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Capsize survivor swims for six hours Two fishermen are missing and another swam six hours to safety after their boat sank off South Australia's coast. A search is underway for the missing men in the Gulf St Vincent after their colleague was washed ashore about 2am (CST) today near Stansbury on the Yorke Peninsula. The 33-year-old man, who told police their boat sank about 8.30pm (CST) yesterday, survived six hours in the water before being discovered by passers-by in underwear and a T-shirt. He has been taken to hospital suffering hypothermia. "The man stated the boat got into difficulty about 8.30 last night," a South Australia police spokesman said. "The boat has reportedly sunk approximately six kilometres offshore from Stansbury." Emergency services, including water police, other fishing boats and aircraft, are concentrating their search on that area.

Kiwis carve up washed up mystery lump A LARGE chunk of something unpleasant has washed up on a New Zealand beach, and the locals are excited. Some say the "disgusting" squarish white block, the size of a 44-gallon drum, is cheese - possibly brie, while others believe it is ambergris, or whale vomit. And that has solved the problem for council workers who were wondering how to remove the 500kg mystery object that washed up on a beach in Wellington. The lump washed up at Breaker Bay at the weekend and once word got out that it could be valuable ambergris - an excretion from whales that is used to make perfume - locals pillaged it, the New Zealand Press Associationr reported. Ambergris can sell for thousands of dollars per kilogram and Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said it was like "some sort of bizarre gold rush" on the beach yesterday. "We went out there this morning and there were people sort of lunging at it with spades and sharp implements trying to chop pieces off so they could make off with it and make their fortunes," he said. "Whether people are now going to try and pass it off on TradeMe as highly valuable ambergris remains to be seen." But because the lump was a regular shape, the general consensus is that it islard or cooking fat. Initial suggestions were that it might be a huge lump of cheese which had fallen off a boat, but either way, Mr MacLean said it was foul. "It's disgusting. I've got a piece of it beside my desk and everyone in the office is pretty much grossed out by it." He said there was probably no need to get it tested unless issues arose around people attempting to sell it.

SOS issued over boat emergency beacons Paul Bibby September 29, 2008 SEARCH and rescue authorities fear thousands of Australian boat users will hit the water this summer carrying emergency beacons that do not work because overseas authorities are to cut the satellite receiver that picks up the distress signals. For the past 26 years skippers have gone to sea with the EPIRB 121.5 safety beacon - so named because it transmits an emergency signal on a frequency of 121.5 megahertz when activated. The device is estimated to have saved 20,000 lives around the world since 1982. But it will be dumped on February 1, midway through the boating season, and replaced by a newer model operating on a different frequency. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority estimates there are about 150,000 121.5 MHz distress beacons across the country that will need to be switched over to the 406 MHz beacons before February. It fears that despite an extensive education campaign, many boat owners, hikers and other adventurers will not get a new beacon in time. The NSW Water Police and representatives of the Royal Coastal Patrol say there are serious concerns for the season ahead. "There's no doubt there are people out there who, for whatever reason, still have the old 121.5 beacon and they will go out to sea this summer with something that is going to be of very little use if they get into trouble," said Sergeant Tony Hill, of the force's marine area command. "We've got some problems without the satellite detection. Without it, the only way your 121 signal will be picked up is if an aircraft passes overhead - some of them will still pick up the signal. But even then you could have a search footprint of 5000 kilometres. The odds of getting rescued? Not good." The driving force behind the termination of the 121.5 EPIRB was the US Coast Guard, a crucial member of the international Cospas-Sarsat satellite network that tracks and transmits emergency signals around the world. The Coast Guard has argued that everyone should switch to the 406 frequency beacon because it more accurately transmits the location of those in distress, can relay information about the type of vessel and passengers on board, and produces far fewer false alarms, which can be costly. But some within Australia's search and rescue organisations believe the decision is motivated by a desire to cut costs, and most question the wisdom of making the switch in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer. "It wasn't our decision to turn the satellite receiver off then - it isn't ideal," said a spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Tracey Jiggins. Hindering the take-up of the newer beacon is the high cost - up to $1000 for the top model. "I'd say there's 50, 60 per cent of recreational boat users don't even know," said the co-owner of the Huett Marine Centre, Craig Huett. Brian McDermott, who was saved thanks to an EPIRB 121 after his yacht Excalibur sank off the NSW coast in 2005, says the switch could end in tragedy. "I am concerned there could be a loss of life - if it wasn't for that EPIRB we wouldn't be here now."

Garrett wants review of fin fishery Environmentalists will seek a ban on shark takes under proposed new management arrangements for a fin fishery operating off Queensland's coast. The East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery, which targets barramundi, bream and other fish species, ranges from Cape York in the north to the NSW border in the south and includes the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. An independent review of proposed changes to the fishery was announced on Monday by federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett, following talks with Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin on its impact on shark stocks and potential interactions with protected species, particularly dugongs, whales and sawfish. Currently 900 tonnes of shark can be caught a year by 1,400 commercial fishers and are usually caught in nets with a range of other species. Proposed changes would give less than 200 commercial fishers a special licence to fish for 700 tonnes of shark annually. "Concerns have been raised by a variety of groups, including the scientific community, about shark fishing and about species protected under the EPBC Act, including dugong," Mr Garrett said on Monday. "I want to be assured that the World Heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef are adequately protected." WWF-Australia spokesman Nick Heath said the organisation accepted sharks would be caught in fishing nets but would make a submission to the review seeking a ban on specifically targeting sharks. "We think the science would support a very serious consideration of banning shark take," Mr Heath said. He said sharks formed a vital part of the ecosystem and were very sensitive to overfishing. "They take a long time to mature and they only breed rarely so they're like whales," he said. "They can be overfished too easily and currently sharks are being placed on the endangered list all over the world". Mr Heath said shark fishing was being driven by the cheap meat market and a global shark finning trade. "So they're basically being killed for their fins to go in soup and they're magnificent animals," he said. "We just don't think that's a just end for a beautiful shark - just to be killed for soup." Mr Mulherin welcomed the review and defended the proposed changes, which he said would limit the number of commercial fishers allowed to take shark and establish more stringent reporting regime for shark fishing, protecting vulnerable species. The review will be conducted by a panel chaired by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research deputy chief John Gunn, who has 25 years experience in marine ecology and fisheries science. It will look at the proposed management arrangements for the fishery, providing recommendations to ensure compliance with the Act. The review will assist a coming assessment of the East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), due by the end of October.

