sanger Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) Hey guys, seeing as though i have only been fishing lots for about the last 2 years i wasn't around when the Kingfish traps were around decimating the kingfish stocks so I am unsure as to exactly what they are. A few times when we have been out to 12 mile and the peak etc we have come across floating fish traps (least i think thats what they are) and was just wondering if these were different as id asume that seeing as though kingfish traps are illegal that no one would think that if they put them out at 12 mile and the peak that they wouldnt be found as on every given day there is at least a few people out there.... Someone please enlighten me!!!! Edited October 2, 2007 by fishlexic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warnie Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Fishlexic...... Dont be alarmed those floating bubbles you often come across at 12 mile etc........ these days are not!!!!!! floating kingfish trap's.... If memory serves me right floating kingfish traps were banned on 1st of april 1996 or there abouts.... they were submersed not far under the surface and the floating traps at around 3.6x3.6 sqr mtr and 1.2mtr depth they became a very efficent mean's of trapping kingfish..... so much so well the rest you know about..........other than bouy's attached to long lines over the shelf im told the high percent of trap's that you come across these days are targeting cray.....at what percentage i dont know....maybe some one on raider can enlighten us more........ Cheers Warnie..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Fishlexic...... Dont be alarmed those floating bubbles you often come across at 12 mile etc........ these days are not!!!!!! floating kingfish trap's.... If memory serves me right floating kingfish traps were banned on 1st of april 1996 or there abouts.... they were submersed not far under the surface and the floating traps at around 3.6x3.6 sqr mtr and 1.2mtr depth they became a very efficent mean's of trapping kingfish..... so much so well the rest you know about..........other than bouy's attached to long lines over the shelf im told the high percent of trap's that you come across these days are targeting cray.....at what percentage i dont know....maybe some one on raider can enlighten us more........ Cheers Warnie..... Thanks warnie, Ive done some searching on the net and cant find any pics of the kingfish traps, all i found was dud links to political minutes when discussing the kingie traps and the ocasional one word mention in an article so i was curious if thats what these where. Anyone else got some more info on the topic???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrat rat Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 HI Guys Help me out but can you still set traps for snapper? or is this illegal as well? but then why would you put a snapper trap on the surface? Have a nice day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 quote fishlexic Thanks warnie, Ive done some searching on the net and cant find any pics of the kingfish traps, all i found was dud links to political minutes when discussing the kingie traps and the ocasional one word mention in an article so i was curious if thats what these where. Anyone else got some more info on the topic???? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi fishlexic Kingfish traps were the same fish traps used by commercial fisherman on general species. They would leave them out at selected points weighted down and roped onto buoys and they would go back later and check them. They were the same type of home made fish traps used by overseas fishermen...nothing fancy just made like a large wire cage with a hatch or chicken wire or shade cloth over the top. For kingfish they would leave them out over reefs up to a depth of about twenty feet. There was an entrance point in the wire cage where the fish could enter but couldnt get back out......the modern day legal small baitfish traps are made on the same principle. The cages I knew of had panels that would assemble to a few metres in size. Hope this helps Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 One Kingy trap I saw years ago looked like a metal cage with shade cloth over the top side of it, and an entry door for the kings to swim into it. penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Thanks guys, The ones that i have seen out at the peak and 12mile are metal cages like you suggest with a foam bouy on each corner but with no shade cloth or anything over the top just the wire cage..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warnie Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 One Kingy trap I saw years ago looked like a metal cage with shade cloth over the top side of it, and an entry door for the kings to swim into it. penguin Oh yes !!!!!!!!!!......that does jog the memory a bit and the kingfish use to pack themselves so tightly in there that you could not physically get another fish in the trap........ Fishlexic...if i remember rightly back then the trap's were banned more so for a navigation hazard and for the fact if the trap was to break loose it had the potential to drift and self generate on becoming a floating tomb so to speak they called it (ghosting)....they did have time release latch mechanisims to release the gate to empty contents of the trap in this event but couldnt unconditionaly guarantee such and i think it was the combination of those two reasons that saw the end of that type of floating entrapment.........not for it's effectivness in catching kingfish as you would of thought.. Cheers Warnie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 I don't know about vessels colliding with submerged commercial fish traps or their buoys, or traps floating around unsecured, but the reason they were banned was that the kingfish numbers were starting to decline Kingfish were becoming decimated because of the number of traps that were being laid. Before the big increase in immigration to Australia, they were only part of the net bi-catch and sold at very cheap prices for pet food. They took up space on the boats for a low return, and at the good times for catching sought after species and a better return, the boats actually avoided kingfish like the plague. With the population changes and ethnic cooking styles, kingfish, because of the cheap price, began to impact on the market to such an extent that the resident colonies around places like Greenwell point and Culburra etc were almost wiped out... So the traps were banned and would you believe the price actually went up and continental kingfish cutlets were popular in restaurants at a higher price than the shark which was on special as fish of the day. I've never heard of a can of kingfish in tomato sauce or a kingfish kids sandwich pack either. Funny but Waldo my rottweiller would turn his nose up at prime quality Australian pet food of which kingfish was the main fish ingredient but Waldo would eat a can of proper canned food like herrings, sardines ot tuna and almost swallow the can and often cut his nose on the lid if he dragged one out of the garbage bin. Hope this helps also and kingfish bend a few rods around a bit and make a pretty good catfish bait and they taste ok when hidden in the ingredients of a fish cake as even the blowies stay away from them . jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warnie Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Jewgaffer for what ever the reason we all agree it was the best thing to ever happen yes........... all though it begs the question if the kingfish were so stupid to committ suicide that way........ why are they being so hard to catch in the harbour ?????? Cheers Warnie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 Thanks for all the input guys i think thats cleared a few things up for me.... either way they could be a good thing to do a few laps fround when looking for dollies!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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