mrmoshe

Happy birthday guys. Hope you all have a great day. Cheers, Pete.

Excellent report and magnificent fish there guys. You must have been having a ball with hookups fast and furious. Just brilliant!! Cheers, Pete.

...That is one chunky carp. Definitely FR Record stuff... Good going on the mullet too...sounded like a fun session...even without the net. Cheers, Pete.

Thai-style hiramasa kingfish Ingredients: * 1.5kg hiramasa kingfish fillets * 1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn * ¾ bunch coriander leaves and stems, chopped * ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil * 4 tbsp fish sauce * 5 tbsp palm sugar, shaved * 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated * 2 dried red chillies, finely sliced * 3 large garlic cloves, crushed * Juice of four limes * Zest of two limes * Extra lime, mint and coriander, to serve Method: Slice each fillet into three and place them skin down in a baking tray. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Reserve 2 tbsp and pour rest over fillets, ensuring most of the mixture sits on top. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a barbecue grill. Place marinated fillets skin down and cook for 10 minutes. Turn carefully, allowing the skin to stick to the grill and the turned fillet to sit atop the skin. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until done. To serve Discard skin and serve fillets drizzled with the retained marinade and garnished with coriander, mint and a lime wedge. Serves 6 as a main

One-pot laksa noodles in sauce A one-pot Asian-style camping meal full of dried, preserved and canned ingredients that are easy to travel with. Use freshly caught fish, or buy it on the way and make this your first campfire dinner. * 500g any firm fleshed fish, cut into cubes * 1/2 cup unbleached white flour * about 3 tbsp light sesame oil * 250g laksa noodles (thick, dried rice noodles) * 1 can coconut cream * 3 cups water * sea salt * 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, washed and cut in half * 1/4 cup lemon juice * 2 tbsp of fresh mint and coriander, roughly chopped Spice mix * 1/2 cup shallots, diced finely * 1 tsp garlic, minced * 1 tsp ginger, minced * 1 tsp galangal, minced * 1/4 tsp dried flaked chillis * 1 tsp turmeric powder * 1 tsp shrimp paste * 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thin strips * 4 tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in cup of water Method In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Lightly flour the fish pieces and saute for a minute on each side to seal and brown. Remove from pot and set aside.Meanwhile, soak the dried noodles in a bowl of warm water. Wash the pot, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil and saute the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal and chilli flakes. After 3 minutes, stir in the turmeric, shrimp paste, lemongrass strips and dissolved tamarind juice. Cook for 5 minutes before pouring in the coconut cream and the 3 cups of water. Simmer while you strain the noodles then toss them into the boiling liquid. Cook on low for around 15 minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt, the broccoli and sauteed fish for another 3 minutes of cooking. Turn off, squeeze in the lemon juice and stir in the herbs. Dish up to sit and slurp by the campfire. Serves 4

Absolutely brilliant vid. Greg. That's the stuff dreams are made of. A week up there would satisfy my fishing addiction for a year I reckon...(well, maybe not) Aren't video cameras just the best. In the old days..a Brownie Box camera was the best you could expect...Now, I am there in the boat with you fighting the fish....Just brilliant!! Cheers, Pete.

Beautiful reddie there Raider and on SPs an added bonus. Great fish for your first post and a big to the site. Looking forward to more reports with excellent fish like that fella. Cheers, Pete. ps: Very worthy of a FOTM entry.

Beautiful outfit Donna. With all that bling...will you be handing out sunglasses to the fish? Hope you blood the new outfit soon. Cheers, Pete. (Who got socks for his b.day!)

