NSW DPI Fisheries wants your mackerel frames. With the water beginning to clear along the NSW north coast after a long wet summer, many pelagic fish are starting to return to the inshore waters, and the NSW DPI wants your mackerel frames. Anglers are starting to catch spanish and spotted mackerel once again, and the Research Angler Program is keen …
Read More »Pipis make great bait but don’t collect to eat in NSW
NSW DPI is reminding recreational fishers that collecting pipis for human consumption is not permitted in NSW. Pipis may be taken for bait from NSW beaches but cannot be moved more than 50m from the high tide mark. This long-standing arrangement is in place because pipis may contain toxins due to natural algal blooms, which are not always visible in …
Read More »Not all raw prawns can be used as bait
WHILE most know, the reason behind buying bait from a bait shop or service station and not from a supermarket is due to the risk of spreading disease. In late 2016 and early 2017, white spot syndrome virus, the causative agent for white spot disease, was confirmed on seven prawn farms in southeast Queensland, and then in waterways around the …
Read More »QLD fishing licence debate
WOULD you be prepared to pay for better fishing? I’ll bet that as soon as most fishers are asked that question, they immediately think of a fishing licence imposed by the government, then imagine the funds for that licence disappearing into government coffers as per most of our other taxes. QLD fishing licence Well, what if we were guaranteed that …
Read More »Navigation aids in Moreton Bay updated
OCCASIONALLY it’s necessary to make a bit of noise to get a job done, and that is exactly what happened with the recent upgrade of the navigation buoys in the Rous Channel. After a concerted effort with multi-agency support, the upgrade finally took place and the outcome has been considerably better than many people anticipated. The biggest problem with the …
Read More »New oyster shell washing facility for Moreton Bay
A NEW oyster shell washing plant has started operation at the Port of Brisbane to boost shellfish reef restoration efforts. The washer will be used for washing and preparing shells recovered from Brisbane restaurants, pubs and professional shuckers to be reused to restore shellfish reefs of Moreton Bay. The facility is the work of the local Moreton Bay Chapter of …
Read More »Barra structures a hit at Kinchant
OVER the past three years 197 fish-attracting structures have been installed in Kinchant Dam in a joint venture between council and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Recent electrofishing surveys revealed a staggering three-fold increase in barramundi numbers at the 36 sites where structures have been installed in the dam. Mayor Greg Williamson said this was a tremendous result for …
Read More »Travelling the golden highway – rock ladders for golden perch
Moving up and down our inland river systems is essential for golden perch (aka yellowbelly), but with more than 10,000 barriers to fish passage across the Murray-Darling Basin in NSW, it’s often easier said than done. rock ladders for golden perch Our native fish experience a highway littered with permanent road blocks and speed bumps as they try to make …
Read More »Have your say on the draft updated Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan
Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan review The Australian and Queensland governments are reviewing the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan, also known as the Reef 2050 Plan. This plan is Australia’s long-term strategy to protect and manage the Great Barrier Reef. The plan sets clear actions, management goals, objectives and outcomes. These drive and guide the short, medium and long-term management …
Read More »New Queensland study to shed light on black jewfish population
State government scientists will assess the population biology of black jewfish in a new Queensland study project to better understand stocks and manage the species. Minister for Agricultural Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the three-year priority project would provide crucial information to help protect the sustainability of black jewfish. “We need to know more about black jewfish on the …
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