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Posted

New fishing bag and size limits announced

The Iemma Government has announced changes to saltwater and freshwater fishing rules after extensive consultation with NSW recreational and commercial fishers.

Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said the bag and size limits for recreational fishing are reviewed periodically to ensure a sustainable future for high quality recreational fishing in NSW. The size limits also apply to commercial fishing.

“These changes reflect the findings of scientific assessments, the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey, the Palmer inquiry into illegal fishing, advice from expert committees of fishers and more than 3300 public submissions,” Mr Macdonald said.

The changes to saltwater fishing include –

• New minimum legal length limits for pearl perch, yellowtail kingfish, luderick (blackfish) dolphin fish (mahi-mahi), blue groper and morwong.

• Bag limit reductions from 20 to 10 for bonito, dolphin fish, octopus, rubberlip and jackass morwong and a new combined bag limit of 20 for bream and tarwhine.

• Bag limit reductions from 2 to 1 for popular billfish species, including marlin.

Mr Macdonald said a number of changes would also be made to improve the management of fishing competitions, including developing a voluntary code of practice.” he said.

“About one million people enjoy recreational fishing each year in NSW.

“These changes are about working with the community to progressively improve fishing rules to ensure the future sustainability and viability of our valuable fisheries resources”

The changes will start on September 3, 2007. NSW DPI will undertake an extensive public advisory campaign over the coming months to promote the changes, including new fishing guides and updated signage around NSW waterways.

New Recreational fishing rules - additional background information

The major changes to saltwater fishing include –

• Introducing a new minimum legal length of 30cm for pearl perch.

• Increasing the minimum legal length for yellowtail kingfish from 60cm to 65cm.

• Increasing the minimum legal length for luderick (blackfish) from 25cm to 27cm.

• Introducing a minimum legal length of 60cm for dolphin fish (mahi-mahi). Additionally, only one fish may measure over 110cm.

• Introducing new combined bag limit of 20 for bream and tarwhine.

• A bag limit reduction from 20 to 10 will now apply to bonito, dolphin fish, octopus, rubberlip and jackass morwong.

• A bag limit reduction from 2 to 1 will now apply to highly prized billfish species, including sailfish and swordfish. A bag limit of 1 will also apply to each species of marlin. Reducing the bag limit will still allow for a trophy fish to be taken.

• A minimum legal length of 30cm will be introduced for blue groper. These fish mature as females between 24 and 34cm and change sex to males at about 60cm. The new size limit will protect females prior to maturity.

• The legal length for rubberlip morwong has been increased by 2cm to 30cm and the bag limit reduced to 10.

• The minimum legal length for red morwong will be increased from 25cm to 30cm. This aims to improve protection of small fish in shallow water.

• A combined bag limit of 5 will now apply to all shark and ray species, including only 1 tiger, mako, blue shark, hammerhead and whaler species. A zero bag limit will now apply to wobbegong sharks.

All i can say is WHAT A JOKE!!

I found it so hard to catch kingies at 65cm and of all the dollies i caught very few were over 60cm.

And for what reason known to man are they reducing occie bag limits? Theres no shortage of them and i know because im one of very few to specifically target them!

DAN

Posted

Hmmm....out all the kings i caught over summer (maybe 60 or 70) i only caught 3 over 65cm...

But, it will improve the size rates in the long term so there is a good side to it.

Posted

as for the dollies ive heard that they grow at phenominal rates and i know a lot of people keep the smaller ones, so if people actually abide by the rules i can only see this improving the experiance! but i dont think i can say the same for the rest!

