Shades Fishing News

Fish stocks in the Macquarie River received a boost yesterday when 9000 Murray Cod fingerlings were released from the boat ramp at Rotary Park.

The release is an annual initiative between Narromine council, Macquarie Cotton Growers and NSW Department of Fisheries.

Narromine Shire Council contributed $1500 towards the release, Macquarie Cotton Growers contributed $1500 and Department of NSW Fisheries gave $3000.

Leigh Logan from Murray Darling Fisheries said the cod usually spawn with flooding, and as there hasn’t been too much of that in recent years, restocking is a way of bringing the numbers back.

He said the fish can also help to keep carp numbers down.

“They will help reduce carp numbers once they get to 500g,” he said.

“Once they get big they’ll eat anything - ducks, large fish, turtles, they are vicious predators and will even eat each other.

“At this time of year with this level of river flow there should be plenty of food for them,” he said.

“The survival rate should be pretty good.”

The fingerlings should reach the legal fishing size of 55cm in two years, but Mr Logan said he was hoping the legal size would be increased to 60cm to give the cod more chance to breed.

“With restocking and changing the legal size I’m sure we’ll start to see an increase in fish numbers,” he said.

Mr Logan said the fish tended to mature to the breeding size of roughly 60cm within three to four years.

He said the biggest Murray Cod ever caught was 110kg, but most would grow to between 30 and 40 kilograms depending on the quality and the amount of food available in the water.

Narromine mayor Dawn Collins said the release of fingerlings into the river was a great initiative by the council.

“I think it’s great the children get involved too because it’s something they don’t often get to see,” she said.

“Hopefully all these fisherman can catch the fish in a couple of years.”

Source: Narromine News

Authorities say they cannot predict when the algal bloom on the Gippsland Lakes will break up.

A large outbreak spread through much of the lakes system last week, including Lake Victoria and Lake King.

The East Gippsland Shire says the outbreak does not yet appear to have affected tourism in the region.

The shire’s John Websdale says although signs have gone up warning people not to swim in the lakes, fishing and boating is continuing as usual.

“Yes, the Gippsland Lakes have been affected, but we have a range of lake networks,” he said.

“We have nearby Lake Tyes which is unaffected, we have the magnificent lakes at Mallacoota, Tamboon, Marlo, so there’s plenty of waterways and rivers that are available to the community to use that are unaffected.”

Source: ABC Gippsland

JOSHUA MacFarlane was enjoying a typical outdoor Australian summer fishing with his mates before a quick swim across a river turned to tragedy.

The 15-year-old drowned after he was washed over a weir in the Macquarie River at Dubbo, in the state’s Central West, in a torrent of water released from a dam upstream.

His devastated family yesterday spoke out to warn other youngsters who use rivers as their holiday playground of the hidden dangers of weirs - which are almost invisible at water level.

Joshua (pictured), who was a popular teenager with a love of motorbikes and fishing, vanished during what was supposed to be a short swim on Tuesday about 2pm.

A massive search involving police, SES and Volunteer Rescue Association personnel and local council officers was launched after his friends and several witnesses reported him missing.

Volunteer rescue workers found his body yesterday. His devastated family was yesterday seeking solace in the knowledge he was doing something he enjoyed.

“He was actually down at the river doing something he loved, he was fishing with his mates,” his devastated mother Janelle MacFarlane said yesterday. “It is every mother’s worst nightmare and unfortunately now it has happened to me.”

Mrs MacFarlane said Joshua adored his brothers, aged nine and 10, and his three-year-old sister.

Joshua’s family was on the banks of the Macquarie River when police found his body at 10am yesterday, 20 hours after he went missing.

A police spokeswoman said the discovery was made 20m downstream from the South Dubbo weir.

Joshua’s father said the river had risen after water was released from nearby Burrendong dam on Saturday.

“They released 1.5m of water from the dam,” he said.

“We have had a long night and this morning was the worst moment.”

Mrs MacFarlane yesterday warned other children to be wary of swimming near weirs.

“(They) are very dangerous places . . . I just want to get the message across and to get his picture out,” Mrs MacFarlane said.

The police spokeswoman said it appeared Joshua, a Dubbo High School south campus student, had been trying to swim across the river.

Police said local volunteer rescue association personnel and state emergency volunteers had been involved in the search for Joshua.

The spokeswoman said the MacFarlane family was cared for by ambulance workers at the river’s edge after their son’s body was recovered.

Many of Joshua’s shocked school friends were at his home yesterday comforting his grieving family.

By Gemma Jones in Dubbo

Source: The Daily Telegraph

SCHOOL students across the state will be encouraged to “Get Hooked” on fishing as part of a State Government program to teach students the art of angling.

