Fishing News

QUEENSLAND is a step closer to having a world-leading fisheries management system with the release of proposed reform options for several key fisheries. Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said a range of options have been put forward in discussion papers for managing the trawl, crab and east coast inshore fisheries. “A priority of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy is to develop …

NEW research has revealed the tiny minority of fishers poaching on the Great Barrier Reef think the illegal practice is justified because they believe ‘everyone else is doing it’. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University asked nearly 700 recreational fishers at boat ramps in Townsville about their perceptions of poaching (fishing …

ANYONE fishing in southern Moreton Bay and the Logan River should be aware of new fishing restrictions which prohibit all forms of fishing in and around prawn farms in southeast Queensland. The fishing restrictions have been designed to reduce the risk of introducing diseases such as white spot disease into prawn farms along the Logan River. This means all fishing, …

THE Logan and Albert Fish Management Association Stocking Group Fundraising Committee is fundraising to stock the newly completed Wyaralong Dam with both Australian bass and Mary River cod fingerlings. You may have heard of our past efforts, as previously our group was called Carpbusters. Our name has changed, but the mission of our organisation remains the same, and that is …

A CROCODILE has been spotted three times underneath a Fraser Coast wharf this month. A spokeswoman from the Department of Environment and Science said a number of sightings had been reported regarding a crocodile seen at Little Tuan Creek under the wharf near Eckert St at Boonooroo. The reptile has reportedly been seen on March 4, 12 and 16. “On …

DUSKY flathead can be found along the east of coast of Australia from Cairns in north Queensland to the Gippsland lakes in eastern Victoria. In Queensland, dusky flathead is a key target species, with the recreational fishing sector estimated to take 150 tonnes annually (McGilvray et. al 2014). That is approximately three times the reported commercial harvest. Fisheries Queensland collects length, sex …

A NORTH Queensland commercial fisher has been fined $12,000 after being found guilty of four complaints comprising 19 charges under the Fisheries Act 1994. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Officer Dan Sweeney said the commercial fisher pleaded guilty to all four matters in the Cairns Magistrates’ Court. “The four matters involved a variety of offences including taking or possessing …

THE successful court prosecution of two Bundaberg fishers for crabbing offences is a timely reminder to local anglers to comply with Queensland’s fishing rules and regulations. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district officer Geoffrey Fergusson said two recreational Bundaberg fishers were charged with a range of offences following a routine vessel inspection at the Elliot River in April 2017. “Fisheries …

TO ensure the ongoing health of Queensland’s extraordinary marine habitat and to protect local industries, Biosecurity Queensland is urging fishers to ‘Be a mate, and check your bait’. It is really important that fishers only use the right bait in the form of Australian wild-caught prawns from a quality bait supplier or catch their own bait. Imported prawns could potentially …

WITH the prawning season kicking off in southeast Queensland, it is important to remember movement restrictions are in place in Moreton Bay. To help protect Queensland’s beautiful natural waterways, fishers must not move raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms out of the white spot disease movement restriction area in southeast Queensland. The movement restrictions are in place from Caloundra to …