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outsiderskip
11-02-2006, 05:48 AM
A month ago i was told by a charter operator
that the bag limit was being on snapper was going to be2
Few people told me it would never happen
This morning on nuggets fishing talk show
this might soon be a reality
It is soon getting getting to a stage it will not be worth buying a boat
cheaper to buy fish but you will never have the qualityand freshness

might be plenty of floaties aroung then



cheers pete

dazza
11-02-2006, 06:39 AM
hi
add to this 33% closure of moreton bay or 50% which is what the green groups want

the following is lifted from the Australian Marine Conservation society web site
"The AMCS Ocean Refuges campaign aims to highlight the loss of Australia’s ocean refuges encourages Australian governments to establish ocean refuges in the form of large fishing closures and no-take sea sanctuaries for the benefit of all marine life and the fisheries they support."


"The two proposed MPAs (marine park areas) included in the Plan are currently too small"

not only will you not be able to keep a feed, but if these groups have their way you won't be able to fish anyway.

cheers
dazza

Feral
11-02-2006, 07:13 AM
Bag limits long ago made it uneconomical to go fishing. If you fish these days it is for enjoyment only, not to provide for the family table (except a teaser of course).

blaze
11-02-2006, 07:33 AM
if I put a dollar figue on my fish per kilo it would have to be over $100 i reckon, when I equate that same dollar figue to pleasures in life, relaxation and all good things that come with fishing and boating, its minscule.
If it costs me $100 for a day on the water and I get a single meal of fish, had an enjoyable day, Iam a happy man.
My deckie rung up and cancelled today because his father had a heart attack (he is ok), life is so short, just enjoy the moment and a feed is a bonus.
cheers
blaze

coxy
11-02-2006, 07:55 AM
I agree Blaze, fishing is all about just getting out on the water and enjoying life! Its a bonus if you take something home to eat! ;)

NeilD
11-02-2006, 08:01 AM
Perhaps a slot limit of two big fish and a few smaller ones would be reasonable if supported by evidence that the fishery was under too much pressure. Two 40cm fish would be a pretty poor bag to bring home for a feed for the family

Neil

seatime
11-02-2006, 08:07 AM
Everyone would have heard in the media about the boom in recreational boat sales and registrations in SE Qld.
What is everyone going to do with all these boats?
They won't let us wet a line and you may not be able to anchor in some areas. Will it end up like Sydney harbour where no one bothers to fish. We'll be sitting around toasting each other with glasses of chardonnay and cold chicken! I'll have to get one of those white hats and bunting for the tinnie.

scuttlebutt
11-02-2006, 03:57 PM
There's also the danger that people will catch two small fish, then keep fishing and any larger fish will be swapped for the smaller ones in the esky, with the smaller ones just thrown back over dead (like an "upgrade" situation).

cheers,

steve

Feral
11-02-2006, 05:51 PM
There's also the danger that people will catch two small fish, then keep fishing and any larger fish will be swapped for the smaller ones in the esky, with the smaller ones just thrown back over dead (like an "upgrade" situation).

cheers,

steve
You mean like any fish that has a bag limit? (cynical, but often true view)

markpeta
11-02-2006, 06:53 PM
By what I have seen and heard the Snapper season we just had and still having should be showing the current limits are working fine :-?

gawby
11-02-2006, 07:24 PM
If i was to go out on the water and have an enjoyable day and catch two quality snapper i would be more than happy.
Fresh fish tastes mighty fine but catching five or ten and freezing them its not the same taste.
I dont care if i spend a 100 bucks and catch only 2 snapper because the next day out i will try and do the same.
Graeme

outsiderskip
11-02-2006, 07:38 PM
I think the current bag limits are tough enough
with the price of fuel u need a few snapper
in the freezer because weather conditions
dont alow us to get out so often

cheers pete

gawby
11-02-2006, 08:18 PM
Gotta agree with you about the weather conditions pete
Graeme

Wild_Thing
11-02-2006, 08:28 PM
Look guys your not lookin at the big picture!!!
After all isn't that's what it's all about. You know fish for the future and all that jazz
These well educated folk have all of our best intrest's in mind.
Don't get me wrong it's not like they are doing something realy dumb like , not sinking a repeated offender EG: illegal fishing vessel!!! (Don't they make fine artifical reef)
Or something realy over the top like exporting live coral trout in exchange for cat fish fed up on chook $hit & human waist!