Sharks' Sixth Sense Related to Human Genes The same genes that give sharks their sixth sense and allow them to detect electrical signals are also responsible for the development of head and facial features in humans, a new study suggests. The finding supports the idea that the early sea creatures which eventually evolved into humans could also sense electricity before they emerged onto land. The study, led by Martin Cohn and his lab at the University of Florida, is detailed in the current issue of the journal Evolution & Development. Sixth sense Sharks have a network of special cells that can detect electricity, called electroreceptors, in their heads. They use them for hunting and navigation. This sense is so developed that sharks can find fish hiding under sand by honing in on the weak electrical signals emitted by their twitching muscles. The researchers examined embryos of the lesser spotted catshark. Using molecular tests, they found two independent genetic markers of neural crest cells in the sharks' electroreceptors. Neural crest cells are embryonic cells that pinch off early in development to form a variety of structures. In humans, these cells contribute to the formation of facial bones and teeth, among other things. The finding suggests that neural crest cells migrate from the sharks' brains to various regions of the head, where they develop into electroreceptors. Glenn Northcutt, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the study, said the finding was interesting, but that more studies are needed before a direct link between neural crest cells and electroreceptors can be established. "It still requires a definitive experiment, where the developing neural crest cells are marked with dye, the embryo develops and the dye clearly shows up in the electroreceptors," Northcutt said. In the new study, the researchers found snippets of genetic material associated with neural crest cells in the electroreceptors. They did not dye the neural crest cells and trace their development. Our electrical ancestors Scientists think that all primitive animals with backbones, including the early ancestors of humans, could sense electricity. As they evolved, mammals, reptiles, birds and most fish lost the ability. Today, only sharks and a few other marine species, such as sturgeons and lampreys, can sense electricity. "Our fishy ancestors had the anatomy for it," said study team member James Albert, a biologist from the University of Louisiana. The ability to sense electrical signals is useful in aquatic environments because water is so conductive. On land, however, the sense is useless. "Air doesn't conduct electricity as well," Albert said. "When it happens, it's called a lightning bolt and you don't need special receptors to sense it." The development of the electroreceptors is believed to mirror the development of the lateral line, a sense organ in fish that allows them to detect motion in surrounding water. Similar processes are thought also to be involved in the development of the inner ear, the organs which help humans keep their balance. The electroceptors are also believed to behind many sharks' ability to detect changes in the Earth's magnetic field. Other studies indicate that like sailors, sharks can also navigate by celestial cues. Scientists think that these two abilities are what allow some sharks to swim straight lines across vast distances of featureless ocean. One recent study found that a great white shark, nicknamed Nicole, swam nearly 7,000 miles between South Africa and Australia in just under 100 days. The dark markings indicate gene expression in the electrosensory organs in the head of an embryonic shark. credit: Renata Freitas/University of Florida

