Fishing

EXCEEDING pipi possession limits has seen two recreational fishers fined a total of $8000 in the Noosa Magistrates’ Court. Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said the two fishers were caught on Teewah Beach with a total of 3591 pipis in June 2017. “The possession limit for pipis in Queensland is 50 per person, so the two fishers had in their possession …

SNAPPER is one of those iconic species that’s on everyone’s wish list and the winter months through to late spring present the best time to be catching snapper on the offshore reefs of southeast Queensland. Tips for catching snapper offshore – Tagging studies conducted over time indicate snapper populations in Moreton Bay tend to mostly stay in the bay and …

AN invitation to join a Swain Reefs fishing trip is pretty hard to knock back, and to do a trip with essentially the same nucleus of guys from previous years that all get on well and love their fishing makes it even harder. We headed out from Yeppoon late in the evening on the Capricorn Star with owner/skipper Scott Wilson …

TAKING excess coral reef fish, which were to be sold on the black market, has landed two Townsville recreational fishers $17,000 in fines. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the two recreational fishers pleaded guilty in the Townsville Magistrates’ Court to unlawfully taking 63 coral reef fin fish. “The magistrate stated their actions were deliberate and …

QUEENSLAND’S new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will be asked to identify options to rebuild the snapper stock, which continues to be considered overfished. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner announced the new working group, which will provide advice to the government on managing fisheries including snapper, pearl perch, teraglin jew, yellowtail kingfish, cobia and mahi mahi. …

RECREATIONAL fishers will be hitting the water this weekend as the annual closed season for Australian bass comes to an end. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol Technical Support Officer David Kahler said Australian bass had been off-limits in Queensland tidal waters from 1 June to 31 August 2018 to protect the species during its breeding cycle. “Fishers can return to …

IN June 2017, the Queensland Government released the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027, paving the way for Queensland to have a world-class fisheries management system. These reforms will ensure healthy fish stocks that will support thousands of Queensland jobs. One year on from the release of Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy and there has been very positive progress towards implementing the action …

IT’S been a long wait but spring is finally here. You can start to box up the winter warmers and put away the heaters. Overall, I would call this winter a mild one. We didn’t see too many awful cold days in the low single digits. That probably means we are in for one hell of a hot summer. So …

AT the end of my last article I mentioned I have been doing as much offshore fishing as I possibly can, and it’s safe to say I have become addicted to this awesome fishery right on our doorstep. I have been focusing the majority of my efforts on targeting big Brisbane snapper, but I have been picking away at a …

The iconic freshwater cod species Murray cod and Mary River cod will be off-limits to fishers during a closed season from September 1 to November 30, 2018. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Officer Coby Walker said the annual closure which allows the species to reproduce during spawning season was important for maintaining sustainable fish stocks. “The closed season for …