Stuck ... this fish was among those caught in a fence by flood waters brought by Hurricane Ike in Texas / AP

Census uncovers what lies beneath MORE than 100 new species of exquisitely coloured soft corals, strange-looking jellyfish and parasites that eat the tongues off fish are among the many creatures discovered in an extensive exploration of Australian coral reefs. Researchers combed the waters off Heron Island and Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, as part of the global Census of Marine Life project. Julian Caley, a principal research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, AIMS, said they were surprised and excited by the variety of new animals that were found in areas familiar to so many divers. "Our knowledge of marine life is a proverbial drop in the ocean," Dr Caley said. The AIMS chief executive officer, Ian Poiner, said reefs faced threats from ocean acidification, pollution, global warming, overfishing and starfish outbreaks. "Only by establishing a baseline of biodiversity and following through with later censuses can people know the impact of those threats and find clues to mitigate them," said Dr Poiner, who is also chairman of the scientific steering committee for the global census, which will release its first decade of findings in 2010. The research team, which included scientists from the Australian Museum in Sydney, left plastic "dolls houses" on the ocean floor near Lizard and Heron islands for marine creatures to colonise. They will be collected during the next three years, when further expeditions will be carried out. Among the weird new creatures found this time were shrimp-like animals with claws longer than their bodies, and one with a long, whip-like back leg. In separate research, scientists have also identified more than 100 new Australian shark and ray species. A CSIRO taxonomist, Peter Last, said Australia had about 300 species in all, about half of which are found only in these waters. "With the exception of Indonesia, we have the richest shark and ray fauna on the planet," Dr Last said. His team used DNA techniques to separate similar looking animals, confirming that an angel shark with big "wing" fins that scouts the seabed off NSW was a separate species. Likewise, the harmless northern river shark was separated from the aggressive bull shark which accounts for many attacks on people in harbours and estuaries. The dark waters of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour in south-western Tasmania provide the only known habitat for the dinner-plate sized maugean ray. Dr Last said that warming seas threatened its habitat. "This ray really hasn't changed much in 80 million years. It would be catastrophic to see it just go in the blink of an eye."

Marooned kayaker’s nightmare A SEA kayaker spent a night in freezing temperatures stranded on a rock ledge at North Head. The 43-year-old kayaker had to be winched to safety yesterday morning after police divers located him on the rocks below Fairfax Walk. A NSW Ambulance helicopter was called to airlift the man from the rock ledge about 8.40am after it was deemed too dangerous to swim him back to a water police boat. The man had spent the night on the rocks after he got into difficulty battling the large swell with a broken oar on Tuesday night.. A fishing boat saw the man early yesterday and alerted NSW water police by letting off a flare. An ambulance spokesman said the sea kayaker was suffering from hyperthermia when he was rescued. “‘Because of the large swell he was unable to paddle out of the rocky area to calmer water. “He was still stranded in the morning and hyperthermic. A helicopter was dispatched and we had to airlift him out of there because of the conditions. “He was airlifted to Manly Hospital.” A police spokesman said the man’s oar broke on Tuesday. Two police divers climbed the rocks where the kayaker was. “He was winched out to safety,” the police spokesman said. A Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service spokeswoman said the man was in a stable condition at Manly Hospital.

Baby sharks set free at Sydney beach Captive-bred wobbegong sharks have been released into the wild at a Sydney beach in an experiment to learn more about them. The seven young sharks, raised at Sydney Aquarium and now 80 centimetres long, were fitted with internal and external tagging devices before being released at Shelly Beach in the northern suburb of Manly today. Charlie Huveneers from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, who is conducting the study, has fitted six wild wobbegongs with similar devices and has been monitoring them since the beginning of the year. Underwater receivers in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve next to the beach will monitor the sharks' movements and determine whether they remain in the area. The study, supported by the NSW Government, is the first in Australia to compare the behaviour of wild and captive-bred sharks. "We're going to release the wobbegongs and tag some wobbegongs from the wild, and we'll be able to compare the movements and migration to see if those [captive] wobbegongs behave naturally," Dr Huveneers said. Surprisingly little was known about the sharks despite frequent sightings by divers and a history of commercial fishing of wobbegongs, he said. "Wobbegong" is an Aboriginal word meaning "beard," referring to the shaggy growths around the sharks' mouths. Wobbegongs can reach up to three metres in length and tend to bite people only when disturbed. Their tendency to dwell near the sea floor, in corals and crevices, sabotaged a similar experiment in Port Stephens. In that effort, researchers used only external tags and were unable to determine whether the sharks had left the area or whether the tags had been broken off. Claudette Rechtorik, co-ordinator of the Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund, said the Sydney experiment was a good move for the environment and for the sharks. "At the end of the day, sharks get a really bad rap," she told reporters. "Sharks are suffering declines all over the world and we need to raise awareness of sharks and their role in the ecosystem and that they're not trying to harm us," she told reporters. AAP

Hang on... I'll just drop down to the beach to do a reccie...be right back....... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hmmmmmmmmm....more planning needed methinks!!! Anyone got a towel????

