Shades Fishing News

Future fish forecast: No ’scaling’ back on research

Teaching fish to fear predators, controlling invasive fish species and restoring the threatened jungle perch in the wild are among the first tasks to be undertaken at Bribie Island’s latest addition to the aquatic research fraternity.

Opened today, the Sustainable Fisheries Research Facility at Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries’ (QPIF) Bribie Island Research Centre (BIRC) will focus on freshwater fisheries research that will compliment innovative aquaculture projects already underway at the centre.

Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland, Tim Mulherin said the location of the new multi-million dollar facility would allow collaboration between aquaculture and wild fisheries research in south-east Queensland.

“BIRC’s status as one of the state’s elite aquatic research centres is boosted by the capa bilities of this new facility,” Mr Mulherin said.

“It will encourage scientists to share expertise between the two areas.

“The capabilities of this new facility will help us achieve our goals of sustainably managed fisheries and productive aquaculture industries.

“The gross value of production for aquaculture in Queensland is forecast at $85 million this year, which shows there is already huge demand for the growth of the industry,” he said.

Mr Mulherin said scientists at the Sustainable Fisheries Research Facility were also investigating habitat management, maintaining native species in the wild and ways of eradicating pest fish species.

“The freshwater fisheries research group, relocating from QPIF’s Southern Fisheries Centre to BIRC, will continue to focus on the control of pest fish, including carp and tilapia.

“These pest fish pose a significant threat to our native fish and their fisheries and the challenge of eradicating pest fish requires smart, technical approaches.

“Using judas fish to attract spawning aggregations of carp into large traps and automated feeding hoppers to attract carp into giant traps in warmer months is showing good promise.

“Scientists will also trial the techniques that have been successful with carp on tilapia, one of the world’s worst invasive fish,” Mr Mulherin said.

Animal science general manager Dr Greg Robbins said the work by QPIF scientists regarding fresh water fisheries will help to restore and maintain natural biodiversity in Queensland’s inland waterways.

“This work needs the combined efforts of aquaculture scientists and fisheries specialists.

“The co-location of QPIF aquaculture and fisheries scientists together at the Bribie facility will greatly assist this collaboration.

Dr Robbins said hatchery reared native fish often suffer the highest mortality rates shortly after being released into their natura l habitat.

“To help overcome this, collaborative studies within the facility will look at ’stranger danger’ lessons for young fish, where scientists teach juvenile native fish to fear and avoid predators,” he said.

“Scientists are teaching Murray cod, eel tail catfish and silver perch fingerlings to be wary of spangled perch, golden perch and larger Murray cod.

“If successful, the ’stranger danger’ program could help rebuild native populations of fish in the wild.

“Another BIRC project aims to reintroduce jungle perch in their traditional habitats in south-east Queensland and restore this popular angling fish to its former glory,” he said.

Dr Robbins said jungle perch breed in saltwater, but migrate as juveniles into freshwater to mature, and adults also return to freshwater after spawning.

“But high culverts, dams and weirs have blocked some migration routes back into freshwater, which has led to the fish disappearing from so many areas,” he said.

For more information on aquaculture and fisheries research in Queensland, go to the QPIF website at www.dpi.qld.gov.au or call the Business Information Centre on 13 25 23

THE patchy rainfall did not put off the eager Leslie Dam campers over the Easter long weekend with ample fish for a Good Friday feast.

Washpool Camping Reserve manager Peter Guy said fishing was excellent this year with several fishermen catching their bag limit of yellow bellies.

“The biggest Murray Cod caught was nearing up to 40 pounds with hundreds of campers enjoying themselves here,” Mr Guy said.

“We recorded rainfall of 11mm out here on Saturday.

“Hundreds of campers came to Warwick this Easter weekend from everywhere and far away as South Australia and Western Australia - a lot of people come here because it’s an affordable holiday in hard times.”

Mr Guy said campers did everything they could to keep cosy in the wet weather.

“Campers kept warm by burning firewood in excess of 200 tonnes,” he said.

“I personally noticed over the years the average camp comprises of a lot of caravans and trailers.

“There was no outrageous behaviour this year - the new rock fence was a great idea and it stops hooligans from driving around the camp area.”

Mr Guy said kids had a great time with the hunt for Easter Eggs on Sunday.

“Some adults enjoyed it too,” he joked.

Marie and Vince Manthey from Caloundra said they enjoyed camping at Leslie Dam.

“We have been coming here every Easter for 10 years now but it has never rained before,” Mrs Manthey said.