Lessons will begin in the classroom before students - armed with rods and bait - hit beaches, lakes and rivers to put into practice what they have been taught.

Acting Primary Industries Minister Linda Burney said the two-year program will be trialled at 100 schools across NSW.

“This program will introduce young anglers to the basics of recreational fishing,” Ms Burney said.

“The interactive and discovery- based program will help NSW primary school students and teachers to enjoy learning about saltwater and freshwater fishing, fish habitats and the importance of sustainable recreational fishing.”

Ms Burney said the program aims to foster a love of fishing in the next generation with the hope it will turn young children into life-long fishermen and women.

During “Get Hooked” week, excursions to waterways will be organised.

A recent survey found NSW had the most anglers in Australia, with almost one million people enjoying the pastime. A NSW recreational fishing licence is required, costing anglers between $6 for a three-day pass to $75 for three-year licence.

Mark McGrath has fished since he was three and is now passing on his skills to his two young daughters.

“I started teaching my eldest when she was about five and I’ve been fishing since I was three - it’s in the blood,” the 40-year-old said.

“When I was younger, I liked being able to catch a feed of fish for the family - I found that a real achievement,” he said.

Mr McGrath, from Botany, said his daughters Lauren, 10, and Jennifer, 7, now love the sport and he takes them out as often as he can.

“I think introducing fishing into schools is a good thing because if you can get them interested early on, it keeps them interested, whereas if it’s introduced later, kids can find it boring,” he said.

New laws introduced late last year have made it harder for anglers hoping for a catch.

Freshwater fishers can no longer leave a line unattended and those hoping to snag a Murray cod must ensure it is longer than the 55cm - the legal length.

Saltwater anglers also face new rules, including increased legal lengths for a variery of fish including pearl perch, yellowtail kingfish, mahi-mahi and blue gropers.

The State Government has also announced a new survey will investigate the importance of recreational and charter boat fishing as well as gauge the economic impact of the popular sport.

Source: Daily Telegraph

The surrounds of Lake Forbes have been continuously upgraded and beautified in recent years, but last week saw improvements to the contents of the lake with Forbes Shire Council releasing thousands of native fingerlings into the watercourse.

The release took place adjacent to Apex Park (near the Vampire Jet) and approximately 1800 Murray Cod and 4545 Golden Perch (Yellow Belly) were placed in Lake Forbes.

The release was aimed at increasing the native fish population and improving opportunities for recreational fisherman.

The native fingerlings were provided by Murray Darling Fisheries in Wagga Wagga and dollar for dollar funding was provided under the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust, which is funded from the proceeds of the recreational fishing licenses.

Council hopes to do more releases in the future and plans to continue applying for funding.

Source: Forbes Advocate

AFTER 10 days of wild weather in the Clarence Valley which prevented fishermen from heading offshore, conditions eased on Sunday night, allowing trawlers to bring in the first catch of succulent fresh Yamba king prawns for 2008.

The rush was on yesterday by 11am at the Yamba branch of the Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-operative, said store manager Leanne Madden, after signs that read last night’s catch available went up.

Ms Madden was preparing her team for a hot and sweaty onslaught of hungry customers on their way home from work last night.

It’s the first haul of fresh ocean prawns since fishermen tied up their trawlers on December 22, before the full moon. Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-operative general manager Russell Creighton said he hoped more trawlers would be able to head offshore last night, as fisherman reported flat conditions getting over the bar on Sunday night, and good weather yesterday allowed trawlers to land school, small and medium king prawns.

Ms Madden said there were plenty of happy customers, but some grizzled about paying $36kg for medium king prawns. Fisherman yielded about 90kg of small and medium king prawns which were almost sold out by 4pm yesterday. “I don’t have many mediums left, they’re walking out the door. People have been starved of them for too long,” she said.

Mr Creighton said the swell in the bar was between four and five metres over the past week, making it impossible for offshore fishing. “The surfers were surfing in the main river right up to where the Coast Guard is. They were having a great time,” he said. “But it’s usually our busiest time of year. Unfortunately the rain has hurt us in a big way. It chased a lot of people home.”

Mr Creighton said the loss would run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

“Our shops have been hurting big time. It took away all our tourists trade,” he said.

For nearly two weeks, the co-operative, locals and tourists have relied on the school prawn catches in the river which had been in huge quantities, Mr Creighton said. Schoolies have been selling for $8.50kg or two kg for $15. While the weather has turned around for now Mr Creighton and Ms Madden are concerned there is another change looming.

“We could have a wet January with more flooding,” Mr Creighton said. “There will be plenty of product but no tourists to buy them.”

