Flattieman

Shame about the loss, but it's awesome when the salmon are busting up almost on the shore! Flattieman.

Congrats once again, Johnno! Flattieman.

Nice fish, Shant & Tom (or should I say Tom... where's your fish, Shant? ) - sounds like some fun. Flattieman.

Yeah - congrats, Johnno! Flattieman.

Awesome! Well done on achieving the treble, BM. A fine feat. As penguin said, "don't you love it when a plan comes together?!" Flattieman.

Onya, Roberta! That's a bag of lovely blackies in anyone's language! Good to see you sticking it to the 'guns' . Well done. Flattieman.

WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!! Well done, mate! Looking forward to your next 2 thousand. Flattieman.

You bet! The first phrase from the song in the second link is "catfish grapplin' is a sport that a lot don't understand"... I wonder why! Nevertheless, it seems to be a rather popular activity that attracts the young and old, women and men! Flattieman.

Hi Raiders, This weather has bored me too... Thought I'd share a couple of youtube videos of the crazy art of catfish "noodling"... really needs to be seen to be believed! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biL-QcviQGk...ted&search= Flattieman. PS. Don't suppose you've tried this method, Stewy?

Jumping fish knocks woman unconscious The Star - Toronto, Canada June 12 ROCK BLUFF, Florida – A woman was injured over the weekend by a leaping sturgeon, the latest incident involving the flying fish on the Suwannee River, officials said. Tara underwaters, 32, of Bell, was knocked unconscious by the animal on Sunday while boating on the river north of Rock Bluff, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported. She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to recover, the agency reported. The large, prehistoric-looking sturgeon have hard plates along their backs. They can grow to almost 2 1/2 metres long and weigh as much as 90 kilograms. In April, a leaping sturgeon severely injured a 50-year-old woman from St. Petersburg who was riding a personal watercraft on the Suwannee River. She suffered a ruptured spleen and had three fingers reattached by surgeons, but she lost her left pinkie finger and a tooth. Fight to survive heats up for reef fish ScienceAlert - Australia ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies June 13 An Australian study reveals that survival is not easy for young fish living on the Great Barrier Reef - and may be even harder under climate change. Environmental differences experienced early in life not only have immediate consequences for survival of baby fish, but also profoundly influence their chances of success later in life. This is the finding of research by Dr Monica Gagliano and Dr Mark McCormick of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and James Cook University (JCU), and colleague Dr Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The team have studied hundreds of Ambon damselfish from egg to adulthood to establish the extent to which parental quality and environmental rearing conditions shape the survival of these fishes. "Even long before spawning, mothers mould the quality of their babies, thereby influencing their chances of survival," Dr Gagliano said, "however, the mother's effort isn't the only thing that influences their survival." The team's research at Lizard Island on the northern Great Barrier Reef showed that elevated temperatures experienced during development of the young fish have devastating consequences for the future survival of baby fish. "Survival of fish embryos was dramatically compromised at 31°C, which is not uncommon at this location during summer," Dr Gagliano said. "There is no doubt that the quality of parents and the early environment experienced by fish as they develop have major effects on who will survive. "For the first time, we have been able to establish the fate of young fishes in their natural environment by following them through time, from leaving their parents up to months after settling back on the reef," she said. The team's findings, recently published in prestigious science journals including Oecologia, Journal of Animal Ecology and Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Science, showed that the effects mothers have on young fish and the environment encountered during their early life, have long-lasting consequences in determining who survives to repopulate the reef into the future. The team's detailed look at the struggles of growing up on the Great Barrier Reef and their findings help us understand how these, and other reef fish, can be managed and protected so that they can survive through the threats of climate change. "While a privileged upbringing of good quality parents and a high quality environment can significantly define an individual's success in life, the major environmental changes taking place today may well undermine these prerequisites for survival," Dr Gagliano said. "Our ability to understand what shapes the life of these fish is pivotal to our success in predicting their responses to today's rapidly changing environment." As reef environments may experience dramatic shifts in the face of climate change, understanding the complex lives of reef fish becomes essential to ensuring they survive into the future, since the colourful damselfish, along with the many other species of reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef, are all of vital importance to the area's environment - and part of the attraction that drawn $4.5 billion worth of tourism to the region. Together with her colleagues from CoECRS, JCU and the AIMS, Dr Gagliano now aims to investigate how the impact of environmental changes occurring today will be translated in the future. "The possibility that stressful conditions experienced by today's fish may be transmitted on through successive generations of offspring remains largely unexplored, but it seems very likely in light of our recent findings," Dr Gagliano said. Need to Properly Manage Fish Genetics UN Press Release June 12 The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today called for better policies to conserve fish genetic resources and enhance global food security, warning of the adverse environmental and social impacts of failing to do so. “A lack of coherent management of the world’s fish genetic resources is becoming a serious problem,” the agency warned in Rome, at the start of the week-long meeting of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – the only global body dealing with all genetic resources in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. This year’s session marks the first time the Commission, comprised of 167 countries and the European Union (EU), has tackled the issue of how best to manage the genetic diversity of the planet’s oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, wetlands and fish farms to safeguard their contributions to food production. The rapid expansion of aquaculture – the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals – and the over-exploitation of many fisheries have created conditions where “irresponsible” use of natural resources can result in adverse environmental and social impacts, conflicts and unsustainability, according to a paper by FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. The paper argues that a successful transition to more responsible, sustainable and productive aquaculture and fisheries will depend largely on effective management of fish genetic resources. According to FAO, most of the world’s fisheries are already at least fully exploited or in decline and their production levels have reached a plateau. By 2030, an additional 40 million tons of fish per year will be needed to meet global demand. Aquaculture, which provides 44 per cent of all fish eaten, is a logical and practical way to fill this need. Flattieman.