“I enjoyed the rain - this is real camping.

“God willing we will still be coming to camp at Leslie Dam for the next 10 years.”

Sandhya Shetty

Source : Warwick Daily News

IT comes as no surprise that the State Government’s unveiling of its Moreton Bay rezoning plan appears to have pleased very few with a stake in what happens in the waters stretching from our Gold Coast north to Caloundra.

The ‘tough love’ approach introduced by Canberra to protect and preserve the Great Barrier Reef in 2004 generated strong emotions.

On the one hand, the zonings were hailed by conservationists in Australia and in the international community as one of the great political and scientific achievements of the past few decades, with the likes of international environmentalists Jean-Michel Cousteau and David Attenborough happily expressing their delight.

On the other hand, the zones meant fishing was banned in areas that many north Queenslanders had considered they had a birthright to fish, generating intense anger and a series of very fiery public meetings.

The State Government’s bid to protect this region’s inshore fishing stocks, with its rezoning plan due to take effect from March 1 next year, bans fishing from 16 per cent of Moreton Bay waters stretching down to the Seaway.

The Bligh Government’s intention is noble enough: to ensure ‘our grandchildren will still be able to throw in a line’ in the bay — and presumably catch something worth eating.

But typically, environmentalists believe a considerably larger part of the bay should be no-go zones while the fishing industry argues the proposed measures are over the top and is warning of shortages of local supplies and an increase therefore in imported seafood.

It is important the rest of us keep in mind what has brought southeast Queensland to this point. Few can deny that while the majority try to do the right thing, there have been cowboys raping our fish stocks over the decades, leading to a situation now where stern measures are required.

It is sad that it will mean even more bureaucracy, with bay rangers with the power to levy on-the-spot fines enforcing the new bans.

It will be not only charter operators and commercial fishermen who could be hit hard in tough economic times. As one experienced fisherman told he Bulletin yesterday, there could be collateral damage extending to bait and tackle shops and others who service the fishing and tourism industries, such as clothing manufacturers and — as the Gold Coast has witnessed already — boat manufacturers.

Cool heads are suggesting it would be more effective to introduce bag limits on species that are unrestricted at the moment.

What is evident though is that common sense should have prevailed much sooner. Instead, professional and recreational anglers are about to be hit with measures that are probably too harsh — and too late.

Source : goldcoast.com.au

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) says snapper stocks have been dangerously over-fished from Bundaberg, in the south-east, to northern New South Wales, and seasonal closures must be introduced.

It says 760 tonnes of snapper was caught last year and the resource can only sustain 440 tonnes.

Dr Brigid Kerrigan says public meetings were held in the past two weeks with commercial and recreational fishers about ways of preserving snapper stocks.

She says recreational fishers caught more than 500 tonnes of snapper last year and they are unhappy about the possible introduction of long-term seasonal closures.

“Total closures over a year of upwards of four months for a period of 10 years to rebuild that stock,” she said.

Dr Kerrigan says decreasing bag limits or increasing size limits will not help rebuild or preserve snapper stocks and seasonal closures are the only option.

“We have very few tools that we can use to effectively reduce fishing pressure on snapper,” she said.

She says if seasonal closures are introduced snapper fishing will be banned for four months each year and the impact will be significant.

Source : ABC News

Brian Williams and Rosemary Odgers

GREEN cops with the power to fine will patrol Moreton Bay to enforce new fishing bans but conservationists say that will not be enough to protect fish stocks.

The State Government yesterday unveiled its Moreton Bay rezoning plan, which bans fishing in 16 per cent of the waters stretching from Caloundra in the north to the Gold Coast in the south.

Only half a per cent of waters are currently declared green zones.

Premier Anna Bligh said the rezoning, to take effect from March 1, 2009, would ensure “our grandchildren will still be able to throw in a line” in the bay.

But environmentalists said 30 per cent of the bay should be no-go zones, while the seafood industry slammed the news as deceptive and secretive and warned that prices would rise.

Australian Marine Conservation Society spokesman Craig Bohm said the plan provided less than half the amount of protection needed.

Eight extra officers will enforce the new no-take zones, handing out fines ranging from $300 to $1500.

Go-slow areas will be enlarged to protect dugong and turtles species and artificial reefs will be trialled.

Under the proposal, about 544sq km of Moreton Bay will be declared green zones or no-take zones, while a further 7 per cent will be yellow zones, which means commercial fishers will only be able to use fishing lines, not trawlers.