Posted

hi luringbream just read your post mate

i thought i'd include an old photo of the dolphin fish caught by my mate jimmy bowers of ballina

i wonder if they're still getting many of the larger ones around sydney these days?

dolphin fish caught by jimmy bowers at ballina post-829-1185540408_thumb.jpg

regards

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Posted

hi luringbream just read your post mate

i thought i'd include an old photo of the dolphin fish caught by my mate jimmy bowers of ballina

i wonder if they're still getting many of the larger ones around sydney these days?

dolphin fish caught by jimmy bowers at ballina post-829-1185540408_thumb.jpg

regards

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Only ones and two's. I notice theres only ONE in that photo! :biggrin2:

DAN

Posted (edited)

Only ones and two's. I notice theres only ONE in that photo! :biggrin2:

DAN

my mistake dan pulled it out of the album to do the post. just glanced at it and it looked like two

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

better add it up again to be sure

post-829-1185552731_thumb.jpg :1yikes:

yep 1 and 1 makes 2 :074:

Edited by jewgaffer
Posted

hmmm.. kings dont breed untill they reach 65-70cm

i am agreeing with them on that one.

a 60cm king is a baby and i think it should be released.

Tony

Posted

I am for the new laws.

Especially for Kingfish, with the recent comeback they've made, there will be plenty more fish in the 70cm+ range for people to take home.

Dollies....they grow in centimetres per day so I don't really think it's all that big an issue. When they are there you can catch them by the boatloads anyhow.

IFS

Posted

New fishing bag and size limits announced

The Iemma Government has announced changes to saltwater and freshwater fishing rules after extensive consultation with NSW recreational and commercial fishers.

Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said the bag and size limits for recreational fishing are reviewed periodically to ensure a sustainable future for high quality recreational fishing in NSW. The size limits also apply to commercial fishing.

“These changes reflect the findings of scientific assessments, the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey, the Palmer inquiry into illegal fishing, advice from expert committees of fishers and more than 3300 public submissions,” Mr Macdonald said.

The changes to saltwater fishing include –

• New minimum legal length limits for pearl perch, yellowtail kingfish, luderick (blackfish) dolphin fish (mahi-mahi), blue groper and morwong.

• Bag limit reductions from 20 to 10 for bonito, dolphin fish, octopus, rubberlip and jackass morwong and a new combined bag limit of 20 for bream and tarwhine.

• Bag limit reductions from 2 to 1 for popular billfish species, including marlin.

Mr Macdonald said a number of changes would also be made to improve the management of fishing competitions, including developing a voluntary code of practice.” he said.

“About one million people enjoy recreational fishing each year in NSW.

“These changes are about working with the community to progressively improve fishing rules to ensure the future sustainability and viability of our valuable fisheries resources”

The changes will start on September 3, 2007. NSW DPI will undertake an extensive public advisory campaign over the coming months to promote the changes, including new fishing guides and updated signage around NSW waterways.

New Recreational fishing rules - additional background information

The major changes to saltwater fishing include –

• Introducing a new minimum legal length of 30cm for pearl perch.

• Increasing the minimum legal length for yellowtail kingfish from 60cm to 65cm.

• Increasing the minimum legal length for luderick (blackfish) from 25cm to 27cm.

• Introducing a minimum legal length of 60cm for dolphin fish (mahi-mahi). Additionally, only one fish may measure over 110cm.

• Introducing new combined bag limit of 20 for bream and tarwhine.

• A bag limit reduction from 20 to 10 will now apply to bonito, dolphin fish, octopus, rubberlip and jackass morwong.

• A bag limit reduction from 2 to 1 will now apply to highly prized billfish species, including sailfish and swordfish. A bag limit of 1 will also apply to each species of marlin. Reducing the bag limit will still allow for a trophy fish to be taken.

• A minimum legal length of 30cm will be introduced for blue groper. These fish mature as females between 24 and 34cm and change sex to males at about 60cm. The new size limit will protect females prior to maturity.

• The legal length for rubberlip morwong has been increased by 2cm to 30cm and the bag limit reduced to 10.

• The minimum legal length for red morwong will be increased from 25cm to 30cm. This aims to improve protection of small fish in shallow water.

• A combined bag limit of 5 will now apply to all shark and ray species, including only 1 tiger, mako, blue shark, hammerhead and whaler species. A zero bag limit will now apply to wobbegong sharks.