That Guy: Sydney-bound in customised wheelie bin 4:00AM Sunday Sep 14, 2008 That Guy Later in the year in a bid to draw the earth's attention to climate change, I plan to cross the Tasman in a council-approved wheelie bin. This has been at the planning stage for more than 10 years, however it was only when the council issued the slightly larger recycling bin that my dream could finally become a reality. I was surprised to learn that this sort of crossing had never be attempted before and, if successful, it will pave the way for other, more ambitious expeditions, such as a Trans Atlantic crossing, or even an around-the-world expedition, something that Richard Branson, thankfully, has expressed very little interest in as I doubt that I could match his budget. I plan to set sail in late November to take advantage of the unique currents that come into play around that time. These super currents are crucial and I have to plan my run just right because if I come in too early, or late, I may be swept too far south and end up in the frigid waters around Antarctica, a very dangerous scenario and, besides, that was an expedition I wasn't planning until around 2010. The wheelie bin is customised for the job, and it needs to be as it will be my home for six weeks. The success or failure of the expedition will be determined by how watertight it is and how it handles in big seas. The bin is fitted with a shortwave radio, fishing equipment, a small barbie for cooking and heating, the GPS from my father's car and a machine that looks a little like a Soda Stream for making my urine drinkable and fizzy. Ironically, although I am trying to draw the world's attention to climate change and recycling, I won't be able to do that while on this expedition as there simply isn't enough room in the recycling bin. All my trash will be tossed overboard into the sea. We had considered towing a second recycling bin so we could recycle the rubbish from the first recycling bin but we thought, what's the point? Logistically it was too difficult and not practical. Our aim is to raise awareness about recycling. We are not claiming to be great recyclers ourselves. The plan is simple. On November 20 at 5am I leave through the surf at Piha then a mere six weeks after that, providing everything goes to schedule, I will sail into Sydney harbour just after 7pm. Most of the time I will be simply drifting with the currents but occasionally if I need to make a correction to my course I will use a small electric motor. The electricity is provided by a car battery. Once it has run flat it will be tossed into the ocean and the solar panels stuck on the outside of the bin's lid will kick in. Course corrections can only be made during the day once we are running on solar. Most of the fit-out was done with bits and pieces from Bunnings Warehouse, although they don't want to be an official sponsor. This leaves the way open for other sponsors to jump on board, so to speak, and with at least five large flat surfaces visible, a wheelie bin is the perfect vessel for branding. In bad weather it will be a case of battening down the hatches and riding out the storm from the safety of inside the bin, but when the weather is good I will be able to sail with it open, a more ideal scenario as it gives me 30-40 per cent more room. Much of the time and money until this point has been spent on research and development. We spent six months testing the bin in tanks just to work out which end of the bin would be the stern and which the bow. In the end we calculated that it didn't really matter. After rigorous tank trials we considered doing a sea test. On July 5 we sailed at night from Auckland to Devonport, and it was only after weathering the wake from the 10pm Fullers ferry that I felt confident enough to take on the Tasman. Until this point my local rubbish truck was lending a hand by lifting us with its hydraulic arm and gently placing us in the water down by the Maritime Museum. I am aware of how dangerous this expedition is, as is my wife, but as the saying goes: behind every great man stands a great woman and she was the one who unselfishly insisted I do it in the first place. She says that this is just what our marriage needs and promised that every Tuesday morning at 6am she will be thinking of me. That's when our rubbish gets collected.

Don't get reeled in dead, fishermen urged THERE is an awful swirl in the pit of Tony Wood's stomach, as violent as the grey sea below him, when the Westpac Rescue Helicopter winches a body out of the water. The angle of the neck delivers the verdict; the head is snapped back grotesquely and the eyes are glazed. "It can be prevented so easily," said Mr Wood, the helicopter's chief crewman. He and the Westpac service are on a mission to get more people to wear life jackets, following the deaths of eight fishermen off Sydney in the past 12 months. "There is nothing more disheartening, discouraging … when instead of a live, smiling body coming up that wire, all we have is dead eyes … all for the sake of a life preserver," he said. "We have had … eight bodies pulled from the water, all of which I am sure, if [they] had been wearing life jackets, or flotation devices, [they] would be here today with their families." About 80 per cent of rock fishing fatalities in the state were within 30 kilometres of Sydney - a stretch of coastline that delivers great fishing and great peril in equal measure. Yet a life jacket costs just $80, the equivalent of three days' bait. Rock fishing is listed by the NSW Government as the most dangerous sport in the country. But unlike other extreme sports, such as boxing, there is no licence requirement to wear specific clothing. When the National Marine Safety Committee launched a discussion paper in 2006 on the mandatory use of life jackets while fishing, it received a barrage of letters against the idea. The Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW's submission acknowledged that although they did save lives, "there will be locations and times when it is not practical to have a life jacket on". The president of the South Sydney Amateur Fishing Association, Stan Konstantaras, agrees. Instead of enforcing mandatory life jackets, the association has been running educational programs - 90 per cent of them aimed at people of non-English speaking backgrounds - to raise standards. "Enforcement is never going to work," he said. "What would you do? Is someone going to go around to the rocks and fine these guys to enforce it? "From an occupational health and safety point of view, it would be very difficult to get workers to have to go down to the rocks and patrol, and we barely have enough Fisheries officers as it is." He said the educational programs were already paying dividends: "Last month I saw five Koreans on the northern beaches, they all had life jackets on - that would be unthinkable a few years ago," he said. But that has done little to assuage Mr Wood's fears that the Westpac Helicopter is being used as a retrieval service for dead fisherman, rather than a rescue service for those clinging to life. "It's soul-destroying … for the guys who actually go down and out and pick you up out of the water," he said. Slide/Audio show