“It exposes a whopping 84 per cent of the marine park to intense fishing pressure, providing little security for local marine wildlife into the future,” Mr Bohm said.

Around 100, or about one-quarter of the commercial fishers working in the bay are expected to be forced out of the area and take up the Government’s $16 million offer to buy out their licences.

About 26 per cent of the bay had been closed to trawlers but 55 per cent will be off limits when the changes are introduced.

Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association vice-chairman John Page said the ban would drive up prices for seafood.

“We’re going to get less seafood in the shop, and it’s going to be dearer,” he said.

Mr Page said it was equally important that recreational fishing be restrained through tough bag and size limits, otherwise the rezoning would be a waste of time.

Queensland Seafood Industry Association’s Winston Harris said the Environmental Protection Agency’s industry consultation was farcical.

“They kept the details of the plan and even the date and time of its release a total secret from the group who will be most impacted,” Mr Harris said.

“By contrast, you can be sure the EPA will have kept environmental lobby groups fully informed.”

Recreational fishing group Sunfish said it was too early to judge the impact of the changes but predicted it would “seriously impact” on local anglers.

Wildlife Preservation Society president Simon Baltais said threatened wildlife such as turtles, dugongs and shore birds faced an uncertain future.

“Coral reefs, seagrass meadows and, in fact, many special places have simply not been protected,” he said.

Professor Tor Hundloe, a scientist who compiled a report for commercial fishers, said the Government probably had it about right.

“But the real issue is the number of people living here and the way we treat the land. It’s too difficult an issue for governments who want to see more and more people and more and more development,” Professor Hundloe said.

Queensland Conservation executive director Tony Hutcheon said so many concessions had been given to fishermen the plan’s conservation benefits had been compromised.

Source: Courier Mail

A recreational fishing group has joined conservationists in criticising Wide Bay Water Corporation for failing to install a fishway over a weir in the Burrum River.

The Wide Bay Burnett Conservation Council says thousands of Australian bass died because they could not get over the Burrum Weir.

The secretary of Fraser Coast Sunfish, Martin Bellert, says the whole ecosystem is being damaged because the company has not installed a transfer device.

“The Barramundi fishery in the Burrum River has declined in recent years and this is the reason why we really need that fishway to provide the reserve of stock to replenish the fish stocks in the river,” he said.

“But there’s also a whole [lot] of all the other small fishes in the food chain.”

Wide Bay Water says it will install a fish transfer system at the weir as soon as it finds one that works properly.

Source : ABC News

A memorial fishing competition will be held in south-east South Australia this week to pay tribute to one of the fishermen killed in a boating accident last month off Stansbury, on Yorke Peninsula.

The memorial will be held for Mt Gambier man, deckhand Adam Nicolai, 28.

The body of fellow Mt Gambier man, Justin Hellyer, has never been found.

The organiser of the memorial competition, Michael Gordon, says it will be held at a place where Mr Nicolai spent a lot of his spare time.

“It’s all about Adam’s life pretty much. The way he spent most of his life fishing and the enjoyment he had doing it down here,” he said.

“Most of his fishing got spent down at Livingston’s Beach, so we thought we’d have a memorial down there for him, for all families to have a bit of a think about the times they had with Adam and have a bit of fun.”

The competition will be held this Saturday at Livingstons Bay, starting at 10:00am ACDT.

Source : ABC News

KIM Martin hopes the hundreds of anglers expected at the 2008 Barra Bounty will have something to catch when they throw in a line in two weeks.

The Rocky Barra Bounty organiser has concerns about fish numbers in the Fitzroy River in the wake of reports that the floods earlier this year and high salt levels have affected the estuary’s ecosystem.

Emerald’s Ensham Mine, which was flooded in January, pumped out its pit into the Isaac, Mackenzie and Fitzroy rivers, increasing levels of sodium chloride salt.

While not harmful to humans, some fishers claimed the discharge may have contributed to a downturn in fish numbers.

Yesterday the Rockhampton Regional Council said tests showed sodium chloride levels at 118mg a litre.

“We simply won’t know how many fish are in the river until the event begins,” Mr Martin said.

“In all honesty there are many factors when it comes to fish numbers weather plays a big role along with water temperature.

“There are a lot of little fish in the river though, but they are only 12 months old and about 30cm long, so they won’t excite competitors much.

“We have concerns that there may not be a large population of fish, but we just won’t know until the event.”

Over the past nine Barra Bounties 1150 barra had been tagged and released.

