Fishing News

SOUTHEAST Queensland fishers are set to reel in a bigger catch with the installation of fish-aggregation devices along the Sunshine and Gold Coasts and in Moreton Bay. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the devices, called FADs, were a floating buoy that gets tethered offshore and attracts fish. “We’re investing $1 million in rolling out a …

THE Queensland Government is investing an additional $17.1 million over four years in its Shark Control Program in the 2019-20 budget to ensure even greater swimmer protection and safety at the state’s most popular swimming beaches. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the funding would continue the operation and maintenance of the Shark Control Program, while …

THE National Carp Control Plan remains on track to be delivered to the Australian Government in December 2019. It is addressing the questions: is it feasible to release the carp herpes virus to control carp? If so, what is the most effective way to release and manage the virus? Results from over 19 projects addressing these questions are now coming …

BLACK jewfish are now better protected under new rules that apply to commercial and recreational fishers, and the take of gastropods and bivalve molluscs has been completely banned in Moreton Bay to protect sustainability. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said this was in response to feedback from the community concerned about overfishing of these species. “We’ve …

IT is so nice to live in one of the most enjoyable climates in Queensland here in Gin Gin. We do get heatwaves, we do get frosts, we do have droughts and we do have floods, but generally we have sunny days and temperatures in the 20s. This is a big influence for southern holiday-makers and anglers to make the …

I THINK most anglers do a lot of the same style of fishing over and over because they know it and most times have success doing what they are familiar with. Having success with something different can be a real buzz, whether it’s a new lure, style of fishing or in the case of this article, new location. When fishing …

THE popular Lure Show (as Garry Fitzgerald’s Australian Lure, Fly and Outdoors Expo is affectionately known) isn’t a stranger to moving location. From its birthplace in Fernvale in the Brisbane River Valley, it first migrated downstream to Ipswich after a couple of years of seam-bursting crowds. From there, Ipswich seemed to be a great fit for the show, which attracts …

A GROUNDBREAKING project led by Deakin University will soon begin mapping Queensland’s blue carbon resources to provide scientists with a new weapon in the fight to help save the Great Barrier Reef. Deakin Associate Professor in Marine Science Peter Macreadie, Director of the University’s Blue Carbon Lab, said the project, funded by the Queensland Government’s Land Restoration Fund, will reveal …

AUSTRALIAN east coast spotted mackerel, scomberomorus munroi, is a pelagic fish species that forms a single genetic stock in New South Wales and Queensland waters. Spotted mackerel exhibit schooling behaviours that form prominent spawning and feeding aggregations between Cairns and Port Stephens. When present, their highly aggregated, near surface, and catchable behaviour makes them susceptible to overfishing. Catches of spotted …

MONTHS of intelligence gathering and high-level collaboration between NSW, Victoria and South Australia has resulted in the apprehension of a 36-year-old Pomona man for allegedly taking and illegally selling 12 tonnes of golden perch worth around $200,000. Operation Weelsby was led by NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries over a 20-month period, and included the Victorian Fisheries Authority, Primary Industries …