Cheers Payney ;)

BCF body & cavity frisk

Wild_Thing
11-02-2006, 08:35 PM
or is that boat & cavity search?

mackmauler
11-02-2006, 09:49 PM
Most grounds are not fishing well enough to produce 2 snapper a trip, thats the sad truth, the sunshine coast has had a bumper season but how long will that last for I wonder, with the increasing wide ranging rec anglers, 4-6 anglers per boat, commonly 20-30 snappa a trip, charters 50 plus fish, unlimited pro catches, the bigger picture is going to be less fish in the future as has been the case on the other grounds, I dont really like the idea of 2 fish each when unregulated pro fishing is happening but would accept any measures to insure there are enough fish the average punter has a chance to catch a feed.

CFisher
12-02-2006, 02:10 PM
Rob, commercial catches are restricted in various ways. Without going into those I thought some catch information might be of use in this discussion.

Here are the commercial catches of snapper for Queensland (entire state catches)

Year Species Tonnes
1988 Snapper 32
1989 Snapper 97.8
1990 Snapper 96.7
1991 Snapper 105.2
1992 Snapper 106.9
1993 Snapper 112
1994 Snapper 76.2
1995 Snapper 110.2
1996 Snapper 125.2
1997 Snapper 154.8
1998 Snapper 158.3
1999 Snapper 111.3
2000 Snapper 106.3
2001 Snapper 111.5
2002 Snapper 80.8
2003 Snapper 128.1

sourced from this web page - http://chrisweb.dpi.qld.gov.au/CHRIS/

Some information on recreational catches of snapper are also available but only for the single year of 1997. In that year 1.3 million snapper were caught with 577 000 harvested (killed). Given a conservative average weight of 1 kg per fish the recreational angler harvested 577 t of snapper in 1997.

And you may also consider the following information gathered here - http://bookshop.frdc.com.au/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HD1993-074&Category_Code=&Store_Code=B

"Access point creel surveys at 6 locations in southern Queensland were used to estimate recreational snapper catch rates. These estimates were used in conjunction with effort estimates derived from aerial surveys of offshore reefs to estimate recreational harvest. The recreational snapper catch in South-East Queensland between April 1994 and March 1995 was estimated at 148 tonnes (representing 163,125 fish) compared to a commercial catch of approximately 50 tonnes. In only 4 of 4400 interviews conducted had the snapper bag limit of 30 per angler been reached and over 65 % of offshore fishing trips failed to catch any snapper at all.

The size structure of the legal sized recreational catch of snapper in offshore waters was similar to that of the commercial fishery. However, a significant undersized component was found in the recreational fishery from inshore waters. Seventy five percent of snapper caught and landed in inshore waters were undersized while this percentage reduced to 10% for offshore recreational anglers. Compared to offshore anglers, inshore recreational anglers also reported catching and releasing a high proportion of undersized snapper."

Not having a go Rob, I grew up on Moreton Bay as an avid rec angler - used to experience fishing such as that reported last season regularly throught the late 70s and early 80s on the reefs of Green, St Helena and Mud. The lime mining conducted around those islands during that time did alot of damage for sure.

The bay as I knew it does not exist today. The lack of fish is undoubtly somewhat related to the increase in recreational fishing effort - just how much of an effect recreational fishing has will be up for debate forever.

Just thought I'd post this info after reading this post and the fish and chip one - fresh fish will get harder and harder to catch or buy in heavily populated areas.

Cheers
Andy

snappa
12-02-2006, 07:58 PM
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D..... :P

RCG008
19-02-2006, 08:07 PM
I dont think we can always blame the trawlers. They make it hard but arnt the only ones on the water. The amount of times I repeatably see old blokes cleaning fish at our ramp that must of been measured with there glasses off is unreal. I know kids arnt much better. I dont blame them the gvernment for the restriction. We wanted the fish in the first place, then we took them, then we told everyone how good they tasted, then they got boats, now we have none left.

