gar

I am more concerned with the Fisheries Department culture that has driven this proposal. The references to catching only "immediate needs" leaves just what is an immediate need up to future Departmental definition. I see "immediate needs" as being preparation for a one fish limit. The focus on blackmarketing is way out of proportion when considering regulations that will impact upon all anglers. Blackmarketing of ludrick or tailor surely cannot be so significant as to warrant a change being imposed on all anglers. Shamateur blackmarketing is, however, a favorite topic raised by the commercial sector to redirect critical focus away from unsuitable commercial activities. The commercial sector has just undergone a painful, expensive, restructure. Their catches will be limited to a share based proportion of a the commercial proportion of the total catch quota for each specie. If part of the recreational proportion of total catch quota was transferred into the commercial quota then that may alleviate some of the pain of the commercial restructure. This is a reasonable action by a Government that openly supports small buisiness - like commercial fishermen. And finally, what has the Game Council got to do with fishing? Regards gar

Hi Fishmaniac, a few opinions on your objection to some greenie marine park proposal from South Head to Bondi as unsolicited advice; - if it's just some bored local making noise and it receives no further traction in Council, Media or meetings, it might be best to deprive it oxygen by ignoring it. - if it's got legs, do research. Google every name/reference that comes up. Check websites and Council meeting papers. Check your own position on Wobbies, Fisheries must be concerned about them if there's a zero bag limit. - talk to fishing clubs/organisations. - Write out your position, media format and formal submission style. Have a non-fisherperson read it. Do a short version and a long one. These are fairly standard practices, the same old fisherpersons defending their rights while government ignores, delays, disembles and does what it wanted to do all along. A pretty dispiriting tale until the last Federal Election where one party advertised it's marine park morotorium. Fishing access rights in a Commonwealth election. We have made the big time, irrespective of party. My (more)controversial opinion is that local ratepayers should be told that they will pay for the park. There must be stormwater drains that run foul at times that would require upgrading to a 'marine park' environmental compliance standard. Parking will have to be managed to allow for the increase of day visitors,etc. etc. Suggest a "Special Park Levy" be added to their Council Rates. dont give up regards agar

Hi Raiders, I wonder if we are becoming too focussed upon "magic number" legal limits. Once upon a time, Kingfish had a legal limit of 30cm. There were heaps of kings to be caught, from surface rats to pike swallowing hoodlums. Lots of kingies well under the sexual maturity length were caught however the population remained healthy. This all changed when a commercial technology changed, the floating kingie trap. The total catch exploded and the population crashed. The traps were eventually banned. The length limits we see reflected an urgent need to create a breeding stock by reducing juvenille mortality. This has clearly worked as the number and size of kingfish encountered today shows. The point is that the total catch was more important than the size at which fish are caught.

Yes we do live in a society where the actions of a few create penalties for all. The silly thing is that littering and noise are already offences but we are burdened with pollies who crave the media moment where they Ban activity to prove they were men of action. It takes the same enforcement to enforce a ban as it takes to infringe litter bugs. However, Local Councils are complaint driven. If you are a resident I suggest you WRITE to council and complain about noise from a pub or take away, where exactly the same problem occurs. Make a few fishermen seem trivial compared to hundreds of underage youths drinking or street racing at the local park. Give pollies something to do other than persecute us! tight lines all Gar

The 'authority' behaviour of imposing blanket bans to prevent some people breaking current laws is logically and morally wrong. It is lazy administration. It harks back to the "southern justice" of "shoot them all and let God sort them out". These litter incidents are already an offence under the Protection of the Environment Act, somewhere around sect 200 I think. If there's a problem then enforce the existing and adequate regulation. I think it requires the about same enforcement effort to enforce a "no fishing" ban as it takes to enforce the no littering law. I suspect the appeal of imposing bans is that it permits politicians to appear to have taken action- with a press release. They then move on to the next issue, without allocating NEW funding to manage the situation they have banned. A example of this was Manly Council's Mayor getting nationwide publicity by banning smoking at Manly Beach. Years later and no one has actually been fined. The Rangers are too busy doing parking infringements to meet the Budget requirement for parking infringement revenue. Easy money and very little chance of conflict with the offender- beats standing in uniform shoes on a beach trying to get identification papers of a bloke in budgie smugglers! All we need is to use the existing laws. All we want is for our pollies to properly support our law enforcement officers. The trouble is the pollies could be replaced with competant administrators instead of show ponies. I would like to see a sign saying X bad people fined for litter at this wharf this year, not a sign saying no people at all allowed. Enough of that, I'm off to Wybung to spin up a bonnie or two! Tight lines Raiders Gar

Hi all, As a rock fisherman I have limited resorces to process my fish. I carry a small, soft cooler bag of the two wine bottle style. This is chilled with a reusable ice block. My fish are bled, scaled and gutted immediatly if I don't have a good pool to keeper net into. I wrap my fish in a well wrung out seawater dampened cotton bag and then into the cooler bag. I avoid contacting the fish with fresh water, ice or plastic bags, thinking the fresh creates an osmotic effect which may break down the flavor and that the plastic bag just marinates the fish in it's wastes. I scale my fish because they will be filleted which I prefer to do at home on a stable surface in comfort. The fillets get a brief rinse under the tap and are then wrapped in a cotton tea towel to dry them. I guess part of this approach is to show the fish some respect, sure I killed it but I want to treat it right. I don't want to kill something and then waste it by being careless. Are there any improvements or better products you can suggest? tight lines Gar

Jim's experience demonstrates the gap between doing the right thing and the actual written law. As fisherfolk we do not condone the deliberate possession of undersized fish. Nathan provides a classic example of what keeping undersized fish means to us. Fisherfolk are frustrated that Fisheries fail to enforce this common situation out of existance. I feel the time Fisheries spent on hasseling a guy clearly trying to comply with the regulation was wasted and should have been targetted against Nathans location for example. Fisheries would think that hasseling Jim was a win. Another tick in the report column, a perfect example of success. Nine mils in 650 is a pretty small percentage to call a failure but it was below the magic number written in the law. Hundgie's fishing fee receipt fine suggests that Head Office policy over-rules an officers discresionary powers, particularilly in a budget deficit State. None of which will make the 'bucket of baby bream' brigade extinct. tight lines all Gar

Hi Raiders I had a day off and permission to go rockfishing today. Shame about the wind and swell. I went to Norah head and found a nice safe corner where kids play on nice days but now it was a sweeping drain emptying water and food off a large shelf. Six pigs to 48 cm for an hour either side of the high tide was a most pleasant reward for getting out of bed! It's amazing how terrain that doesn't earn a glance on normal days can producein the weather that shuts down any normal spot. Just goes to show fish are where you find them! Tight lines all gar

Hello Fishraiders, my first post. Went for a spin session at Wybung, in Munmorah State Recreation Area on the Central Coast on Saturday arvo. I've been up there on the last few weekends. First trip, not a scale. Second trip, two followups. Finally a few fish. I got 3 Tailor, a Salmon and a Bream, which isnt great but they did break my duck and restore a bit of confidence. Notably, the tailor all had recent slimy mackeral in them. The filleted, salted Tailor are in the fridge as emergency bait, the cat and dog are fighting over the Salmon and the Bream is filleted and waiting for dinner. Lovely day out, no wind and safe swell, water clear enough to watch hooked fish all the way in. My gear was a MT 7144, Penn 750SS and 15lb line, lures were Raiders and minnows. Tight Lines All, Gar