Fishermen die in BBQ gas poisoning in NZ Two men on a weekend fishing trip in New Zealand have died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after moving a portable barbecue into their cabin to keep warm overnight. One man who survived is slowly recovering after sessions in a navy hyperbaric chamber. The trio were on a fishing trip at Raglan on the west coast of the North Island when two of the men were found dead in their Ruapuke Motor Camp cabin beds on Sunday morning. The survivor was found in a delirious state on the floor of the cabin. Initial indications were that the two South African-born men died from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of using the charcoal-burning barbecue inside the cabin. The alarm was raised and police called after other members of the men's group noticed the three had not risen early as planned to go fishing. The survivor was flown by air ambulance to Waikato Hospital in Hamilton then transferred to Devonport Naval Base in Auckland for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. He was then admitted to North Shore Hospital. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes rapid healing, with a patient breathing pure oxygen while inside the chamber. But Waitemata District Health Board spokeswoman Bryony Hilless said the man briefly returned to the navy hospital on Monday for another hyperbaric session. "His condition is serious but it's stable, and he has gone for this particular treatment and he may need another one." Hilless said the man would return to North Shore's high dependency unit after Monday's treatment. Ben Walker, who runs the Ruapuke motor camp, said it was "stupidity" to take the barbecue into the cabin to keep warm and that he had previously warned others not to do the same. "If only I had seen them take the barbecue inside, things could have been different. I feel like crying, I just can't believe it," he told The Dominion Post newspaper. He said the trio must have had a few beers and drifted off to sleep. The deceased were reportedly a 35-year-old store manager from Auckland and a 50-year-old store purchaser from Hamilton, both migrants from South Africa. A police spokesman said the deaths were a tragic reminder of the risks of using any type of fuel burner in a confined space. Carbon monoxide displaced oxygen in the bloodstream and deprived the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen. New Zealand Mountain Safety Council spokesman Chris Tews said the deaths were a tragic reminder of the extreme care required when using cooking equipment in confined spaces. "Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless, tasteless but highly toxic gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when the gas is inhaled and significant exposure can be fatal." "Carbon monoxide forms when a fuel is burnt and the oxygen availability is restricted, such as when ventilation is poor," Tews said. The council recommended that any stove fuelled by gas, charcoal or kerosene be used outside.

Harbour patrol strike threat BOATING safety officers on Sydney Harbour are threatening industrial action if they are not paid more to conduct night patrols. The NSW Government ordered increased patrols by NSW Maritime officers in response to a series of fatal night-time boating accidents. A total of 11 people have been killed on the harbour in the past two years. Six died when a fishing boat collided with a pleasure boat near Bradleys Head in May this year and four were killed when a ferry hit a pleasure boat under the Harbour Bridge in March last year. Maritime Union of Australia's Paul McAleer said the nine boating safety officers did not receive extra pay for working through the night.

Dory the fish fossil found in Qld 1st September 2008, 14:57 WST A Queensland museum curator says he's found the most intact skeleton ever discovered of a 100-million-year-old fish. Paul Stumkat, of the Kronosaurus Korner fossil museum in the north-western town of Richmond, said the skeleton was found last month in an area of the state's north-west which used to be a vast inland sea the size of Belgium. The tuna-like skeleton was around 70cm in length and was 99 per cent complete, showing fins, teeth and even the digestive system and its contents. "This is not a new species but it is the most perfect specimen ever found of this particular animal," Mr Stumkat told AAP from Richmond. "Previously, all that's ever been found is a head, a few of the vertebrae and some of the pectoral fins. "It is significant from a scientific point of view because they can do a complete description of the animal, whereas in the past they were only guessing as to what it looked like." The fossil was discovered accidentally by Mr Stumkat and a tourist who had signed up for a dig to uncover a partially complete skeleton of a turtle. The fish, nicknamed Dory after the blue tang in the animated movie Finding Nemo, was once a fast-swimming predatory species. It also could be useful to scientists studying the earth's environment 100 million years ago and climate changes since then as the area where it lived was a long way further south than it is now, Mr Stumkat said. "Australia had broken off from Antarctica but Richmond would have been down around where Melbourne is today, so it would have been pretty far south in its latitude," he said. The fish fossil is on display at Kronosaurus Korner