All i can say is WHAT A JOKE!!

I found it so hard to catch kingies at 65cm and of all the dollies i caught very few were over 60cm.

And for what reason known to man are they reducing occie bag limits? Theres no shortage of them and i know because im one of very few to specifically target them!

DAN

Dan

Here is why!!

http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreation...new_south_wales

Posted

Its not so bad,it might be a bit tougher this season to get a legal King ,as I agree alot last year were just over 60cm.But with an extra year to grow it will hopefully mean that the following season will be awesome.All the 60cm fish will maybe become 80cm fish.You have a year to workout in the gym to get ready for them :074: But seriously ,it is good that someone is thinking long term for a change in regards to fish management for future years.

Posted

I agree, this is a chance for kingfish to develop further. As fish become more abundant, you will find more bigger ones!

I am yet to catch a legal king, but I can't wait!

Posted

I would like to know how anyone can assume them figures are correct, how can they

calculate to any degree of accuracy how many fish rec anglers take home. Many anglers these days

practise catch and release, many years ago this was'nt the case. If they can accurately work out how many

fish, rec fishos keep, then they are able to find the 10% of fishos who catch 90% of the fish and ban them.

Sounds ridiculuos, but so do their figures sound to me.

My opinion only, so pls dont shoot me down for it.

penguin

Posted

the reduction for bonito is another i agree on

during summer at lilli pilli a boat pulled and kept over 30 bonitos in a weekend and did the same the following. how much fish do you god damn need?!

Posted

yep 1 and 1 makes 2 :074:

Nice to see that you are keeping in touch with your year 1 maths :tease::074::074:

the reduction for bonito is another i agree on

during summer at lilli pilli a boat pulled and kept over 30 bonitos in a weekend and did the same the following. how much fish do you god damn need?!

Well it really depends what they were going to do with them. I know that i'd rather keep 20 bonito instead of paying $50 for a box of 20kg pillies.

DAN

Posted

I would like to know how anyone can assume them figures are correct, how can they

calculate to any degree of accuracy how many fish rec anglers take home. Many anglers these days

practise catch and release, many years ago this was'nt the case. If they can accurately work out how many

fish, rec fishos keep, then they are able to find the 10% of fishos who catch 90% of the fish and ban them.

Sounds ridiculuos, but so do their figures sound to me.

My opinion only, so pls dont shoot me down for it.

penguin

Penguin

I will fill you in.

When scientists design an experiment (in this case observational) their design undergoes scrutiny by biometricians or statisticians. They don't just folow some "willy nilly" method. Before their findings or results are published their methodology and results are then reviewed by their peers (persons with a similar level of scientific knowledge and understanding). The people reviewing their work will usually come back with some questions about their methods, results, and conclusions. This process takes up to a year, in some cases longer, and if all goes well the article will get published in a recognised journal.

I suppose waht I am saying is that if "THEM" figures were a load of nonsense, people with a greater level of understanding of scientific investiagtion than you would have picked them up long ago.

Rest assured, these guys have the environment, biodiversity, and survival of certain species in mind. They are not just publishing a load of rubbish to piss of a whole bunch of fishos.

Davo

Posted

Agree with you Davo. We should be happy that fisheries are making attempts to protect our fishery for the future and not adopting a rape and pillage mentality. Reductions in bag limits are fine by me which allow us to persue our sport whilst still taking home the odd fish for the plate and not stocking the freezer for months. we should only be looking after our immediate needs. The size limits are put in place for very good reasons eg allow fish to mature and contribute to the next generation (by breeding) before being removed from the population. I am surprised that the size limit for kings is only being increased to 65cm and not 75cm as this is generally the size when they mature. We are currently experiencing a great kingfish revival and a success story - of which we should be aiming to protect further- I know I'd like to see Sydney join the ranks of NZ or Lord Howe for their monster kingfish. that said I do believe that the smaller fish taste better than the larger ones - perhaps we could keep one or two between 65-75cm and release all fish over 90-100cm. As some science suggest that larger fish contribute disproportionately to the population perhaps these bigger breeders should all be released!!

