Shades Fishing News

BATHURST yesterday struck a devastating blow against invasive feral fish species when 400 recreational anglers hauled more than 80 carp and redfin from the Macquarie River.

Groups including as many as eight family members fished for just over six hours, landing redfin as small as two grams to whopping carp that tipped the scales at 6.75 kilograms.

NSW Fisheries’ Education officer Brett Smith was amazed that the initiative of the Bathurst RSL Fishing Club, staging only its second annual BCF Carp Blitz, has rid the Macquarie River of so many “rabbits of the river” in only a few hours.

Mr Smith congratulated the members of the fishing club for being among the first in NSW to cotton onto the Fishers for Fish Habitat project that aims to improve the native fish habitat on waterways across the state.

The fishing club collected gold coin donations to be matched dollar for dollar to buy quality native murray cod, yellowbelly and silver perch to stock local waterways.

“This has been an amazing day for Bathurst because of the large number of fish of breeding potential that were removed from the river,” Mr Smith said.

“When you calculate that just one of the carp that have achieved between two and six kilograms has a capacity to on breed, producing as many as 50,000 more carp, this is a huge environmental impact for the good of the river, water quality and native fish habitat.

David Roberts, 34, caught one of the last fish before the 2pm weigh-in, hooking a massive 6.75 kilogram carp from a spot he occupied with friends just up from the Denison Bridge.

Source : Western Advocate

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is currently undertaking research involving freshwater fish movements in many waterways throughout NSW, including the Macquarie River.

Anglers are urged to check all fish that they catch for a tag or microchip to assist with research that is vital to our fisheries’ future.

NSW anglers who catch a tagged fish in their region are asked to freecall 1800 185 027 to report the date of the catch, tag number, place of catch, length and species of fish.

Anglers will be posted the details of the original tagging location and rewarded with a 75-millimetre ‘Oar-Gee’ plow lure, which is a Murray Cod specialist.

Species to be tagged include native fish such as Murray cod, silver perch, golden perch, Australian bass, catfish, mullet and bony bream, and introduced fish such as European carp, goldfish and red-fin.

The participation of anglers has greatly contributed to the success of a study on the migration patterns of fish along the Murray-Darling River system, and it is hoped that anglers will keep up the good work.

NSW DPI researchers have found that the study of tagged fish and the reporting of anglers along the Murray-Darling River system has proved to be very valuable.

Studies from fish tagging is providing vital information on the movement patterns of native fish, which will help manage their populations.

It will also provide important biological information on introduced species, which can be used to develop better methods for their control.

Freshwater fish ecologists with the NSW DPI, together with their counterparts from the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and the South Australian Research and Development Institute, have tagged fish along many of the major rivers within the Murray-Darling Basin with microchip tags similar to those used to tag pets.

Automated tracking stations which record the movement of fish through fish-ways are being progressively installed along the Murray River, and unlike previous tagging studies that relied on recapturing the fish, the tracking stations automatically record the location of the fish as they swim through the fish-way.

Fish have also been externally tagged with yellow tags that can be easily recognised by anglers.

Contact details to report the re-capture of tagged fish are printed on each tag.

During peak fishing periods, scientists have been receiving more than 100 tag returns in a week.

Receiving so many responses can slow down the processing of tag replies, but anglers can rest assured that all reported captures will receive a response.

Since the tagging of fish began in 2001 more than 10,000 fish have been tagged and released into the main channel of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers.

A further 500 fish have been tagged in the Shoalhaven catchment.

This large scale tagging of fish will be ongoing in numerous rivers within NSW for a number of years.

Anglers who clean their catch may also find a microchip in the shoulder of these species.

Each microchip contains a unique number and fish can be identified if anglers are able to return the tag.

Initial results showed that some fish have moved more than 500 kilometres along the Murray River in as little as three months and as far as 1700 kilometres over two years.

Source: Dubbo Daily Liberal

The new 2009 Go Fishing in Victoria calendar is available now free of charge as part of the Brumby Government’s commitment to fishing in Victoria.

Minister Responsible for Fisheries Joe Helper said the theme of the 2009 Go Fishing in Victoria calendar is fish friendly farming.

“Each month has its own colour illustration depicting how farmers and the community can help fish and their habitats by protecting the environment in and around waterways while fishing in adjacent rivers and lakes,” Mr Helper said.

“Activities carried out by the community ranges from calling Fisheries Victoria’s 13 FISH (13 3474) reporting service if they suspect illegal fishing to fencing off stock and using fertilisers responsibly.

“The calendar also lists important fishing dates in 2009 such as closed seasons for species such as trout, Murray cod and blackfish, and important farming dates such key agricultural field days.”

The illustrated calendar also highlights fun events for new and experienced recreational fishers, including details of Family Fishing Festivals at each of the five Premier Lakes next year.

The 2009 Family Fishing Festivals will be held at Eildon Pondage (April 18), Lake Hyland, Churchill (May 2), Kennington Reservoir, Bendigo (August 9), Lillydale Lake (September 19) and Jubilee Lake, Daylesford (October 18).

