Whanna know what happens on a prawn trawler

[NeilD]

I know times have changed but I worked a couple of nights on a trawler about 25 years ago. We picked up all sorts of bycatch including squid, heaps of crabs, lots of fish and a fair few rays and bottom sharks (promptly released via a meat hook looking device). The bycatch was not any worse than that shown on landline and prawns outnumbered it in most shots. Not much was very healthy when it was sorted out of the tray.

I would strongly support the closure of high pressure areas like Moreton Bay to most aspects of commercial fishing and even tighter bag limits for recs to spread the resource further.

Cheers neil

[Lucky_Phill]

OK last effort.

I have not spent the nights on the trawler, and my info was FIRST HAND, as far as I am concerned. Today, in fact, I confirmed the information, and the fella went further with tales of woe. Targeting Diver Whiting, Squid, crabs when catchs are low.

having said that, this was some 8 years ago. Maybe things have changed ( lepoards etc).

I did NOT make stuff up, as you infered.

It was NOT B.S as you infered.

We can argue over this til we are blue in the face. the point probably, is what are we talking about.

Fact is, there are too many Trawlers in MB, too much destruction of seabeds, and way too much by-catch. Them's are the facts Mame ' I rest me case.

Phill

[bugman]

Gentlemen, at ten paces please

Anyway - I'll get a copy dubbed off at work. I'll give it to Peterbo3 first and then I'll work out how to get it to others if peope are interested.

Bugman

[Kerry]

People, I believe we are now in the present and not in the past as lots of people did lots of different things in the past on both sides of the fence but 25 years ago really is not the present (or future).

Quoting stuff that occured 25 years ago is non productive and rather a little outdated.

Facts are something the media hasn't been renowned for in the past. Just take the bycatch example up north several years ago. The news material stated X number of fish per square metre, so many hundred metres wide for so many kilometres. Do the maths and the reality was it was a total impossibility but that's what some media are about, sensationalism. Similar with trawlers damaging the GBR, sounds good in the southern and world press but people trawlers don't work on the reef, prawns don't live on the reef and it's not all that difficult to work out why but it does sound good in the press.

The landline program was fairly close to the mark and in the old days all those gulf boats had a free range out of the gulf, almost right along the east coast in the off season but not any more. Lots of things don't happen anymore, lots of things have changed.

As for fish, it is illegal for a trawler to have fish on board, that is ANY fish on board so know the regulations and if any see different then do something about it.

Cheers, Kerry.

[bugman]

Kerry,

Hate to be picky - but a trawler can still have fish on board - I'll leave it up to you to work out how and why

Bugman

[Kerry]

Bugman, maybe you'd like to expand on just how "picky" you trying to be with regard "fish", why type of "fish", "fish" caught how? not that how they were caught actually matters.

A trawler can not have on board fish that are for sale. Fish can be caught for on board use but fish in anything more than immediate consumption and especially in frozen quantity simply isn't on.

Also maximum amount of crabs/bugs etc allowed per trip.

It does appear the that in everybody's best interestes the rules are being applied more and more. Heard last week that a gulf registered boat, no gear, no boards, no nets on board what so ever was refused to backload prawns out of a Qld port. The prawns belonged to the same guy with a east coast registered vessel who had previously unloaded them (legally) over the same wharf but was refused to reload them onto another boat, primarily because it's a gulf registered boat.

Always a away around these things so they simply brought the east coast boat back in, reloaded them then 100m off the harbour limits loaded them onto the boat refused entry.

Cheers, Kerry.

[bugman]

Sorry Kerry - being a bit cheeky.

It is actually legal for a trawl boat to have reef fish on board - frozen or fresh.

This came be done under all the rules which apply to recreational anglers, ie line caught, cut pectoral fins, bag limits and - the kicker - private vessel registration.

I'll go away now.

Bugman

[Kerry]

Ah yes but not in commercial quantities and there ain't all that many boats with dual registrations as there's too many complications, too many grey areas to get hung up on.

Really things are tightening up and even a boat registered as a charter boat regardless of size must have a regsitered skipper to even leave port even if say an owner (who is not a reg skipper) decides he wants to go fishing for a few hours in his "own" boat, he simply can't, not legal.

Cheers, Kerry.

[harryhoy]

Post removed at the request of the Member

[Kerry]

Opposers of RFL's, well just go take a look at the southern experience, not real happy campers and attitudes have changed a little down that way since the ho ha and BS promices before the introduction.

Politics and revenue raising? ah what a combination .

Cheers, Kerry.

[jockey]

I was under the impression that there are more people in favour of RFL's now that it has been implimented, at least in NSW anyway.

[Brissyguy]

Brett,

Just got back from a weeks trip through the mines and found a copy of the video.
Watched it at midnight last night.
Many thanks mate, it was a very interesting show depicting the trawlermen's plight in maintaining a fishery that they seemed to be bent on destroying for the money in it.

16 weeks/annum total fishing time with such a reduced number of boats/licenses must have an effect soon.
I doubt many people have considered the whole case from the pro's view, I know I never have.

Cheers,
Rich.

[bugman]

No probs Rich,

Should have let you know that the boys struggled for access on a trawler and as a result were a little down on vision. All the night prawning action was actually tiger prawn vision shot at a different time - you may have picked that.

Apparantly with the ability of a trawler to make $50 to $100,000 a day and the season only open for 4 months, owners don't want there skippers buggering around with camera crew.

Brett

[Kerry]

Apparantly with the ability of a trawler to make $50 to $100,000 a day and the season only open for 4 months, owners don't want there skippers buggering around with camera crew.

So over the 4 month period what might be the effective overall daily average make?

Cheers, Kerry.