Clown Fish Sniff Their Way Home Sniffing its way through a vast ocean to find its home on the coral reef is a real life reality for the tiny, orange clownfish, better known as the fictional character Nemo in the famous Disney cartoon. That's the finding of a new study led by Australian researchers who used a clever apparatus to measure the fishes' preference for water with different odors. A team led by Geoffrey Jones of James Cook University in Townsville, Australia surveyed waters around Papua New Guinea for clownfish populations. “The boat captain said, 'If you want to find the orange clownfish, you have to find islands. The fish need to see trees,'" said study lead author Danielle Dixson. The survey confirmed this observation, "There's a huge statistical difference [in the numbers of clownfish] between where there are islands and where there are not islands." Researchers found the two types of anemones that the region's clownfish call home only live near islands with trees and beaches and are not found on "islands" made only of reefs. However, the bright, orange fish must search for these anemones. After clownfish eggs hatch near the parents' home anemone, the larvae are carried away by ocean currents. Researchers wanted to find out how in just eleven days, younger fish settle back into a new anemone, somehow having found their way to their favored abodes. The study used a chamber with two sources of water flowing side by side. It's important to note the water remains unmixed, with the two types of water flowing parallel to each other. Researchers introduced clownfish into the chambers and measured how much time they spent on either side. This process allowed researchers to test the fishes' preference for water from different sources. Researchers first compared beach water from near vegetated islands with water from reef islands. "It was ridiculously high how attracted they were to the beach water," said Dixson. The fish spent more than 99 percent of their time on the side of the chamber with beach water flowing by. "The next step was to figure out what is in the beach water that is making them able to discriminate beach water from the other," she said. Researchers wondered what cues in the water could draw the fish back to the islands. "The islands are loaded with trees," Dixson explained, and the water nearby has large numbers of leaves floating on the surface. So, the team exposed ocean water to five different kinds of leaves from the islands, and to a mixture of the leaves, and compared those to ocean water with no leaf exposure. "They were attracted to all of them." The study found clownfish were not attracted to the tea tree plant, which grows in swamps nowhere near the islands. Scientists determined the fish have specific preferences for the "right" kind of trees. Research noted that fish bred in aquariums in synthetic seawater were attracted to beach water and to anemone and leaf cues. They surmised this meant the attraction is innate in this species. "The results are just spectacular," said Jelle Atema of Boston University who developed the testing chamber for his own research and shared one with the Jones group. "As humans we don't take very seriously the notion of odor in water. It's very foreign to people: How can you smell in water?" Scientists believe the research has a broad message. "It shows that there is a connection between the marine and the terrestrial environment," Dixson said. "It shows that the two can't be treated separately, especially in terms of management." "If you're trying to protect the reef, but you're not protecting the shoreline that calls these 'Nemos' home, it's not going to work," she said.

Shark net plan sparks fears for marine life DOZENS of shark nets will start going up off beaches from Wollongong to Newcastle from today, but a dispute has broken out about their impact on other marine life. The nets could kill migrating whales and endangered grey nurse sharks without making swimmers any safer, according to Greens MP Ian Cohen. He was speaking from Byron Bay, which like much of the north and south coasts has no shark net. However, the State government argues that the nets are a highly effective way of protecting swimmers. Mr Cohen yesterday accused Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald of being more interested in appearances than either swimmers or the marine life which becomes tangled in the nets. "Under the watch of this minister we could lose an apex species, the grey nurse - the labrador of the sea," Mr Cohen said. But Mr Macdonald said the timing of the netting was designed to avoid the main whale migration season. "The government's number one priority is to protect NSW beachgoers," Mr Macdonald said. "We have had one fatality on a meshed beach in 70 years [since netting was introduced]. Previously in NSW there would be one fatality every year." Mr Cohen called on the minister to delay the annual September roll-out of the nets until November 1 when whale migrations would have finished. Mr Cohen, who is a surfer, said he had seen sagging shark nets off the NSW coast which offered little protection to swimmers. "They sag well below the surface, there is often five metres of clear ocean for sharks to swim over them". He said the government should be looking at electronic devices using Australian technology being trialled off South African beaches to deter sharks. While Mr Cohen and Mr Macdonald were at loggerheads, among Coogee Beach locals there was no doubt that meshing of beaches works. Every Sunday in summer the Coogee Minnows keep a watchful eye on the ocean as up to 600 Nippers register for a day of swimming and life saving exercises. Off the beach a line of floats stretching from Wiley's Baths to the rocky outcrop of Wedding Cake Island marks the presence of a shark net. It covers only half of Coogee Beach but the Minnows say it's a welcome sight and have no doubt it works. Michael King, a 27-year Minnows veteran, remembers talk of fatal shark attacks at Coogee in the 1920s. To his recollection there hasn't been a fatal attack since netting began off Coogee in the 1930s. For Canadian expat Daniel MacLeod, a resident of Maroubra for 19 years, the nets offer a measure of protection for his daughter Bronte. " I dive and I've seen hundreds of sharks. I'd swim here if there weren't shark nets, but a lot of people wouldn't," Mr MacLeod said.

