limits and size restrictions. I would like to be able to catch the quality of fish I catch today in 20 years time so would be more than prepared to play 'catch and release' in certain regions from time to time if it meant it helped the resource.

Not a solution - an idea.

[NeilD]

I voted no but I would be able to live with seasonal closures of specific areas to protect spawning aggregations( eg Fraser) if supported by some cold hard scientific data and not the wishy washy crap handed out during the GBRMP debacle.

Neil

[jockey]

I like the idea.

C&R only zones are definitely worth a shot. We hardly know anything about mortality rates from C&R and a C&R only zone would give a better indication of the long term mortality rate from C&R. It would also give a more realistic measure than the experiments fisheries have done lately. Especially if you did it on a coral reef with coral trout, or some other sedentary species. They could come back and check whether the C&R zone resembles a green zone, a yellow zone or a blue zone the most. If it did resemble a green zone then you could argue that 20-40% C&R only zones would be just as good for fisheries management as 20-40% green zones.

Of course, there would be political opposition to it because the rec fishos who keep their fish and stop fishing when they have bagged out would just see it as a way for the C&R group to get a foot in the door so they could eventually turn the entire ocean into a C&R only zone. They would point to the CRETA lobby (C&R is Ethical Treatment of Animals - the pointy end of the C&R mob) who once said that there should be 100% C&R only zones as proof that the entire process is just a way for C&R people to take over the world. Nothing would ever happen until the greens found a way to get a C&R zone in as a conservation tool, but they would go overboard and get 53% coverage. Then FD would accuse the government of lying because it is a fisheries management tool, not a conservation tool. CK could then start a political party for rec fishermen who eat fish, and I could go online and wind everybody up over it.

I love it!

[Gazza]

the silent majority voted "NO" ,bet your left nut on it!!

[sandboy]

no way i would end up at the pub

[sandboy]

no way i would end up at the pub

[sandboy]

no way i would end up at the pub

[Gazza]

Your shout

[Gazza]

Your shout

[Gazza]

Your shout

[flattymattyb]

I voted yes not to a full ban but to catch and release which I think would be good in a region by region basis but I think This may be to hard to police as mentioned before they couldn't close the whole of the moreten bay at once or hervey bay etc so you would pretty much have to catch people red handed. ??? ??? ???

[Gazza]

You mean like ,when it's too windy ,you don't go...
And when you've got time ,you do ???

Oh o.k. then ,i'm in ,twice... [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[sir_noelus]

Regional closures have some merit but like Lordy I think the biggest problem is areas not being able to cope with the increased pressure after it reopened. Could have a negative result? Re C&R mortality. Saw recently where studies are being done at salt water competition level. Dunno where I saw it. I thought the survival rate would be higher that indicated though. For sure lures etc are better tuned to C&R than baits. Noel

[caloundra]

NO
closing sections region by region would over fish the areas that are a go zone. some days it is like a parking lot as it is I could not imagine twice as many boats in certain areas.
the majority of my fishing is C&R and i thing if you want some keepers stick to your limits and sizes.

maybe reduce bag limits at certain times of the year

[Cheech]

I kind if figure it is everyones basic right to be able to go out and try to catch a fish and then be able to actually eat it. Sure set appropriate bag imits, and size limits, but you gotta draw the line somewhere. To ban all fish just seems to go against everything that we are arguing for on other threads.