Fishing News

A CLOSED season applies to Mary River cod and Murray cod from September 1, 2017 to November 30, 2017. Closed season for Murray cod Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officer Coby Walker said the annual closure during spawning season is an important measure to allow the species to reproduce so there are viable stocks of these fish for future generations to …

WHITE spot disease is a highly contagious viral infection that affects crustaceans such as prawns, crabs and yabbies. It was first discovered on prawn farms in southeast Queensland in December 2016, causing the largest response to an aquatic disease in Queensland’s history. When found in high-intensity production areas such as prawn farms, white spot results in the rapid mortality of …

A WOODRIDGE man was recently found guilty in Southport Magistrates’ Court for illegal fishing activities, and was fined $15,000. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol was conducting inspections last year on the northern section of the Gold Coast, when Fisheries officers caught the man with four unmarked crab pots, seven undersize male mud crabs, five female mud crabs, and one undersize …

NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries officers recently conducted a surveillance operation on the Darling River upstream of Menindee, where they apprehended two males from Broken Hill. Fisheries officers alleged they observed the two men, aged 64 and 67, using a gill net to take fish from the waters of the Darling River. DPI’s director of fisheries compliance Patrick Tully …

With an additional scholarship awarded, Warren Steptoe was called upon to join Bill Bowtell and Adam Royle to lend a mentoring hand and gladly accepted the offer. ANSA Qld vice president and fellow mentor Adam Royle said, “Warren is a respected member of the sportfish writing fraternity and is a welcome addition to the pool of mentors available for our …

Anglers at Fraser Island are reminded to ensure they fish outside the closed waters area that runs between Indian Head and Waddy Point during the annual fishing closure. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Manager Greg Bowness said the closure was in place from midday 1 August to midday 30 September 2017. “During the closure, all fishing is prohibited on …

New USC-led research has gone beneath the surface of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, along the coastline from Pumicestone Passage to the Gold Coast, to find the preferred environments of estuarine fish species. And the results surprised the USC team led by Research Fellow in Coastal and Marine Ecology Dr Ben Gilby. “Our team compared the number and diversity of …

Seqwater is urging recreational fishers to take care when removing and disposing of tilapia from South East Queensland waterways, with reports of people using the noxious fish as bait. Seqwater Biosecurity Officer Perry Ward said the invasive fish species (pest fish) had managed to dominate natural waterways across the region since they were first introduced into Australia in the 1970s. …

AVOIDING crocodiles and hunting mussel DNA are two priorities as the surveillance effort continues in the hunt for Asian green mussels around Weipa, following the discovery of a single mussel south of the town in May 2017. Biosecurity Queensland officers have spent time working with local businesses and the community to check areas where the mussels may take up residence, …

Operation NASSE, a multi-lateral regional maritime surveillance operation between Australia, the US, France and New Zealand, ran from July 3-13 and covered the waters between Exclusive Economic Zones of regional countries. Its aim was to deter illegal fishing in some of the most intensely fished sea-lanes in the region, the Western and Central Pacific Oceans. Together, the operation resulted in …