He said if the warmer weather continued over the next fortnight, it could boost fish numbers by the time Barra Bounty arrived.

“Barra are a tropical fish, so they don’t move when temperatures are low,” he said.

“If we can get a nice patch of weather, say 24 degrees (Celsius), it would be a godsend.”

This year’s Rocky Barra Bounty Tag and Release Barramundi Fishing Event is scheduled to cast off on the Fitzroy River from October 23 to 25.

The competition is judged on the most metres of barramundi tagged and released.

Meanwhile, The Morning Bulletin yesterday took water samples from the Fitzroy River upstream of the barrage for testing.

This reporter collected the samples in containers given to him by scientists at CQUniversity, who will conduct the tests.

They will test for sodium chloride levels and return the results to The Morning Bulletin probably early next week.

Source : The Morning Bulletin

MORETON Bay fishermen will soon find out which parts of the bay will be made off-limits to fishing.

Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara says he has almost finished making his preferred changes to the State Government’s draft Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning plan.

But Mr McNamara has signalled further changes might be made when the document goes to Cabinet for approval in the next two months, and warned he could be overruled if other ministers wanted to adjust proposed no-take zones.

Fishing groups have consistently attacked the government’s draft zoning plan, which proposes fishing bans in 15 per cent of the marine park, while environmentalists have called for even stronger protection to safeguard marine life.

Mr McNamara spoke about a delicate “balancing act” when he visited the Redlands last week to accept petitions from about 1400 residents concerned about planned green zones.

The petitions, launched by State Labor Member for Redlands John English, called on the Minister to scrap the suggested bans on shoreline fishing at Victoria Point and Point Talburpin.

The State Opposition ridiculed the petitions last month after discovering two other Labor backbenchers had distributed near-identical petitions in their areas.

Mr English confirmed the Minister’s staff and the Labor Party had input into the wording.

The Liberal National Party claimed a backroom deal had already been done to make the proposed changes and the petitions were simply a ploy to make the MPs appear like community heroes at the end of the process.

But Mr McNamara told the Bayside Bulletin he hadn’t yet made up his mind on the petitions and accused the LNP of being out of touch with the processes of government.

“If I could announce today, and do a photo for you, and shake John’s hand and say, ‘Yep, good on you, it’s done’, I would,” he said.

“Cabinet is not a rubber stamp. It’s a very vigorous contest of ideas. Every minister will have their fingers all over this when it’s done.”

If certain green zones were removed from the draft plan or modified, he said, other areas would have to be added to maintain the same “overall percentage”.

The comments suggest the final plan is likely to include green zones covering about 15 per cent of the Moreton Bay Marine Park - the same level of protection as the draft plan but an increase on the bay’s existing 1 per cent coverage.

Source : Redland Times

Matt Conners

THE river glistens in the afternoon sun as a pelican glides to a slow descent just off the wharf. A canoeist drifts by as a CityCat ploughs upstream.

Apart from the gentle hum of Breakfast Creek traffic, it feels a world away from the fringe-CBD setting.

So, too, does the afternoon activity. As the city winds up to peak hour, here we are sitting on the edge of the river. Fishing.

Back in the murky, polluted days of the ’70s and ’80s, the only thing you could catch in the Brisbane River was a cold. Or if you were really unlucky, cholera.

Keen anglers brave enough to wet a line faced pulling up old boots, tyres and other flotsam and jetsam dumped by the city that had turned its back on its waters. There were fish to be caught, but constant dredging and river pollution made for a difficult catch and a truly unenviable meal.

How times have changed.

Ever since river dredging halted in 1993, the dying river has reversed. Pollution minimisation of southeast Queensland waterways also has helped, and while it still has a way to go - particularly in reducing effluent outflows - the Brisbane River is at its cleanest since the early 1900s.

And the fish are back.

Brisbane-based anglers are returning to the river and catching an array of local species, including some very good eating fish. Publicly accessible pontoons, walkways and riverbanks mean you don’t even need a tinnie, making it an ideal school holiday activity to keep the kids busy.

If you are at a loss about where to start your Brisbane River fishing expedition, before you wet a line it pays to go online.

City portal ourbrisbane.com features some great places where you can fish, but if you want the real inside information, head to Brisbane Fishing Online (brisbanefishing.com.au), a community built around local recreational anglers.

And like many good ideas hatched in Brisbane, it started over a beer at the Regatta Hotel at Toowong.

Keen anglers John Petrie and Angus Gorrie were lamenting the lack of respect for our main tributary and devised a plan to hold a fishing competition, the Brisbane River Classic, with the inaugural event held in 2006. From there, BFO was born.