Extreme sex under the sea Desire and deception, lust and fetish, pleasure and pain – it's all happening beneath the waves, according to a new book about sex in the marine world. "It's just mind blowing what these creatures get up to," says Victorian aquatic scientist Sheree Marris, author of KamaSEAtra: Secrets of Sex in the Sea. Raunchiness is rampant among sea creatures, Marris says. "There's jealousy, there are creatures who cheat on their partners, they do the same sort of things as us in terms of courting – they spray scented perfumes, they do amazing dances, they dress up and change colours. "As humans we think we're such sexual beasts but compared to sea creatures we're just so boring." Marris says her interest in marine sex began when she first discovered the meaning of the term "dork". "I studied aquatic science at Deakin University but I was by no means an academic, the chemical equations and formulas and all that just kind of went in one ear and out the other," she admits. "One of the things that I did learn was the real meaning for the word dork. "A dork is a whale's penis and I thought, 'how cool is that?' Marris soon realised that she had discovered a way of getting people to share her passion for the fragile marine environment. "I want to bring marine life to the surface because it's really difficult to get people to care for something they can't see," she says. "And I thought what a great way to do that, by talking about sex. "This is a stepping stone to increasing marine conservation and awareness." She spent five years researching the book; drawing on her own work, talking to international experts and scouring the scientific journals. The result is an accessible, humorously written book divided into bite-sized chapters like "Orgies", "Does Size Matter", "Sneaky Sex" and "When Love Hurts" with a photographic spread on each page. One of her personal favourites is the Deep Sea Angler (Melanocetus johnsoni), a grotesque looking fish that lives deep in the ocean. "The female angler isn't the most attractive thing but she's in the deep deep depths so it doesn't matter," says Marris. To attract a male, she secretes a sweet smelling perfume that arouses him so much that he is compelled to pursue and bite on to her. "This is some extraordinary love bite because he never lets go," Marris says. "He becomes fused to her and basically becomes a blob of testicles on her skin. "She then chemically commands him to release sperm when she wants, so she's got this permanent sex slave. "One female brought up from the depths had 11 males attached to her, she was one lucky girl." Readers also will learn that the humble barnacle has the longest penis in relation to body size in the world. "It's stuck to a rock so it's going to be pretty hard to meet the opposite sex," Marris explains. "So it has this penis that can be rolled out and just go wandering around the rockpools in search of a mate." She admits to humanising the animals but says this was easy to do because of the uncanny parallels with human behaviour. "I thought I needed to engage people and make that connection that we're not that dissimilar," she says. "There's lots of parallels but turned up about ten notches in the marine environment." For example, dolphins enjoy casual and recreational sex just as much as we do, she says. There are evolutionary reasons for marine creatures developing bizarre methods of reproduction, Marris says. Unlike humans, finding sex isn't as easy as going to a nightclub or logging on to a swing dating site. Marine creatures live in environments where mates far and few between and where the chances of getting lucky are limited by the hazardous nature of life itself. "In a marine environment you've got predators, so you have to be really careful about the way you reproduce and who you reproduce with," she says. "(It's about) adapting to the environment, taking into account predators and trying to be as efficient as possible." For example the male octopus has evolved a way of simultaneously turning on a female and turning away other males. "While the male is delivering sperm packages to the female one side of his body is flashing all these amazing colours to the female saying, 'look at how cool I am', while the other side is camouflaged like a rock so no other passing octopus will be alerted." Some creatures, like the male anemone fish, have both male and female sex organs. This is so when they meet another same species they're assured of getting lucky despite the gender of the other fish. The book also looks at parenthood in the marine world and Marris, who admits to being terrified of childbirth, says she wishes humans would have taken a similar same evolutionary tack to the seahorse. "You've got seahorses where the females give the males the eggs and the males incubate them and give birth to the young. "I just think Godammit, why didn't humans go down that evolutionary path?" Marris, who wants to turn her book into a documentary series, plans to follow it up next year with a book about sex in other parts of the animal kingdom called KamaZOOtra.

Happy birthday guys...hope you managed to wet a line somewhere as well as your insides . Cheers, Pete.

Snapper fishery closed in SA South Australia's snapper fishery will be closed in November to ensure it remains sustainable. Fisheries Minister Rory McEwen said during the month-long ban fishing for snapper in SA waters would be off limits to both commercial and recreational fishers. "This month-long closure reduces the overall fishing effort and therefore the catch from the fishery," Mr McEwen said. "Reducing the fishing effort allows fish to reach a larger average weight and age and therefore produce more eggs during their lifetime." The minister said snapper was an important fish for both commercial and recreational fishers and restricting the catch ensured supplies were sustained.

May you all have a wonderful birthday. Cheers, Pete.

Wow Steve......They are just amazing fish up there. It must be humbling to be able to chase monsters like that up there and come back here to the mundane fishing. One of these days...I'm going to get up that way to have a crack at those bruisers. Well done and a great report and pics. Cheers, Pete.

Hi Raiders. Can anyone identify what brand or model of half cab. this boat is??? It belongs to a fellow Raider who is looking to sell it, but the rego. papers only state Hull Maker "Unknown" It is 4.35 in length with a 30hp Evinrude. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers, Pete

Seafood orders own takeaway in escape bid POLICE in the German city of Stuttgart have been called to round up an unusual group of runaways: crayfish. The freshwater crustaceans, which resemble lobsters, escaped from an Asian restaurant and made a run, erm, scuttle for it. The escape attempt was noticed by a pedestrian who notified authorities. Apparently the crayfish had squeezed through gaps in the grating at the top of the tanks and scuttled out the front door.