Joe. A great catch, nonetheless - rather strange for that area! Flattieman.

Nice trout, fellas! That dam seems to produce the goods! Flattieman.

Lovely blackie, Roberta. Hope you have a bit more luck with the lures soon - sounds like you've got a few good ones there. Have you had a crack at those bream (2kg!) yet? Flattieman.

Wow! Awesome catch, Greg! Looking forward to those pics. Flattieman.

Lovely tailor there, Cid. Gotta love the pelagics! Flattieman.

I'm quite sure that it's a Painted Lizardfish - please see this topic: http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.ph...=16214&st=0 tp the site, BalmainBob. Flattieman.

NOT TWICE! SURELY NOT TWICE! What an amazing story... Actually, Ceph, pike and snook are two different fish, with the Southern "snook" being Sphyraena novaehollandiae and the long-finned pike being Dinolestes lewini. Here's a pic of a snook (notice the more elongated body) : Flattieman.

Nice fish, Rob. Good to see that committed attitude when going out in the quite chilly conditions - it paid off! Congrats on your first bream on SPs - did you get a measurement on it? Flattieman.

Thanks for the info, Chris. I always watched it on Fridays and got a bit spun-out when it switched to Thursday nights! Managed to catch a few of the latest shows, though . Flattieman.

To be honest mate, I've been really busy lately and when I'm not working, I'm plotting assaults on beach jewies... I'm sure you'll agree that they're almost as good as kingies . I can gauge your kingie addiction by your absence from MSN! Flattieman.

Congrats on 2000, Donna! Your input is massive and much appreciated. Flattieman.