Ms Madden said she could not say when the co-op would be able to send fresh ocean stock to the Sydney markets again.

Source: Grafton Daily Examiner

AN off-duty army corporal drew on her defence rescue training when she plucked a Melbourne fisherman from the ocean at Queenscliff yesterday.

Canberra’s Emily Sapwell pulled Frank Italina from under his overturned 4.8m fishing boat and dragged him to shore with the help of another man.

“I dove underwater and he was under the boat so I pulled him out from his feet,” Ms Sapwell said.

“He couldn’t swim so we pulled him in. He had a life vest on but it wasn’t inflated,” she said.

“He was probably only under water for about 20 seconds, he was just wedged under the canopy.”

Home visiting her parents in Point Lonsdale, Ms Sapwell and her father Ian were walking their three dogs at Santa Cassa Beach about 8.30am when they noticed a couple of boats swamped on the beach.

She said she and her dad pitched in to help bail water from the boats and push them back out to sea.

The first boat, containing Mr Italina’s friends, was fine but Mr Italina’s boat flipped when he was about 30 metres from shore, Ms Sapwell said.

She said the man who helped her rescue Mr Italina was from the other boat, while Mr Italina’s fishing companion Don De Rosa witnessed the drama from the beach.

A corporal in the Australian Army, Miss Sapwell is based in Canberra and works as a physical training instructor.

She said all army members carried out specific training on how to respond if a helicopter crashes into the ocean and ends up underwater, so she was well-equipped to deal with yesterday’s events.

Ms Sapwell said she only did what anyone else would have done in the same situation and paid tribute to her “wonder” dog Kaya, a kelpie corgi cross, who attempted to help in the rescue.

Wrapped in towels and clad only in his underwear, Mr Italina and his friend Mr De Rosa expressed their gratitude to Ms Sapwell and other people who helped them out.

The Greensborough residents had sailed from Sorrento yesterday morning alongside friends in another vessel for a day of fishing.

The pair were left to ponder how they were going to get the boat back to Melbourne.

Senior Constable Mark Wakeling of Queenscliff police said it was up to the owner and their insurance company to salvage the vessel.

Source: Geelong Advertiser

The Department of Fisheries says the marron season will start two weeks later than usual in south-west Western Australia and the Great Southern region.

The season will open on the January 25 and close the February 17, to take advantage of a darker moon phase which will provide the best opportunity to catch marron.

The department’s Peter Godfrey says the season will only run for 23 days to sustain wild marron stocks.

Mr Godfrey says people caught fishing outside of those dates will be fined, and says strict bag and size limits will apply.

“We’d like to remind people that the season does open on Friday 25th and not before,” he said.

“Fisheries and Marine Officers will be conducting patrols right throughout the south-west.

“Also, when the season does open, fishers require a licence.”

Source: ABC News

TWO thousand baby Murray Cod were released in Chinaman’s Dam last week, as part of a conservation and breeding program within the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
Every year fish are distributed to different dams, and two years ago several thousand baby Golden Perch were released at Chinaman’s Dam.

With the dam 90 per cent full and the water at 26 degrees Celsius, the dam creates a wonderful environment for the cod.

Each fish released was 35 millimetres long, weighing half a gram and in three to four years these fish will be table sized.

Assistant Hatchery Manager of the NSW DPI Narrandera Fisheries Mark Stimson said contributing factors to a fish’s survival include food supply and the water quality. If the water temperature is too different from the breeding site they may suffer from thermal shock.

On average between two and two and a half million baby fish are released around the state each year.

Mr Stimson said it has been a record season with 600,000 Murray Cod distributed to dams across NSW.

“It has been a great year for fish breeding,” Mr Stimson said.

“We release the fish in the warmer months, when the pond activity is more productive, producing zooplankton and algae for the fish to eat.”

The DPI also released Murray Cod in Temora and Wyangala dams on Friday.

It is currently fresh water fishing season at Chinaman’s Dam. A fishing licence is necessary and can be applied for through council.

Source: The Young Witness

A million dollars worth of salmon has escaped from a fish farm on the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania.

The Department of Primary Industries and Water believes a net torn open, allowing up to 25,000 salmon to escape from a Nubeena farm.

Spokesman Wes Ford says it is a boon for recreational fishers, but is causing big problems for commercial anglers, who are banned from selling salmon which escape from fish farms.

“As I understand it, some of the commercial fishermen who are fishing in the area are going about their daily business of trying to catch particularly fish like banded morwong,” he says.

“They are finding their nets are full of salmon, or have got large quantities of salmon, and that means they are getting less morwong in their nets, so they are catching less of the target species, so it’s affecting their income”.

Source: ABC Rural