WOW Steve!! What a trip. I think I'd give my leftie for a shot at those beasts right now. Some serious fish in those bait schools. Can't wait to see the other report and pics. Top report and mouth watering pics. Cheers, Pete.

guys..hope you all have a great day. Cheers, Pete

G'day Chris, You may like to take a look in the "Kitchen" thread as there is one in there that may be suitable for salmon. Look in this thread Kitchen Bon apetite. Pete.

Soap chemical stops fish sticking together A contaminant found in rivers and estuaries the world over can "rob" fish of their ability to sense each other and stay in a tight, cohesive shoal, say researchers. The chemical, 4-nonylphenol, does this by overpowering the fish's natural smell-signatures, say researchers. And because these signatures are critical to helping the fish form in groups, the chemical effectively weakens their "strength in numbers" defence against predators. "The loss of the ability to shoal cohesively is serious business for fish. It's a defensive strategy. If fish can't shoal properly, they are extremely vulnerable to predation," says Ashley Ward at the University of Sydney, Australia, who led the study. Nonylphenol or 4-NP is widely used in soaps, sewage treatment, and in some pesticides. They are known to affect human and animal hormonal systems, and can "feminise" fish, causing males to produce typically female proteins. In developed nations, the maximum concentration deemed "permissible" is between 0.5 and 1 microgram per litre of water, because fish do not show signs of stress at this level. In European rivers, typical concentrations range from 0.1 to 340 micrograms per litre. Keeping their distance Ward and colleagues decided to test whether "permissible" levels of 4-NP could disrupt social organisation in banded killifish, a shoaling fish commonly found in North American lakes. Ward – then a researcher at Mount Alison University in New Brunswick province, Canada –gathered killifish from the nearby Morice Lake. He found that the groups of fish that were placed in aquariums with 1 microgramme per litre of 4-NP tended to stay at least twice as far from each other as those in uncontaminated aquariums. The chemical did not appear to affect the fish's ability to smell other substances, as they were just as able to find food hidden away in their aquarium as the fish in the uncontaminated tanks. Other experiments suggested that the reason the fish shoals were not as tightly grouped in the presence of 4-NP was that the chemical was masking the fish's own smell. "Shoaling fish develop a chemical profile based on their recent habitat and diet – they smell of what they eat and where they have been, just like us," explains Ward. "They prefer to shoal with fish that smell similar to themselves." Fish are also thought to produce chemical signals relating to their social dominance, reproductive state, and genetic make-up. The last type of signals help them avoid breeding with relatives. 'Sub-lethal' effects But 4-NP is a lipophillic compound, meaning it tends to stick to oily surfaces – a fish, for example. "It seems that it might 'coat' the fish," says Ward. This changes their individual chemical signature and breaks down recognition among the fish. Ward and his colleagues placed single killifish in a corridor of water that had two separate currents running down it. One current was clean. The other came from a tank in which the researchers had placed killifish that had previously bathed for an hour in 4-NP contaminated water. The team found that the lone killifish moved away from the contaminated current when the upstream fish had bathed in 4-NP at concentrations of 1 microgram per litre or higher. "I think we need to reappraise our comfortable position that if a certain concentration doesn't actually kill an animal, it's OK," Ward told New Scientist. "There are subtle 'sub-lethal' effects that can be devastating in the medium and long term." Ward and his team point out that other chemicals, heavy metals for example, damage the olfactory organs of fish. They say that in polluted waters, chemicals like 4-NP and heavy metals could both be present, one affecting the way that fish smell, the other their ability to smell.

