Fishing Rules

CORAL reef fin fish will be off-limits again from Sunday, November 24, 2019 when the second of two annual fin fish fishing closure periods commences to protect these fishing during spawning. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Manager Tony Loader said the five-day closure coincides with the new moon when key coral reef fish species aggregate to spawn. “October and …

QUEENSLAND Boating and Fisheries Patrol has launched an investigation after scores of native wildlife including turtles, fish and even an eagle were found dead in illegal fishing nets in the Logan River. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the four nets were discovered by the QBFP in the river at Jimboomba. “As many as 120 turtles, …

Barramundi fishing will be off-limits throughout Queensland’s east coast from 1 November 2019 to 31 January 2020. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Manager Glenn Shiels said fishers should be aware that the timing of the closed season had changed to make it consistent with other Queensland fisheries closures. “Most fisheries closures now operate from midnight to midnight and cover …

IF there’s one species that holds a very special place in sportfishers’ hearts, it’s got to be lutjanus argentimaculatus, the mangrove jack. This handsome, brick red-coloured ball of muscle is the bully boy of the mangroves, an ambush expert powered by a broad tail, an operator so smart, it’s already heading back to its snaggy home by the time the …

FISHERIES Queensland supports ongoing research as part of Shark Control Program operations. Several projects and a Scientific Working Group are examining the effectiveness of the program and investigating better ways of reducing the accidental capture of other marine animals (non-target species). Review of shark control alternatives The Queensland Government has committed $1 million a year to research and trialling alternatives …

QUEENSLAND Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers in the Gulf of Carpentaria are putting an eye in the sky to help protect the region’s fisheries resources. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said a drone is being used by compliance officers to extend their surveillance reach. “By its nature, Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol field work can be …

MEASURES introduced last year, to protect the Gascoyne, WA pink snapper fishery, need to be monitored to ensure success and this year’s closure was a key focus of Operation Applehaven. Each running across a week, from July 29 and again from August 6, utilising the large and versatile Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Patrol Vessel Houtman and Fisheries …

A COMMERCIAL fisher has been fined $15,000 for trawling in a marine park and not having his vessel tracking unit turned on. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the fisher was found guilty in the Sandgate Magistrates’ Court of fishing without operating a vessel tracking unit on three occasions, and also for commercial fishing in the …

MARINE Parks helicopter patrols across north Queensland are continuing to catch fishers poaching in green zones, with several offenders fined and convicted in the past month. A series of no-take green zone poaching offences recently went before the Cairns, Townsville and Mackay Magistrates’ Courts, with fines up to $2850 and four convictions recorded — three out of the four were detected by aerial surveillance. …

THE longest-serving Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol Officers have welcomed a new generation of recruits to Parliament House on their induction day. The fisheries compliance officers are part of a new intake under the Queensland Government’s $20 million Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2020. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the inductees included three Indigenous officers and an …