Apologies for the tardiness this week, Raiders - I've been up on the Central Coast since Friday evening, so any chance of establishing an internet connection was lost without power! Needless to say, fishing was quite impossible in the terrible conditions... Enjoy the Fishy News! Going Fishing? Only Some Catch And Release Methods Let The Fish Live NSW DPI Science Daily June 4 NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries scientists are investigating ways to boost the survival rates of several more species of fish caught and then released by anglers. Some guidelines designed to improve fish survival were recently developed for released line-caught snapper, silver trevally, mulloway, sand whiting, yellowfin bream and dusky flathead. The research, costing more than $1.5 million and funded by NSW DPI and the Recreational Fishing Trust (using money from licence fees), is developing protocols designed to maximise fish survival via subtle changes to management practices. Owing to bag limits, legal sizes and non-consumptive angling, between 30 and 50% of the total recreational catch is released each year in Australia. This amounts to more than 47 million fish being caught and released annually. New research is now seeking to maximise the post-release survival of other commonly-caught species including luderick, sand mullet, garfish, tailor, Australian bass, Murray cod and golden perch. NSW DPI scientists Matt Broadhurst and Paul Butcher have shown that mortality rates can be significantly improved through changed practices. Key recommendations from an initial two-year project are that fishers should: * Cut the line on fish that swallow hooks * Remove hooks caught in the fish’s mouth * Minimise air exposure * Use landing nets without knotted mesh * Maintain water quality in on-boat holding tanks, and * Use the right rig for the fish species being targeting. Dr Broadhurst said some of these actions were found to massively boost fish survival. “Simply cutting the line rather than attempting to remove hooks swallowed by mulloway and yellowfin bream increased their survival from 12 percent to more than 85 percent. “Up to 76 percent of the released line-cut, gut-hooked yellowfin bream then shed their hooks over an average of three weeks”, he said. Fish Rock's shades of grey By Samantha Williams June 7 BATTLE-LINES have been drawn over one of the best known diving and fishing spots on the east coast. Residents in South West Rocks are bitterly divided over who should be allowed access to Fish Rock. It's a small outcrop 2km from the shore. On one side are some divers and greens who are pushing for greater protection measures for the grey nurse shark population at Fish Rock. On the other are fishermen, underwaterfishers and businesses who fear a fishing ban would damage the town, coasting millions in lost tourism dollars. South West Rocks Dive Centre owner Peter Hitchins, an ardent campaigner for shark protection, claimed yesterday hooks hanging from the mouths of grey nurse sharks was a common sight and if left unattended caused infection that could kill them. Mr Hitchins is backing the Nature Conservations Council's (NCC) push for more exclusion zones in NSW fishing areas such as Fish Rock on grounds the grey nurse shark species is nearly extinct. If they are successful then Fish Rock will go from being a critical habitat zone where some fishing is allowed to a sanctuary zone with a 1.5km protection radius. The NCC is taking action in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in a bid to order the Government to set up sanctuaries. A hearing yesterday was adjourned until a date in July. Mr Hitchins said Department of Primary Industries officers told people at a meeting in the town last Thursday that there was a maximum of 1000 grey nurse shark on the east coast _ contradicting State Government and green groups' official line that there are fewer than 500 sharks on the east coast. The original claim that there were fewer than 500 sharks was the basis for creating sanctuaries, but The Daily Telegraph has previously revealed serious concerns at how the figure was produced. Rock Real Estate agent Mark Jordan said the ban would have a huge impact on the town because 80 per cent of the tourists that came to South West Rocks were there to fish. "It's war between fishermen and divers but what people don't realise is that we will lose millions in tourist dollars,'' Mr Jordan said. "Fish Rock is one of the best places...on the eastern seaboard and if a ban comes into place a lot of business will go out of business within 18 months.'' Amid a century's worth of toxic sludge, the hardy mummichog fish thrives June 9 The hardy mummichog, a small fish known for its ability to survive in polluted waterways, is showing signs it can adapt to Canada's ultimate toxic test: the Sydney tar ponds. Martha Jones, a Cape Breton University fish biologist who has studied the species for three years, says that aside from subtle problems with their fins, the mummichogs are