Mr Helper said access at the Premier Lakes is being developed by the Brumby Government to make fishing more appealing to people of all ages and abilities.

“These lakes offer great fishing as well as facilities such as toilets, barbecues, picnic tables and playground equipment to help make the fishing experience more enjoyable for the whole family,” Mr Helper said.

“The Family Fishing Festivals teach children skills that will enable them to fish more successfully on future trips to premier lakes and other Victorian waters.”

The calendars and Family Fishing events are part of the Brumby Government’s $3.2 million Go Fishing in Victoria initiative which aims to increase participation in fishing by improving facilities and promoting angling as a fun and healthy outdoor activity for the entire family.

To obtain a free copy of the calendar visit your nearest DPI office, send an email to go.fishing@dpi.vic.gov.au which includes your postal address, or call the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

For more information about the Go Fishing in Victoria initiative visit www.dpi.vic.gov.au/gofishing

(Ed. Note : The 2009 Calendar is not available for download from the DPI site, you must email or ring the customer service centre )

Source : Candy Broad MLC

Scientists say increasing numbers of Murray cod are dying in the lower reaches of the river.

A scientist at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Dr Qifeng Ye, has been monitoring Murray cod numbers since 2005.

Dr Ye says the increase in cod deaths this spring has been noticeable.

She says the drought and low water levels could be to blame.

“The number of Murray cod is pretty low that we collected, so we still need to think about an improved mechanism of efficient and cost-effective way of assessing the Murray cod abundancy in the lower Murray,” she said.

Source : ABC 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 group of new volunteers completed Fishcare Volunteer training at Campbell Town this weekend, maintaining the number of volunteers at around 100.

The Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn, extended a welcome to the new volunteers and thanked them for their commitment to Tasmania’s fisheries.

“Fishcare Tasmania’s volunteer program has been running for ten years with enthusiastic volunteers donating their time to raise awareness of responsible fishing practices,” Mr Llewellyn said.

“The program has been a huge success, with volunteers spending more than 11,000 hours providing information and advice on recreational fishing at more than 3,000 events and activities.

“The volunteers provide fishing advice at local fishing spots, attend community events with the Fishcare trailer and kid’s fishing pool, teach kids to fish at Take a Kid Fishing Days, assist with fisheries research, speak to community or schools groups and run fishing clinics throughout Tasmania.”

Mr Llewellyn said the volunteers are a valuable link between the fishing public and the Department of Primary Industries and Water, and are experts on providing practical advice on how to fish responsibly.

“The volunteers play an essential role in educating fishers and their work makes a real difference in improving the recreational fishing experience and helping make sure that there are fish for the future.

“I would encourage all Tasmanians who see a Fishcare Volunteer (in their blue and gold uniforms), to get their fishing questions answered or just get to know your local volunteer,” Mr Llewellyn said.

The Fishcare Volunteers program is funded by Fishwise, with revenue raised from the sale of recreational sea fishing licences used to fund programs that support recreational fishing activities.

The volunteers are trained to deal with practical matters that they may encounter during their Fishcare activities, including fishing regulations, fish biology, fish identification and conflict resolution.

More information on the Fishcare Volunteers program is available on the Department’s website at: www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/fishcare

Source : Tasmania DPI

TASMANIAN freshwater anglers, normally content to cast a line and forget about distractions such as the economy and politics, are mobilising for the fight of their lives.

They fear the centrepiece of a $115 million world famous trout fishing industry — Arthurs Lake, in Tasmania’s highlands — is under threat from an ill-conceived irrigation scheme.

More broadly, they are concerned the rush to “drought-proof Tasmania” with a series of 11 irrigation schemes, costing taxpayers $240 million, could create an ecological disaster on the scale of the Murray-Darling.

“We have got a crisis on the doorstop of Tasmania’s lakes and the Government is talking about 11 irrigation schemes for which there is no known science and which promise to alter the nature of Tasmania,” says Richard Dax, executive officer of Anglers Alliance Tasmania.

Mr Dax is marshalling his forces to oppose one of the first ofthe irrigation schemes, the Arthurs Lake Pipeline.

It is a $61 million plan to take up to 28,000 megalitres of water each year from Arthurs Lake to the lower midlands, where — 73km away — decades of drought have farmers in despair.

The problem is that Arthurs Lake, like many of Tasmania’s highland lakes, is also feeling the effects of record low rainfalls.

A mecca in Tasmania’s brown trout fishery, Arthurs Lake is already 5.4m below full supply, according to fishermen.

If it drops further, they fear turbidity — murkiness — will become a problem here as it has in other “over-exploited” lakes, such as Lake Sorell and Lake Crescent.

Turbidity is a turn-off to anglers and cashed-up tourists who flock to the region.

Former guide Neil Grose, publisher of The Tasmanian Sportsfisher, says: “The whole economy up here is built around fishing — the place exists because of trout fishing.”