Funny how the old blokes always whinge how its not like it used to be. At the current rate it wont get any better. These fish breed in our back yards. Gotta give them half a chance. :-/

fishface
19-02-2006, 09:49 PM
when i read the fishing reports on ausfish or other fish sites a lot is talked about having a great day " bagged out"
Then the photo shows 20-30 fish spread out on the lawn or the 150lt cool box is full to the rim. a lot of people up here use heavy hand lines on the reef so the fish doesnt have a sporting chance to cut you off. is that fun skull dragging a fish to the surface?
it was mentioned before,more boats out then ever before ,put 1 and 2 together and theres your problem.
i think its on us how this will end up down the road.
as for me i like a feed too but not really bothered .iam in it for the fishing.if i catch a nice spaniard ,he probably will end up on the BBQ. how many of you would let the 2nd or 3rd spaniard go? would it bring tears to your eyes watching it swim away?
i know some people feel they wacked 100bucks in for fuel and bait so they need to make sure they bag out to make it worth while. would some of you be gutted if you catch less than the out lay for the day?
interesting subject.
daniel
p.s only my opinion

roz
19-02-2006, 10:31 PM
I will agree with you Pete, I also think the bag limits for snapper are sufficient at the moment.

Roz

bidkev
19-02-2006, 11:04 PM
I find it alarming that the onus for the decreasing fish stocks is constantly laid at the pro fisher or rec fisher's doorstep. I agree that there is *considerable* impact from fishers, but personally, I consider water quality to be of much more importance.

I don't have much knowledge of Australian waters but I remember that bumper mackerel and herring seasons in the UK always coincided with "plankton blooms". The pelagics in particular seemed to benefit. I was a pro bait digger for a number of years and not only did fish stocks increase at those times, but the quality (average size) was also bigger. Also at those times, bait (worms and crustaceans) became more abundant, despite the increase in fish stocks impacting on them. I don't doubt for a minute that an abundance of plankton directly effects the whole of the fish stock in one way or another (food chain and growth rates).

I think more attention should be paid to the effects that water quality, and hence plankton bloom affects our fish stocks. I would hazard a guess that this is more significant than the pro and rec harvesting. Pro and rec fishers should pressurise govt's constantly with regards to run off in our rivers which feed into the sea and easily effect the lower end of the food chain instead of constantly being at each others' throats.

There are rec fishers and there are rec fishers, there are pros and there are pros......if you know what I mean. The worst of them both are a blight on us as a whole, but the best of them both can significantly alter future outcomes for us all, as long as we keep one watchful eye on the "bad guys", and the other, *very* wide, on pollution.

kev

This, I find appropriate:

Your problem is never really your problem, your reaction to your problem is your problem.

finga64
20-02-2006, 07:02 AM
Looks like youv'e had a gander at the Logan and Albert rivers Kev.
The days of clear water under the highway are long gone. :'(

When we have a good day it's not because of the weight of the bag at the end, it's good because of the people, the surrounds, the crappy stories and jokes, a couple of beers and of course a feed of fish. Our theory is if we only take a feed home we can go fishing again sooner and tell some more b-lls-it stories and eat some more prawn or squid flavoured chicken sambos. Good theory I recon. ;)

Gazza
20-02-2006, 10:45 AM
hmmmm...JMO & food-4-thought
:-? ..the 'odd' squire/snapper turning up at the gateway & bribie bridges.
..10 to now 5 fish allowed
..size increased from 30 to 35cms.
..tunnel/funnel? nets at Mud.

and rumours? (maybe Bugman could clarify) that the REC. limit is to be reduced to 2?

jmo...drop the min. to 32cms ,5 max. NO C&R of "legalsize" fish....

something? should be done about e.g. the freq. allowed to rape mud with the tunnel/funnel nets i.e. removal of bulk biomass.
p.s. IF we're talking "only" Gold Coast , sure i think there may be valid reasons to put a 3yr. sunset clause for 2~3 squire/snapper ,maybe even a 70cm.(breeder) slot-limit.

CFisher
20-02-2006, 01:54 PM
Hiya Gazza

Thought I would go and have another look at the data from here - http://chrisweb.dpi.qld.gov.au/CHRIS/

because I do not agree that tunnel netting is the culprit here.