growing as quickly and becoming as large as their cousins in healthy bodies of water. The sprawling tar ponds, polluted by a century of waste from Sydney's steel mills and coke ovens, surround the Muggah Creek tidal estuary, a two-kilometre-long waterway that bisects Sydney's north end and empties into Sydney Harbour. There are 700,000 tonnes of contaminated sediment in the area, containing toxic amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, as well as a brew of heavy metals and other substances. Jones says she's studying the state of marine life before a seven-year, $400-million cleanup of the site starts this fall. She had expected to find relatively few species so close to the black, tar-like goo that covers the nearby industrial ponds. Instead, she says she was taken aback by the diversity of life in the salty estuary that gathers water from the surrounding hills. "I was surprised to get fish in the first place," she said in an interview. "We're also sampling catfish, American eel, a variety of stickleback species and some tom cod, grass shrimp and green crab." She focused her study on the small prey fish, hoping they could become sentinels for how pollution has affected marine life - and how they would respond to a cleanup. After taking over 700 samples of the fish, she said she concluded the tar ponds mummichog were generally as fat and as long as mummichogs in pristine environments. Mummichogs have shown resilience in other studies in the United States, but given the extreme pollution levels in the ponds, Jones was expecting slow development. "We're finding they're actually doing quite well, relative to the reference estuaries." However, there were some defining characteristics that need to be tracked, she says. Sydney's mummichogs, for example, often have unusual fins. Some photographs show fins gnarled like twisted trees, rather than the normal, bamboo-pole shape. Also, some of the fish are more developed on one side than the other. However, Jones says these differences are not major, and may indicate that the mummichogs are giving up non-essential features to ensure development of their vital internal organs. "The one question we're also trying to ask is whether the mummichog has evolved resistance to the contaminants ... We've done some toxicology work to look at heavy metals and PAHs. It appears they're able to break down PAHs, which are formed from combustion." Jones hopes the mummichogs' fins and lopsided bodies can be measured for signs of improvement or worsening as the ponds are cleaned up. Wilfred Kaiser, environmental services manager for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, says further study would be welcome. "What's important is that we have something that we can watch as we proceed," he says. "We'll look at whether or not this project is impacting the mummichog or other life in and around the ponds." Rare, Comical Live Fish Washes Up on Seaside, Oregon Beach Salem-News.com - Oregon, USA June 3 The odd but somewhat endearing fish appeared to enjoy the spotlight. Another rare find from the deep has the crew at the Seaside Aquarium buzzing. The fish is cute and bizarre at the same time, and usually lives too deep in the ocean to show up on land. A group of kids from Oregon City brought in a three-foot-long Spotted Ratfish Saturday, which they had found on the southern cove area of Seaside - still alive. “They brought it up to a lifeguard at one of the stations and asked what to do with it,” said aquarium spokesperson Tiffany Boothe. “They told them to bring it here.” The spotted ratfish’s technical name is Hydrolagus colliei, and is named a ratfish for its rat-like appearance. It is sometimes called a rabbit fish because of the visual similarity there as well. It exists between SE Alaska and Baha, California, normally living at depths of 3,000 feet, although it is found in shallower waters off the Oregon coast, at around 15 feet to 65 feet. “Fishermen sometimes bring them in here when they accidentally catch them,” Boothe said. “We’ve had them in here before. But it’s really very rare they wash up on the beach.” Boothe said the ratfish had a visible sore on one of its fins, and she believes it will die. “At one point, it got stuck upside down and couldn’t right itself,” Boothe said. “If it was in the wild and that happened, then it would be eaten pretty fast. It wouldn’t survive. Boothe said it may live now that it’s in captivity. It may only need rest and the sore will heal. If it does live, they will put it on display. For now, it is cloistered in a holding tank. Boothe said “Hydrolagus” means water hare in greek, because of the rabbit-like appearance. “Colliei” honors M. Collie, a naturalist. The odd but somewhat endearing fish appeared to enjoy the spotlight a bit as Boothe photographed it in its holding tank. It almost seemed to pose as Boothe clicked away. Depending on the angle, it could resemble a duck or some Disney cartoon character. A ratfish’s skin has no scales, but has some white spots amidst