The site includes a wealth of information of fishing sites, hints and local fish species, but it’s the piscatorial forums where the real gold resides. Join as a novice and you’ll soon meet a bunch of anglers keen to share information and encourage others to enjoy river fishing.

Gorrie says Brisbane Fishing Online wants to promote the river as an angler’s dream. “The river is fishing unbelievably well but only the people who are doing it actually realise it,” he says. “Other people are highly sceptical but the quality and quantity of fish coming out of the river are just phenomenal.”

Species caught in the river include snapper, flathead, estuary cod, mangrove jack, jewfish, bream, moses perch and the ubiquitous Brisbane River catfish.

“You are almost guaranteed of catching one of those,” Gorrie says of the catfish. “It’s fun for the kids, at least.”

And despite catfish being considered vermin, BFO encourages catch-and-release practices with all species - even catfish - as well as obeying bag and size limits.

“We also try to raise a lot of money for stocking groups and community awareness on things like catch-and-release fishing,” Gorrie says. “We want to preserve the waterways and be able to take our kids fishing in 10 years.”

As for the eating part of fishing, some stigma of the much-maligned river remains, but Gorrie says you need to think about the fish you are catching.

“People still have very differing views on it but the simple fact is that a lot of the fish we catch in the river are migratory.

“People who put their noses up at a salmon or a snapper from the river and then buy some at the shop, there is a high chance they are buying a fish that has come in and out of the river to Moreton Bay anyway.”

One particular breed, threadfin salmon, is said to be the river’s best-kept secret.

“They’re quite a big fish and can get up to about 1.8m and 20kg in the river. Some people will spend $6000 on a charter to go up to Darwin to catch one of these things. They don’t realise there is an incredibly healthy population on their doorstep.”

Brisbane Fishing Online

BRISBANE Fishing Online has more than 3700 members who share their Brisbane River fishing tips, insights and stories about the ones that got away on a daily basis.

A few members shared their insights into Brisbane River fishing with couriermail.com.au

Name: Ash Anderson, 27

Occupation: Business Relations Officer

Suburb: Jamboree Heights

What are your favourite spots: The mouth of the Norman Creek, Moggil Ferry Park, Newstead and Breakfast Creek, Kookarabarra Park, Karana Downs

Any secrets to fishing the Brisbane River: It has a very strong tide flow. So if you are using bait, use either a very heavy sinker or float your bait by not using a sinker. Fish around bridges, creek mouths or mudbanks.

What bait do you suggest: I find mullet strip is the best all-round bait. Prawns also are good.

What types of fish do you regularly catch: Squire, Jew (Mulloway) catfish, bream, whiting, estuary cod, flathead and threadfin salmon mainly. Also the occasional shark in summer.

Do you regularly eat the fish: No, but my wife and daughter do. Pan-sized flathead, squire or threadfin seem to be the favourites at the table. Bream with lime juice isn’t too bad either. The best table fish from the river so far has been the Jewfish. Very white, clean flesh.

Name: Andy Chan, 26

Occupation: Work Force Co-ordinator

Suburb: Cannon Hill

What are your favourite spots: Newstead Park, Breakfast Creek (walkway outside Breakfast Creek Hotel) Bretts Wharf, Southbank (Along the bank under the Rock Climbing walls)

Any tips for bank fishing: Persistance

What types of fish do you regularly catch: Bream, flathead, estaury cod, threadfin salmon, Jewfish, catfish

What bait do you suggest: I mainly use lures (soft-plastics and hard-bodied lures) but you can’t go past prawn meat

Do you regularly eat the fish: Yes occasionaly, I will only keep around 1-2 fish max per fishing session as I fish for fun not for food.

Name: Kris Lubbers, 25

Occupation: Sales and parts rep

Suburb: Moggill

What are your favourite spots: I have a kayak as well but the good thing about the Brisbane River is that you can fish anywhere. If you’ve got a couple of spare hours you can throw a rod in the car and off you go. If people want to start, the parks around Jindalee and Seventeen Mile Rocks are good.

What bait do you suggest: I don’t use a lot of bait but most servos near the river sell bait. With lutres, it really depends what you are fishing for. I have more luck on plastics.

Do you regularly eat the fish: I’m not one of those fishermen who fish for a feed and you’ll find that a lot on BFO. It’s more of a fun sport than anything. It’s a great way to get out and about and meet new people.

Source: Courier Mail