Aussie rivers under threat from NZ 'rock snot' AUSTRALIA'S alpine waterways will be choked with "rock snot" if its lackadaisical biosecurity approach to the highly invasive alga is not drastically improved, a fishing group says. The alga didymo, commonly known as "rock snot", can form massive smothering blooms on the bottom of streams, rivers and lakes, as it has in New Zealand since 2004. People in New Zealand are legally obliged to prevent its spread by drying and cleaning gear when moving from one waterway to another. Didymo expert Cathy Kilroy today warned Australian authorities at a Hobart conference there is a "real risk" it will be introduced inadvertently by fishermen, bushwalkers or kayakers returning from New Zealand. "Any equipment that has been used in freshwater has the potential to carry the alga, particularly larger recreational equipment such as kayaks, rafts and paddles." Dr Kilroy said "rock snot" can be spread by a single drop of water. Anglers Alliance Tasmania executive officer Richard Dax today said the 30,000 anglers his group represented were "absolutely concerned" about the threat. Mr Dax said the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) approach to rock snot was lackadaisical. "Much more drastically needs to be done at airports and ports. It's not coordinated and it's not seen as being serious enough," Mr Dax told AAP. "The bottom line is that once it gets in here there's no way to control it. "It will run rampant, particularly in Tasmania, because it loves cold water that runs fast." Mr Dax said AQIS did not scrutinise bushwalkers and kayakers as much as it should, concentrating instead on fishermen. Anglers also criticise the ad-hoc, spasmodic Australian decontamination process. In Australia it can take days for gear to be returned when all gear in New Zealand is decontaminated in about 10 minutes, Mr Dax said. "Australian biosecurity officers are not doing nearly enough at points of entry," he said. The conference was told today didymo also poses a devastating threat to hydro-electric and agricultural industries. The head of biosecurity in Tasmania's Department of Primary Industry and Water, Alex Schaap, downplayed the fishermen's criticisms. "Anglers are a high-risk pathway but bushwalkers boots are of interest to quarantine officers for various reasons, so I don't think it's fair to say they are not getting reasonable attention," he told AAP. "And my understanding is that the import requirements for didymo are being reviewed and that includes looking at different treatment options. "But it's fair to say that whatever we do there will be an inconvenience to anglers, bushwalkers and others returning from New Zealand." Comment was being sought from AQIS. ************************************************************************************* News Release from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water Tasmania Leading The Way On Rock Snot A leading New Zealand expert on the freshwater pest alga, didymo (Didymosphenia geminata), commonly known as Rock Snot, today commended the pro-active approach taken by the State to prevent the introduction of this invasive quarantine pest to Tasmania. Dr Cathy Kilroy, from New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, who was the guest speaker at a Didymo Prevention Forum held in Hobart today, praised the initiative shown by the various authorities, but warned that Tasmania was susceptible to a didymo invasion. Rock snot, which is native to the Northern Hemisphere, was discovered in New Zealand in 2004, and has spread extensively on the South Island, causing significant problems for New Zealand fisheries and biosecurity with the risk of it spreading to the North Island. Dr Kilroy identified Tasmania, like New Zealand’s South Island, as being particularly susceptible to a didymo invasion due to the State’s popularity as an international trout fishing destination coupled with a suitable habitat for the alga. “There is a real risk of didymo being introduced inadvertently by travelling anglers in used fishing gear, which is the most likely way it was introduced in New Zealand,” said Dr Kilroy. “However, any equipment that has been used in freshwater has the potential to carry the algae, particularly larger recreational equipment such as kayaks, rafts and paddles. “It takes just one didymo cell to start a population and cells can survive for long periods in a moist environment or just a single drop of water. “Under the right conditions, didymo cells can multiply rapidly, forming blooms that smother the stream or lake-bed. “These blooms may adversely affect water quality, ecology and fish stocks, and become a hazard for hydro-electric generation, irrigation and recreational pursuits,” Dr Kilroy said. The head of Biosecurity in Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industry and Water, Alex Schaap, echoed Dr Kilroy’s concern for the potential risk of a didymo invasion and explained the action taken by the Federal Government to increase the quarantine restrictions on the importation of used fishing and other freshwater recreational equipment. “All used freshwater sports equipment must be declared upon arrival in the country,” said Mr Schaap. “Any potentially contaminated gear will be confiscated by quarantine staff and treated at the traveller's expense. “This is vital as Australia’s first-line defence in preventing the introduction of pests such as didymo. “The Tasmanian government has been actively encouraging this defence at a national level, along with implementing its own didymo awareness campaign, and is now preparing further defence strategies. “This action is timely given that Tasmania is set to host the 2009 Whitewater World Cup Kayaking Championships, which will see about 250 kayakers from all around the world arriving with kayaking equipment. “Today’s Didymo Prevention Forum, which brings together key organizations responsible for natural resource management in Tasmania, will assist the development of strategies to prevent the spread of didymo. “Dr Kilroy has been invited from New Zealand to provide expert advice on didymo and share the lessons learnt for management,” Mr Schaap said. Dr Kilroy will lead a practical workshop to demonstrate sampling procedures, micro and macro-scopic identification and discuss monitoring and surveillance strategies, which will assist in the development of a Surveillance and Response Plan. Mr John Diggle, Director of Inland Fisheries, said that anglers had been extremely supportive of the campaign against didymo and were keen to see actions that would protect Tasmania’s trout fishery, which is considered world class. “Advertising in fishing magazines, display posters at entry points to the State and at fishing events, as well as an information brochure, have been successful in raising awareness amongst anglers,” Mr Diggle said. “It’s critical that anglers and other recreational freshwater users are responsible with their gear to help reduce the risk of didymo. “Apart from the quarantine requirements, the campaign encourages anglers to Check, Clean, Dry their gear as a matter of habit before travelling between waterways. “The New Zealand experience shows only too clearly that prevention is better than cure. “The cooperative approach shown today will strengthen our efforts to keep Tasmanian waterways free of didymo,” Mr Diggle said.

Killed by a wave: hunt for mystery man From The S.M.H. Police are calling on a mystery man to come forward after he yesterday saw a fatal boating incident occur on the south Sydney coast. A 52-year-old man was killed and his companion injured when a wave hit their 5.5m runabout near the Jibbon bombora entrance to Port Hacking about 1.30pm. Police believe the witness saw the two men thrown into the surf as the boat flipped over and ran down from Port Hacking Point to make an emergency call from a vessel moored on the beach. As a result of the call authorities were able to send out a rescue helicopter as well as police, Maritime and Surf Lifesaving vessels to retrieve the two men. Police said a 52-year-old from Green Valley was already dead when his body was pulled from the water. But another man, also aged in his 50s, was rescued alive and taken to Sutherland Hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and remains in a stable condition. Police today called on the man who witnessed the incident and sent out the call for help to make contact and help with their investigations. Anyone with information about the incident should call Botany Bay Water Police on 8566 7568 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A bombora is a submerged reef of rocks that causes a wave out to sea and the one at Jibbon is a popular fishing spot, but marked as dangerous on NSW Maritime's chart for the Port Hacking area.