the usual brown. The males have a tenaculum, club-like structure in their foreheads. There are pits all over the front snout area which are used for detecting electrical fields. Boothe determined this one was a male. “They live in a wide variety of habitats, including sand, mud, rocky reefs,” Boothe said. “They also feed on a lot of different kind of invertebrates. They’ll eat worms, brittlestars, sea stars, clams and shrimp. But in turn they’re eaten by sharks, dogfish, halibut, elephant seals and fur seals.” Boothe said one was found drifting around a Columbia River estuary once, apparently quite lost. Their spines are slightly poisonous, but the toxin doesn’t affect everyone. Eating their ovaries is also dangerous as they are quite toxic, but otherwise the fish is edible, with a reportedly bland, slightly mushy taste. Many of their parts have been found in native shell middens in the Washington area. Thousands of asthmatics take 'miracle' fish medicine mangalorean.com June 9 Thousands of asthma patients lined up Saturday to swallow tiny fish stuffed with a medicinal paste in the hope that the "wonder drug" would give them relief from nagging respiratory problems. An estimated 50,000 people have been administered the "fish prasadam" or holy offering since Friday night at the sprawling Exhibition Grounds and hundreds more were waiting to receive it. The distribution of the medicine, which began at 10 p.m. Friday, is expected to continue till 10 p.m. Saturday. Notwithstanding the campaign by rationalists and physicians against the "unscientific" drug, thousands from across the country and some from abroad lined up to take the fish medicine, distributed by the Bathini Goud family free of cost on the Mrigasira Karti day of the Hindu calendar. The medicine, which the family has been distributing for 160 years, consists of a yellow herbal paste, the ingredients of which have remained a family secret. The paste is first stuffed into a live three centimetre-long murrel fish that is then slipped through the throat of the patient. If taken for three successive years, the medicine is believed to cure asthma. About 300 members of Bathini Goud family and volunteers administered the medicine at 24 counters. Though the distribution was to start at 9.15 p.m., the auspicious time decided by astrologers, it began only at 10 p.m. as the family was caught in a traffic jam near the venue. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Bandaru Dattatreya was the first to take the medicine from Bathini Harinath Goud. Secunderabad MP Anjan Kumar Yadav also took the medicine. Though the number of patients coming for the event has drastically come down over the last five years due to the controversy surrounding the ingredients of the herbal paste, thousands still throng to receive it out of faith. It is for this reason that the Goud family renamed the event as "fish prasadam" three years ago in the face of the controversy. The family claims that in 1845 a holy man passed on the formula for the miracle medicine to their great-great-grandfather Veranna Goud, if he promised to distribute it free of cost and never reveal the ingredients to others. The family has consistently turned down demands from rationalists and physicians to reveal the ingredients, claiming the medicine would lose its efficacy. For many the controversy has no relevance. "People say many things but my belief is that it works," said Narayan Yadav, who has come all the way from Uttar Pradesh. It is the second consecutive year Yadav is taking the medicine, and he hopes to come back next year too. "I heard about the medicine from others who had taken it. The medicine has given them some relief," he said. For Biswajit Swain from Orissa, it is his first stint with the medicine. "Many people told me that it is very effective. I have tried many medicines to get rid of asthma and thought I should try this one too," he said. The medicine has drawn even foreigners. T. Lora, a 23-year-old Russian, was among the few foreigners who turned up this year. "I have come for the first time. My cousin recommended me to take the fish medicine. I hope it works," she said, adding she plans to come next year too. Though the medicine no longer enjoys the kind of patronage given by then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the government departments continue to make elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event. The fisheries departments supplied 100,000 murrel fingerlings while other departments arranged for transport and water. Several NGOs too came forwards to arrange food for the patients. Flattieman.

I don't know too much about the trout sene, but I do know that's an AWESOME catch! Well done, Ross and party! Check out the size of the trout in this link! http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=21380 Flattieman.

Lovely reddie for the area, Cobalt. to the site! Looking forward to reading more Bate Bay reports. Flattieman.

Phar Cue! AWESOME CATCH! Massive kings... Flattieman.