Fishing News

Recreational fisher convoy voices concerns about catch limits

fisher convoy catch limits

What was expected was that a line wold be drawn in the sand and for each species the existing data would be used to calculate current catch share amongst all sectors: commercial, recreational, indigenous and conservation (theirs stay in the water). If a species was then identified as in trouble everyone would take an equal hit based on their catch …

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Clarifying discussions about fisheries reform process and possession limits

fisheries reform possession limits

Dear all, There has been quite a lot of discussion about possession limits across the recreational fishing network recently and I just wanted to reiterate a few important points (and dispel a few pieces of misinformation that seem to be getting around): NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. There continue to be comments that Fisheries Queensland has already decided on what …

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Devices help breathe life into the Mackay Gooseponds

mackay gooseponds

THE fish in Mackay’s Gooseponds will be able to breathe a little easier thanks to the help of some innovative new equipment. On Tuesday, May 15, council will install three different devices to improve oxygenation of the upper pool of the Gooseponds. Development Services director Gerard Carlyon said the work would reduce the number of fish kills that had been …

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Drop a line and register for working bee this Saturday

working bee kinchant

MACKAY Regional Council is carrying out some fishy business at Kinchant Dam. In an effort to improve fishing at the popular recreational spot, council and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have joined forces to install devices that will help aggregate fish within the impoundment and attract more anglers to Kinchant Dam. Council has been gathering materials to create the …

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Large female fish vital to successful fisheries

large female flathead

AN international study led by Monash marine ecologists has found that large fish are much more important to feeding the planet than previously thought. The new research, published in the prestigious journal ‘Science’, has major implications for how fisheries are managed and the value placed on marine protected areas. Most theories on how reproductive output increases with body size assume …

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Man fined $10,000 for crab pot interference

fined $10,000 for crab pot interference

THINK twice next time you consider interfering with someone else’s crab pot. A man was prosecuted in Mackay recently and fined $10,000 for interfering with fishing apparatus. There are multiple operations and investigations into illegal crabbing activity across Queensland, with day and night patrols on waterways and at boat ramps including the use of specialised surveillance equipment like hidden cameras …

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Huge illegal net seized at Nudgee

illegal net seized nudgee

FISHERIES Queensland has fined three people thousands of dollars for illegal netting after fisheries officers seized a net measuring almost 130 metres at Nudgee earlier this month. Queensland Boating & Fisheries Patrol District Manager Brett Depper said a tip off to the Fishwatch hotline number 1800 017 116 led to the seizure. “We rely on the community reporting suspected illegal …

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Encouraging tuna champions

southern bluefin tuna

A NEW program was today launched to further develop responsible recreational fishing of southern bluefin tuna. Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Ruston launched the Tuna Champions Program at Hobart’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. “This initiative will work to improve stewardship, fish handling and responsible fishing practices in the SBT recreational sector,” Minister Ruston said. “Sustainability, …

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New positive results for white spot disease in Moreton Bay

Movement Control white spot positive results moreton bay

THE latest round of surveillance has been completed in the Moreton Bay area for white spot disease, with some initial tests returning positive results for the virus that causes white spot disease. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the positive results were found in crab and prawn samples from the northern Moreton Bay region near the …

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Restrictions in place in SEQ for raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms

prawn restrictions white spot seq

WHITE spot disease movement restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus that causes white spot disease and help protect Queensland’s natural waterways. Raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms cannot be moved out of the white spot disease movement restriction area. These restrictions are in place from Caloundra to the NSW border and west to Ipswich. They …

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