Fussy cats threatening fish supplies CATS with a fondness for gourmet meals are threatening fish supplies, an Australian scientist says. Deakin University scientist Dr Giovanni Turchini has discovered an estimated 2.48 million tonnes of forage fish - a limited biological resource - is consumed by the global cat food industry each year. "That such a large amount of fish is used for the pet food industry is real eye-opener," Dr Turchini said. "What is also interesting is that, in Australia, pet cats are eating an estimated 13.7 kilograms of fish a year which far exceeds the Australian average (human) per capita fish and seafood consumption of around 11 kilograms. "Our pets seem to be eating better than their owners." Wild forage fish, which includes sardines, herrings and anchovies, are an important link in the marine food chain, as part of the diet of larger fish like tuna and swordfish. Overfishing of marine resources is a concern to conservationists and the fishing industry. "While much of the criticism has been on the grounds that forage fish could be better used for human consumption directly, particularly amongst the poorer nations of the world, rather than in the production of food for farmed fish, little attention has been paid to the amount of forage fish used by the pet food industry," Dr Turchini said. She said she believed the pet food industry was moving towards marketing premium and super-premium products. "These gourmet pet foods contain a significant amount of fish that may be suitable for direct human consumption." Different raw material, such as by-products of the fish filleting industry, would be better used in pet food. A more objective and pragmatic approach to the use of decreasing fish stocks was needed, she said.

Spirit of Mystery to retrace epic voyage of Cornish fishing boat to Australia It was a heavy night in a Cornish pub when a small group of friends hungry for adventure decided to sail to Australia in a small wooden fishing boat. The discussion in the Star Inn in Newlyn in 1854 led seven fishermen to set sail in the hope of finding their fortunes: 116 days later, their Cornish lugger, Mystery, a 37ft fishing boat that had never previously been out of sight of land, arrived in Melbourne, 12,000 miles away. A century and a half on, the round-the-world yachtsman and Cornishman Pete Goss decided to follow in their wake. For the past nine months Goss, best known for his rescue of a fellow competitor in a solo round-the-world yacht race, has been building the Spirit of Mystery. The boat, with its ochre sails and planked construction, could not be more different from the craft that Goss is used to sailing. His past vessels have included Team Phillips, the world's largest glass-fibre structure, which looked more like a space ship than a yacht and was capable of cutting through the waves at more than 35 knots, though not without bits falling off. Spirit of Mystery, a near-perfect replica of the original, will be sailing at a more sedate six or seven knots when she sets off from Newlyn in October and is likely to prove a lot more seaworthy. Last month Goss, who scoured Cornish hillsides for the fallen oak to build her, took Spirit of Mystery for sea trials. It was love at first gust. The yachtsman said: “I'd wanted to build my own wooden boat since I was a kid. It's always been a dream of mine. She handled beautifully, better than I had dared hope. I was able to sit back and relax and really enjoy myself.” The journey that inspired his latest voyage began when times were tough in Cornwall. Stories of fortunes being made in Australia were arriving home with every post as Cornish miners joined the gold rush. “There was a saying that if you looked into a hole anywhere in the world there would be a Cornishman at the bottom of it, and it was true,” Goss said. At first, the men - Richard Nicholls, William and Richard Badcock, Job Kelynack, Charles Boase, Philip Curnow Mathews and Lewis Lewis - discussed selling Mystery to pay for their passage. But Nicholls, a master mariner and the only one to have sailed farther than a few miles, suggested that as they had their own boat they might as well make use of her. It was very much a family affair: Nicholls and the Badcock brothers were married to Victoria, Harriet and Nanny, the three sisters of Kelynack. The others were old friends. They set sail on their epic journey amid a flotilla of small craft, with wellwishers waving from the quayside, on November 18, 1854. Sailing via the Caribbean, stopping briefly at Cape Town, and then setting off across the Southern Ocean, they enjoyed an almost incident-free voyage, barring a couple of hurricanes, an occasional lost mast, and visits from flying fish, according to Captain Nicholls's tersely-worded log book, which is in the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro. When Goss heard the men's story four years ago it was barely known outside Cornwall. “I knew I had to retrace their journey in the hope of casting light on their forgotten achievement,” he said. Like the original voyage it is very much a family affair. Spirit of Mystery will be crewed by Goss, his brother Andy, his brother-in-law Andy Maidment and his 14-year-old son Eliot. They may take a fifth crew member, likely to be a descendant of one of the original voyagers. “There are volunteers queueing from here to Land's End,” Goss said. They will live in a tiny cabin lit only by oil lamps, taking it in turns to take the helm round the clock just as the seven Cornishmen would have done. Unlike the original, Spirit of Mystery has an engine, to comply with Australian harbour regulations, but Goss is determined that it will not be used. They will row into and out of port pulling on two huge oars. He will navigate by the stars, using a 19th-century brass sextant. There will be an emergency satellite beacon on board in case the crew have to take to the liferaft. He said: “It will be in a grab bag below decks and is really only in case the boat sinks. If there are other problems, like losing a mast, we will just have to sort it out ourselves.” But he draws the line at replicating the food and the clothing. It will be Gore-Tex rather than oilskins and there will be no salted pork in the galley. There is one other aspect of the original voyage that he is also keen not to copy. By the time the men reached Australia, they could barely stand the sight of each other. Within a year, five of the original seven had returned to England, their dreams having turned out not to be golden after all.