Another awesome foursome birthdays. Hope you all have a great day. Cheers, Pete

Hope you have a great day. Cheers, Pete

One dead in Sans Souci boating crash One person is dead and another is in hospital after a boating accident on the Georges River at Sans Souci in Sydney's south. It's believed a five-metre runabout hit the pylon of the Captain Cook Bridge just after midnight, ignited and sank a short time later. Passers-by called police. A body was found at the scene and a 37-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Rescue crews will try to salvage the boat later on Sunday morning. Any witnesses are asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Key found to moonlight romance An international team of Australian and Israeli researchers has discovered what could be the aphrodisiac for the biggest moonlight sex event on Earth. An ancient light-sensitive gene has been isolated by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) that appears to act as a trigger for the annual mass spawning of corals across a third of a million square kilometres of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, shortly after a full moon. The genes, known as a cryptochromes, occur in corals, insects, fish and mammals - including humans - and are primitive light-sensing pigment mechanisms which predate the evolution of eyes. In a new paper published in the international journal Science today, the team, headed by Marie Curie Scholar Dr Oren Levy of CoECRS and the University of Queensland, reports its discovery that the Cry2 gene, stimulated by the faint blue light of the full moon, appears to play a central role in triggering the mass coral spawning event, one of nature’s wonders. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who leads the University of Queensland laboratory in which the genes were discovered, said “This is the key to one of the central mysteries of coral reefs. We have always wondered how corals without eyes can detect moonlight and get the precise hour of the right couple of days each year to spawn.” What allows corals to spawn simultaneously along the immense length of the Great Barrier Reef - and also in other parts of the world - has been a scientific mystery till now, though researchers knew that tide, water temperature and weather conditions played a part, says Dr Levy. However the remarkable synchronisation of spawning occurring all along the Reef immediately following a full moon suggested that moonlight was a key factor. Exposing corals to different colours and intensities of light and sampling live corals on reefs around the time of the full moon, Dr Levy found the Cry2 gene at its most active in Acropora corals during full moon nights. “We think these genes developed in primitive life forms in the Precambrian, more than 500 million years ago, as a way of sensing light,” he explains. “The fact they are linked with the system that repairs damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation suggests they may evolved in eyeless creatures which needed to avoid high daytime UV by living deep in the water, but still needed to sense the blue light shed by the moon to synchronise their body clocks and breeding cycles.” “They are, in a sense, the functional forerunners of eyes,” Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. In humans, cryptochromes still operate as part of the circadian system that tunes us to the rhythms of our planet, though their light-sensing function appears lost to us, he went on to explain. “They play important roles in regulating the body-clocks of many species, from corals to fruit flies, to zebra fish and mice. The proteins they produce are similar to those in humans and other mammals, though they appear to function more like those in the fruit fly,” says Professor David Miller of CoECRS and JCU. The coral cryptochrome genes were initially identified by Dr Levy and Dr Bill Leggat working with Professor Hoegh-Guldberg (UQ) on Heron Island. Prof. Miller and Dr David Hayward, of the Australian National University, were able to add information on the coral cryptochromes from a large library of coral genes that they have been compiling (so far they have catalogued about 10,000 out of an estimated 20-25,000 genes in coral), and leading circadian clock biologists from Bar-Ilan and Tel-Aviv Universities in Israel played important roles in interpreting the data. “Many of these genes developed in deep time, in the earliest phases of organised life on the planet,” Dr Leggat says. “They were preserved for hundreds of millions of years before being inherited by corals when they developed about 240 million years ago, and are still found today in modern animals and humans. They are an indicator that corals and humans are in fact distant relatives, sharing a common ancestor way back.” Whether they have anything at all to do with human associations between the full moon and romance is not known, but cryptochromes probably still play a part in our body clock-ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies

Hi Squizy and to the site. Great day on the water Squizy and a terrific report. The daughters must have had just as much fun I bet. A great tally of fish in a short time...well done!! Looking forward to the pics. Cheers, Pete.