Fishing News

CORAL reef fin fish will be off-limits from Tuesday, October 17 for the first of two annual closures to protect these fish during spawning season. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district manager Robert Russell said the two five-day closures coincided with the new moon when key coral reef fish species aggregate to spawn. “October and November have been found to …

AUSTRALIA’S fight against white spot disease reached a significant milestone recently, with no positive test results returned for the past six months from samples of farmed and wild prawns and crabs in Queensland and NSW. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Barnaby Joyce said it demonstrated the effectiveness of the Government’s decisive response. “More than 25,000 …

THE 2017 North Coast Fishing Bonanza presented by Gamakatsu and Evinrude is on again at Ballina, northern NSW from September 28 to October 2. This is prime time for school holidays and over the long weekend so you don’t have to take much time off to fish! If you’re looking for something to get the kids involved in, look no …

TWO commercial fishers were found guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates’ Court for netting offences in the Port of Gladstone Rodds Bay Dugong Protection Area and were collectively fined close to $10,000. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol investigator for Central Queensland Deryk Smith said in April 2016, QBFP officers intercepted the fishers as they were pulling up their commercial fishing boat …

BIOSECURITY Queensland is launching a campaign today that asks all fishers to check their bait before they go out fishing, to make sure it is Australian wild-caught bait from a quality bait supplier, or to catch their own. The campaign asks fishers to do their bit to help protect our natural waterways and our fishing and aquaculture industries, which are …

A SUBSTANTIAL investment has been made under Australia’s National Carp Control Plan (NCCP) to explore the viability of using the carp virus, Cyprinid herpesvirus 3, to control the pest species, carp, in Australia’s waterways, and ultimately improve water quality and ecosystem health. A comprehensive research program is central to this approach under the Australian Government’s $15 million National Carp Control …

THE annual closed season for Australian bass in Queensland tidal waters ends this week. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol manager Rob McDonald said the species had been off-limits in tidal waterways from June 1 to August 31 to protect the species during its breeding cycle. “Fishers can return to their favourite tidal waterways to catch Australian bass from Friday, September …

NSW lifts importation ban on low-risk crustaceans from Queensland The NSW Department of Primary Industries has amended control orders to allow for the movement of negligible risk decapod crustaceans from the white spot restricted area into NSW. As a result, NSW is now allowing the movement of species such as blue swimmer crabs, mud crabs, lobsters, and spanner crabs into …

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 …