Yeah, The Hindu online seems to have a few translation problems methinks. Sure is one quick fish alright. No idea where in NSW it was tagged, but here's another story from another India news site. Cheers, Pete. Pondy fishermen nets Australian fish Puducherry: A Puducherry fisherman along with his team has netted a rare catch - a seven foot long 'black merlin,' a variety of fish found in New South Wales. The fisherman N Gunasekaran and his colleagues had netted the "virtually once in a lifetime catch" when they were engaged in fishing some 70 kms off the Puducherry coast yesterday. Director of Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Ramalakshmi said that a tag and a chip tied at the lower part of the edible fish had details of phone number and the name of the city from where it was presumably put into the sea. The tag and the chip was removed from the dead fish. She said that she immediately contacted the phone number and it was of a New South Wales based research institute. She informed the Institute that the fish had been netted here. The fish, weighing 45 KG, was kept in the chilling plant at the fishing harbour here, she added.

Fish tagged by Australia caught in Puducherry India: PUDUCHERRY: Fishermen belonging to Pudukuppam near Ariyankuppam caught a Marlin fish, which had been tagged by the Australian government, on Wednesday. The fish was brought ashore at the Thengaithittu fishing harbour. Officials of the Fisheries Department said the fish was caught at about 80 km away from the Puducherry coast. The New South Wales Fisheries department, Australia, had tagged the fish to study the oceanic migration, they added. Marlin fish, which can grow up to a length of 380 cm and 150 kg, can go around for 150 to 200 miles per hour. The fish which was brought ashore was 239 centimetres long, with a weight of 45 kg, an official added. A group of four fishermen had set out for fishing in a Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic mechanised boat and should have caught the fish during the wee hours of Wednesday, he said. “The purpose of tagging the fish is to study its migration, growth and habitat as well. The tag on the fish contained the address and contact number of the department. In India, the tagging of tuna fish is being done. A number will be given for the tags,” he said. The Fisheries Department had informed its Australian counterpart of the incident. It would also send the details via e-mail, officials added. “Through this information, they will be able to study the morphological characteristics of the fish and its migratory pattern. The difference in its growth at the time of being tagged and spotted would also be studied. The fisheries department of Australia would also reward the fisherman who had caught the fish,” the official said.

Fish may thwart 'silent' brain damage OLDER adults who regularly eat fish may have a lower risk of subtle brain damage that contributes to stroke and dementia - as long as the fish isn't fried - researchers reported. In a study that followed 3660 adults age 65 and older, Finnish researchers found that those who ate more fish were less likely to show certain "silent" brain infarcts - tiny areas of tissue that have died because of an insufficient blood supply - on an MRI scan. The tissue damage is considered silent, or "subclinical," because it causes no obvious symptoms and can only be detected through brain scans. It can, however, raise a person's longer-term risk of having a stroke or developing dementia. Among older adults in the current study, those who said they ate tuna and "other" baked or grilled fish at least three times per week were one-quarter less likely than those who rarely ate fish to have subclinical brain infarcts at the study's start. Fish eaters also tended to be less likely to develop new infarcts over the next five years. No such benefits were linked to consumption of fried fish, however, the researchers report in the journal Neurology. While the study cannot conclusively point to the reason for the brain benefits, it's likely that omega-3 fatty acids - healthy fats found mainly in oily fish - play a key role, according to Jyrki K. Virtanen and colleagues at the University of Kuopio. When the researchers estimated study participants' intake of two major omega-3 fatty acids - EPA and DHA - they found a link between higher intake and lower risk of silent brain infarcts. In addition, the researchers note, the lack of a protective effect from fried fish may stem from the fact that foods like fish burgers and fish sticks are typically made from fish low in omega-3. Overall, the findings add to evidence that fish rich in omega-3 fats - like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna - may have "important health benefits," the researchers write. "Previous findings have shown that fish and fish oil can help prevent stroke, but this is one of the only studies that looks at fish's effect on silent brain infarcts in healthy, older people," Dr Virtanen said in a written statement. "More research is needed as to why these types of fish may have protective effects, but the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA would seem to have a major role." Dr Virtanen added. Silent brain infarcts can raise a person's risk of both stroke and cognitive decline. It's estimated that about 20 percent of adults age 65 and up who are free of silent infarcts will develop at least one within five years. The American Heart Association recommends that all adults strive to eat at least two fish meals per week, preferably fatty fish, for the sake of their cardiovascular health. ************************************************************ From MallacootaPete: My apologies to all for my long absense from Fishraider, but I have had a pressing family illness to attend to. My role now is to care for my until she is mobile again, so that takes up more time than you can imagine. I will try and post the news as I see it break when I have time, but somehow I don't think I'll be posting any fishing reports for quite some time, bugger it. Great to see the forums as active as ever with the Fishraider spirit alive and thriving. Keep up the good work everyone. Cheers, Pete.

Yes Pel, it's quite a good site but it is a subscription for the full data. What you get for free, as you see, is pretty handy. As to linking to it, it might be problematic, but we may try. If you tour that site, you will see it has what you described with punching in your present position using google earth and it will give you the latest data for those co-ords...but you have to be a subscriber for that feature. Good luck today if you go fishing. Cheers, Pete.

Try this site Pel...It seems to be pretty accurate of late. Buoyweather Cheers, Pete