Fishing News

Recreational fishers and local tourism on the far north coast of NSW will be the big winners with an offshore artificial reef to be deployed off the Tweed Heads coast. Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said the new offshore artificial reef is great news for Tweed Heads and will be a major drawcard for local fishers and visitors to …

Queensland Boating and Fishing Patrol officers at Mooloolaba were disappointed to see 12 during their patrol at Golden Beach, Caloundra recently. The plants form part of The TS Onslow Shoreline Management Project, a small community project that aims to re-establish a natural shoreline vegetation buffer to manage erosion and promote fish habitat. As part of the project, Bunya Bunya Country …

The Queensland Government says its new safety exclusion zone around shark control equipment has proven a successful deterrent since its introduction last year. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said heavy fines for people interfering with shark control gear were introduced, and he was pleased Queenslanders had listened to the important safety messages. “There are tens of …

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers have hauled a raft of illegal crab pots from Far North Queensland waterways in their latest clean-up operation. Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said 70 unmarked pots were pulled from Dickson Inlet, Mowbray River and Mossman River over two days. “Crabbing is one of Queensland’s most popular forms of fishing and the problem of …

THE latest stock assessment of common coral trout (plectromous leopardus) has estimated the spawning biomass of the population to be 59 percent. Biomass estimates are used to determine the status of the stock of coral trout and also the level of fishing required to enable stocks to reach the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy target of 60 percent unfished spawning biomass. The …

IN a boost for both recreational fishing and the environment, new UNSW research shows that artificial reef domes can increase fish abundance in estuaries with little natural reef. Researchers installed six manmade reefs per estuary studied and found overall fish abundance increased up to 20 times in each reef across a two-year period. The study, published in the Journal of …

Where is your nearest frame drop-off location? NSW DPI Fisheries currently has 31 Research Angler Program locations from the Tweed Fisheries office in the north to the Eden Fisheries office in the south, making it easy for you to contribute to this important citizen science program. Many local tackle outlets – such as the Nambucca Heads Boatshed and Cafe (pictured) …

NSW’s newest offshore artificial reef will feature a specially designed 10m high “fish grotto” as well as innovative “arrowhead” reef modules boasting unique habitat features to attract and hold key sportfish including Spanish and spotted mackerel, cobia, kingfish, amberjack and samsonfish. DPI has awarded a contract for Pacific Marine Group to construct and install the new reef off Tweed Heads. …

An illegal fisher has been apprehended during a weekend near Warren, following a joint operation between NSW Department of Primary Industries’ Fisheries officers and NSW Police Rural Crime Unit, Acting Director NSWDPI Fisheries Compliance, Dr Andrew Moriarty said. Two men, a 49-year-old man from Dubbo and a 58-year-old man from Wongarbon, were apprehended on Saturday 27 June 2020 on the …

RECREATIONAL fisherfolk who come across great waterway scenes or who land superb catches against stunning backgrounds can now make money from doing what they probably would anyway – taking a few photos on their mobile phones. An Australian-designed and developed photography app, PicTrax, has been engineered to create a unique Australia-wide catalogue of great mobile phone shots. Postcard-style waterway locations …