Fishing News

Recreational fishing tournaments have always provided significant socio-economic benefits to regional communities, but now these popular events are also helping with monitoring of our inland fish populations. A great example of this is the new Codcatch program, which allows DPI Fisheries scientists to work with anglers and tournament organisers to monitor native and non-native fish populations in key waterways across …

With the welcome arrival of mackerel along the North Coast, NSW DPI is reminding anglers not to use “breakaway” floats such as polystyrene foam and balloons as these products contribute to marine litter. It is recognised that the use of pieces of foam as floats is a particular issue during mackerel season on the North Coast. The resulting litter after …

From time to time, DPI’s Game Fish Tagging Program is lucky enough to receive details of recaptures that come from remote regions of the Pacific Ocean. Recently, a game fish recapture form was submitted by a researcher from the Japanese Fisheries Research Institute. The fisheries researcher had received a tag from a skipper of an international longline vessel who had …

Scientists at Bribie Island Research Centre have successfully spawned Grass Emperor broodfish—the first known account of spawning Grass Emperor in captivity. Grass Emperor have a strong capacity to spawn and are sought after for their firm and mildly sweet flesh. The team captured eight Grass Emperor broodfish in Moreton Bay late last year before transferring them to a culture environment …

A recreational fisher in Mackay has been fined $6936 for possessing commercial fishing equipment and an undersized crab. QBFP and Queensland Police Service executed a search warrant on their house after receiving information from the public through Fishwatch. Officers located and seized four commercial gill nets, a commercial fisher’s crab pot and an undersized crab. You can report unlawful fishing …

THE NSW Government’s annual Murray cod stocking season has just concluded, with more than 500,000 juvenile cod released into rivers and dams. This massive stocking effort is great news for the legions of keen anglers who target these iconic native sportfish. The juvenile cod were bred at the DPI Fisheries Centre at Narrandera and were released into selected waterways over …

FROM the pindan red beaches of the Kimberley’s west coast, Harry Fisher has been steadily cementing his reputation with a pair of tongs around the campfire. Combining his passion for the Australian bush and great food, he’s made it his mission to prove that camp cooking doesn’t have to be dull cooking. Harry’s campfire cooking and distinct approach to recipe …

Construction of the first farm and processing plant to turn red seaweed into a feed supplement for cows to reduce their methane production by 90 per cent is expected to begin mid next year in South Australia. Sustainable agriculture company CH4 plans to build its first two facilities in South Australia with further ‘eco-parks’ planned in the state and in …

The South Australian Government has announced 300,000 snapper fingerlings will be released in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent this year. The restock follows a 2020 government snapper fishery assessment, which found that snapper stock in the state’s Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent were “depleted”. Approximately 150,000 fingerlings will begin to be released in northern Gulf St Vincent over …

A croc-sized dusky flathead tagged in the St Georges Basin Trophy Fishery has recorded an impressive 10cm growth rate after being recaptured just over three years after it was originally released. Angler Marley Watson, aged 13, recaptured the 97cm flattie while fishing on the southern side in the Basin on 29 December 2020. The tag details reveal the fish was …