clarence river what gives

[spike2]

is it just me or does the clarence river attract more than its fair share of dirty wrotten bastards . it seems every week some one is caught breaking the law down there , its a wonder any fish are left . l dont have any record on the number of arrests but l can recall at least ten in the last 3 years which means there could be double that . it seems to me if they are continuing to break the law then the rewards must outway the fines . 22, 000 sounds like a lot but if your illegal net is full of whiting every night it may not be that much .why do we use our money to buy back licences when we could just cancel the licences of these criminals and turn their boats F.A.D.S
not happy [img] [img] http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm22.gif[/img]http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm21.gif[/img]

[Herbo]

Spike2, the Clarence is by far the biggest Estuary Prawn Trawl fishery in NSW (123 operators). The amount of commercial fisherman working the area with other commercial "endorsements" is also large. More people are probably caught out here because there are far more pro fisherman here than most other areas.

In addition to this there are thousands of holiday makers here in the prime times all trying to catch whatever they can.

The Clarence to me seems to be in remarkable shape considering all of the pressures it has upon it. Pro fishers and drained wetlands replaced with sugar cane abound.

The recreational fishing licence has been the best thing that has happened here in a while. Not sure of the figures, but I know that many pro licences have been bought out.

I'm formerly from Victoria, and compared to Vic legislation NSW Fisheries legislation has far more "teeth".

I agree with you when you say that there are big rewards for breaking the rules. A visit to the local fish co-op with a stack of fresh whiting would yield a healthy return for any pro fisherman. I guess some are willing to take the risk.

[spike2]

the more l think about it the more angry l get , l mean these so called professional fisherman dont accidently put out an undersize net they go out and buy one and then decide to use it . l say they should have their licenses cancelled . l mean why spend my license fee money and everyone elses money buying back licenses its crazy . l wouldnt mind betting if your cancel one license on the clarence river you wont see another illegal net for a very long time

[Patto]

>i dont know about there being more bad apples there, but as a reco fisho there i know its getting harder to get a decent feed or even a decent catch

[banshee]

I bought this up with a commercial fisherman that I know and he explained to me that once this goes to court,is argued out,then appeals heard,they are seldom out of pocket more than five hundred bucks (plus fees).