Year Species Total Net %age
1988 Snapper 1.1 0.3 27.3
1989 Snapper 2.1 0.2 9.5
1990 Snapper 2.1 0.8 38.1
1991 Snapper 2.8 0.4 14.3
1992 Snapper 2.9 0.2 6.9
1993 Snapper 3.4 0 0.0
1994 Snapper 3.6 0 0.0
1995 Snapper 3 0 0.0
1996 Snapper 3.2 0.2 6.3
1997 Snapper 6.4 0.2 3.1
1998 Snapper 4.3 0.2 4.7
1999 Snapper 3 0.4 13.3
2000 Snapper 2.2 0.1 4.5
2001 Snapper 6.8 0.8 11.8
2002 Snapper 1.6 0.04 2.5
2003 Snapper 4.2 0.1 2.4

These are the snapper catches for Moreton Bay waters only. The total catch in tonnes peaked at 6.8 tonnes in 2001. The second catch data column is the catch of snapper taken in nets - and as you can see it is quite small and represents only a small percentage of the total bay catch (third column of numbers) in most years.

The slot size limits you suggest may be functional for some species of fish, however they are generally employed to protect big breeding females (such as with flathead). Snapper are a protogynous hermaphrodite - changing sex from female to male - so protecting the bigger individual snapper is protecting more male fish that female fish.

When you get down into the nitty-gritty of measuring spawning success in fish populations the important measure is the number of eggs produced by the female fish not the amount of sperm produced by males. So a more functional slot limit for snapper may be protecting all between say 50 and 70 cms (and also a min limit to protect pre-breeders).

As for the reduction of rec limit to 2, I am on the same committee as Bugman - no mention of such a move there.

Cheers
Andy

chuss
20-02-2006, 02:28 PM
HA HA HA!

In Adelaide we are getting shafted, here is our limits for snapper..

Minimum length - 38cm
38-60cm specimens - Bag limit of 5
60cm specimens - Bag limit of 2!

bidkev
20-02-2006, 04:01 PM
Looks like youv'e had a gander at the Logan and Albert rivers Kev.
The days of clear water under the highway are long gone. :'(

When we have a good day it's not because of the weight of the bag at the end, it's good because of the people, the surrounds, the crappy stories and jokes, a couple of beers and of course a feed of fish. Our theory is if we only take a feed home we can go fishing again sooner and tell some more b-lls-it stories and eat some more prawn or squid flavoured chicken sambos. Good theory I recon. ;)

Yeah mate. doesn't matter how many bag limits are in place if the water's crap, it's all to no avail.

I bought this land surrounded by bushland and in 18 months I've watched the "development" around me. Run off from building sites during rain is disastrous, despite legislation.........a few sand bags and green netting and they think they can solve the world's problems? ::) ::)

BCC carries on about how much they've done to preserve waterways and yet they have no buckets on their mowers........every time they do the nature strips round here, the grass goes straight down the storm drain. I even watched one council worker cleaning a certain council building car park and he was blowering the leaves into the drain rather than pick 'em up.

They tarred the road last week.......during rain! it was like a bloody oil slick going down the stormwater! Instead of carping on to the general public, local councils and governments should get their own house in order. Pisses me right off! >:(

I agree with you though. Fishing's not so much about the bags but more about the outsoors, good company etc...............I have to say that though, don't I?..with my catch rate ::) ;D

kev

Those who can't laugh at themselves............. leave the job to others.

kev

Gazza
20-02-2006, 07:48 PM
Hi Cfisher ,thanks for the red-herring tunnel net info mate ;)

interesting that it seems only 2001 800kg., 2002 40kg. ,2003 100kg.
must admit doesn't sound much at all???????...for a full year?????

2004/2005 ...can only read what ausfish guys posted ;) ,just 'sounded' a little more ,or a resurgence in effort....dunno either way ,maybe diff species????????

p.s. no mention of 2 baglimit ....so i'll call it unfounded rumour :)

Deelirious
25-02-2006, 08:21 AM
Guys,
All of what you have said is true, and all was said before the last change to Snapper regulations resulting in the current bag limit and larger min legal size. The catch figures you are having now are a result of that process. All I can say is that management of this fishery is going well -as stated by many on this page in the form of a great season and great fish quality. I for one am conscious of the ever increasing number of boats wanting to go fishing and catch a feed, and the increasing use of the internet to tell people where to go, what to use, and when to catch that feed - people that otherwise would not have had a clue.

If the old adge that 10% of fisherman catch 90% of the fish is true then given the postings on this web site alone either the 10% proportion is going up or the absolute number making up the 10% is going up but either way something has to give and I would rather it wasn't the sustainability of the snapper stocks or other reef fish for that matter.

Ed