My 2 cents

Cheers

Andy

Posted (edited)

I reckon they should have reduced the bag limit on Kings instead. Five kings per angler per day is too many.

Edited by Ceph
Posted

these fisheries limits are reasonably responsible..... think of it this way.... if the greenies had their way we would get 25 -life for thinking about fishing.... Who keeps Red mowies or blackfish under 30 anyway?? pissant fillets....

i would've rather seen compulsory slot limits on flathead 40-70cm only... i see at least 5 80 cm plus models killed and left to rot in the sun on the bank till the offender returns to sydney( no offence raiders) to show off the flatty...fkn heros... either way, wobbegong limit is a joke, seeing as the pros can still chase em, and from my info, these shark pros are the one's who are fkn us all up with the grey nurse sharks...

The king limits will prove sensible in time, but they assume that people will obey these limits, CEPH is right 5 is too many... these fish have made a tremendous rebound after the fish traps were stopped, i just hope we can reap the gains we will see in the next few years..

I think the the majority of fishos have long outgrown the mentality that has made a 2kg tailor a good fish....

i like many others remember and have photos of my old man with station wagons full of tailor..... that is horrific to me, such as the idea that anyone would need 20 bream per person or 20 bream/tarwhine....especially good size ones...

anyway my opinion

flatty fanaticcc

Posted (edited)

Penguin

I suppose waht I am saying is that if "THEM" figures were a load of nonsense, people with a greater level of understanding of scientific investiagtion than you would have picked them up long ago.

Davo

:gun_bandana: Ouch,,,,,Thank you for that lovely paragraph.

penguin

Edited by penguin
Posted

I'm no scientist (wasn't even much of an electrician when i was on the tools) but IMO the powers that be seem to have got it rightish in the past on bag limits and sizes so I will trust them to get it right in the future.

When Duskies jumped up in size by about an inch there was all sorts of complaints around the traps. Now a couple of years down the track and Neptune keeps delivering bigger lizards in places like BB where before they were a speciallty that very few got hold of.

Trust them. If they didn't take an approach like they have we may all be whinning about the total lack of anything to catch.

Dave

Posted

I reckon they should have reduced the bag limit on Kings instead. Five kings per angler per day is too many.

Ceph the problem with that is the fact that most fishjos cant catch five in a day anyway, and the people who can catch five in a day are normally the people who target kings on a reguralr basis like yourself and cause you lov it so much you don't take home more then a few anyway....

I have never taken the bag limit home.......we normally fish with 3 people and i think once last year we took 9 and thats only becuase we didnt realise how many we had kept....

Im really impressed with these new changes.....can only do good for future generations....don't forget fellas....you can still catch the 60cm kings...just don't keep em...

As for dollies....well sh.it happens and i will have to live with it.....

Posted

Geez it's going to be tough to get a feed of kingfish from the harbour now.

90% of the kings we caught last summer were 55-64cm!!!!

I'll be lucky to take one home each outing now... 60 seemed like a good legal size. Why do we need to increase the size when they are in such large numbers now that the ban on pro fishing in the harbour is in place.

bloody Iemma

Posted

apparently when they first put a size limit on kings at 60cm they were just guessing, and over the last few years people have finished studies to properly figure out the size at which they breed. From what I read about this I was expecting the size to increase. 65cm is lower than what I expected it to become. If everyone abides by this, then there should be no reason why you wont catch just as many kingfish at a bigger size? Definately the jigging crew will be over the moon I imagine.

Posted

Exactly Sifisho...

I can't fathom why any rec fisho would be whinging about the size limit going up...

This is only going to improve the health of the population of one of our greatest inshore sportsfish , IMHO.

How good will it be in a few years when we'll have the chance to tangle with swarms of 80cm+ fish instead of the current swarms of sub 60cm rats...I know which I'd rather...

I'm all for it.

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