Mr Dax will next week begin talks with the conservation movement to broaden the fight beyond the state’s 30,000 anglers.

Turbidity is already an occasional problem in Arthurs Lake and Mr Dax says the water level has fallen 1.5m below a level set in 1993 in an agreement between fishermen and Hydro Tasmania.

Anglers are demanding a full environmental impact study before the pipeline proceeds and argue endangered species, including freshwater crayfish and several species of galaxias fish, are also at risk.

The body responsible for the Arthurs Lake Pipeline proposal is the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board.

It argues the loss of 28,000ML a year from the lake for irrigation will be compensated by Hydro no longer diverting exactly the same quantity for power generation.

But with Hydro dams still only at 30 per cent capacity because of lack of rainfall, the argument is not washing with fishermen.

“If these drought conditions continue, it is quite likely the Hydro will want their bit as well,” Mr Dax says.

Water is already being diverted from Arthurs Lake to Lake River to meet the uncapped rights of a number of irrigators.

Irrigation Board chief executive Jock Chudacek concedes there is no guarantee Hydro will not decide to divert water for power generation, but argues the irrigation deal does nothing to increase the potential demands on the lake. He agrees, however, that action is needed to end uncapped water rights for the Lake River irrigators.

And he assures anglers that all irrigation schemes will be subject to environmental impact studies.

Alan Harradine, the Tasmanian Government’s general manager of Water Resources, is urging calm. He says all water development proposals will need to meet state and federal statutory approval processes and National Water Initiative requirements.

Source: The Australian

Steve Cooper

MANY anglers keep a journal or diary of their fishing. A diary gives the angler a history of what happened, an opportunity to reflect, and hopefully a crystal ball into the future.

Most of us believe that history, at least when it comes to fish movements, will repeat.

If you are not right, then at least you can say you were guessing with some authority.

Moreover, when someone says the fishing isn’t as good as it was 20 years ago, you can turn to your diary and make an assessment based on the written word, rather than a badly chaffed memory.

Don’t be surprised if you find the fishing has improved.

When I began keeping a fishing diary, there was a tendency to write more than necessary. After a few years, the trips become shorter, at least in words. The flowery prose gave way to factual information.

To that end, the diarists among us keep notes and list the factors we think are important - things like tide, wind, barometer, bait used and, always, moon phase.

Saltwater anglers can become obsessed by the moon.

Some prefer the new moon for snapper, and the full moon for bream and gummy sharks.

In the freshwater, anglers appear more interested in barometer readings, especially in lakes but also on rivers where native species like Murray cod are being sought.

I believe fish react to outside influences, and that the same rules do not necessarily apply to all waters, or the same fish wherever they are caught.

Sometimes, though, you come across a recurring sequence that seems to indicate when and where certain species will come on the chew.

Time and tide are considerations for thinking salt-water anglers, and the overriding influence on tide is the moon.

Therefore, whether you think moon phases or tides, you are still thinking in lunar terms.

Even many freshwater anglers will fish only when the moon is down, or on the dark side.

Lunar cycles play an important role on the habits of fish; defining that role is difficult.

Next to the sea, the moon is the strongest primeval urge in us.

Science has proven that some living organisms respond to the moon’s phases.

The feeding cycle of oysters is influenced by lunar change, and fiddler crabs change colour according to the moon.

Theorising about fishing is easy, but as most anglers probably realise, fish are not always predictable. It’s what keeps us coming back.

Most anglers have reasons as to why fish bite better at certain times on certain baits.

But for all the theory, fish don’t always co-operate and coming up with a logical answer why fish don’t do what they are supposed to do is the hard part.

Anglers regarded as experts by their peers don’t always know the real reasons behind a hot bite, or lack of bites.

Experts are those anglers who have just experienced a hot bite and caught plenty.

The fact that any fish were caught could have been either a stroke of luck or pure genius.

The big question lies in discovering why and when fish can be expected to bite.

In the late 1960s, John Alden Knight’s Solunar Tables became available in Australia.

Knight believed there were major and minor periods of activity when fish were more likely to feed, and this was due to the moon: its phase and proximity to the Earth and the position of the sun at the same time.

It was a complicated theory but one I followed through with regularity for a few years by keeping a diary of my fishing with the relevant lunar notes.

There was some merit in Knight’s predictions.

Melbourne computer guru Tim Smith has come up with a similar theory and put out a small booklet called Tim Smith’s Solar & Lunar Fishing and Hunting Times 2009.

If you are into moon phases and fish predictions, and want to maintain a diary, then the Anglers Journal & Almanac, which contains Tim’s lunar predictions as well as other information including tide charts and journal entry pages, is worth a look.

Anglers Journal & Almanac is published by the Australian Fishing Network, RRP: $24.99.

* Steve Cooper can be heard on the Casting Off program on Radio Sport927 between 4.30am and 6.30am on Saturdays.

Source : Weekly Times