Kings

[glenn]

now i will probably cop some flack for this but here goes .small kings grow in to big kings ! with out like sounding like an old fart i remember 20 years ago when the kings down at jervis bay used to be 6ft + and lots of them . so while we were not responsible for their down fall it would be nice to see them come back. by all means catch one for a feed .so lets try and be patient and let them grow .trust me it worth the wait .

[Josh88]

Definitely agree with that mate, but its not the recreational anglers doing the damage.

Would love to see more of those big ones around. We release whatever we don't need. Be good to see others doing the same.

[brickman]

i fully agree one legal fish gives about 8 good steaks thats a top feed

frozen fish is crap compared to fresh so only take what you will eat that night or the next day

gary

[cflife]

i fully agree one legal fish gives about 8 good steaks thats a top feed

frozen fish is crap compared to fresh so only take what you will eat that night or the next day

gary

Spot on 100%

[Dreamtime]

All it takes is common sense from all. That's why we have inspectors for the few people who wish to ignore the rules that the rest of the population abide by.

Like you, I remember some 30 years back at Circular Quay watching the "land based game fishermen" catching 10 to 15 cm bream. The guts and gill were removed and the rest was promptly put through a hand mincer then transferred to a Tupperware container.

At that age I was living on the Georges River and we would never think of keeping small fry like that - well before legal limits come into force.

Curiousity got the better of me and I asked why were they mincing these small fish. The angler replied "he was going to make fish cakes from them"

In hindsight, I guess they were trying to hide the small size of the fish as well.

After reading some of the recent posts here, one could conclude that those 10cm fish 30years ago would now be of the size of some of the thumper models that are presently being caught.

Thankfully, bag and size limits has reduced the amateur illegal catch factor.

Who the F##k is policing the destruction and annihilation of juvenile fish stocks by commercial "fishermen" throughout the region?

Answer that question!!!!!

That's my 2 bob!!

Edited July 14, 2008 by Mariner 31

[m3rush]

I completely agree.

I like nothing better than being rewarded with a tasty feed after a great session, but I only ever take what I can eat. I only ever keep one King, if I am lucky enough to get one. Occasionally I might keep a decent bag if I'm planning a big BBQ. No problems there. I don't usually keep Bream for 2 reasons. One, they are pretty slow growing. Two, I think there are plenty of tastier catches (like lizards). But hey, some people love Bream... Go nuts (within your legal limits of course). I think many punters think of them as rats of the water and that keeping a crap load of them won't make a sod of difference. It made me rethink it when I discovered how slow they really grow.

I would like to think that most recreational anglers would agree that it is hook-up and the fight that brings us back each time. The holiday punter finds it exciting to catch a fish, and that's great. For those of us who are more serious about it, the rewards of many hours planning before a trip and a lifetime of acquired knowledge gives us an incredibly satisfying feeling when we land a fish, especially the fish we want. The fish on the table is a great reward, but not what drives us to keep going back. Personally, I wouldn't object to tighter restrictions on recreational fishing although, I have the utmost respect for the anglers that responsibly stick within the legal limits, even if they reach the max. I have no respect for selfish bastards that ignore the relatively relaxed limits we currently have.

That being said, I think we all know that it is the commercial industry that does the real damage. The general public are largely unaware that some of the fish they buy from the fish markets are caught in methods that are far from sustainable - especially the slow growing, deep sea varieties. No need for me to get into that here.

On the other end of the scale, there are a few conservative extremists out there too. Those that are appalled by any angler keeping any catch for a feed it seems. These people give me the shits. I posted a video on youtube of me catching a nice 68cm Brown Trout:

The video shows the fight for a few minutes, my mate cleanly netting it, then gently placing him a few metres up the bank. I made no comment about keeping or killing the fish, but some bloke had the nerve to tell me the following:

"It's people like you who destroy fishing. Next time stay home so the fish can live cause it doesn't really matter how big it is if you treat it like that."

WTF?!?!?

All I can say is that there are two ends of the scale. All we can do is practice sustainable fishing. I err towards the conservative side because I would like to see the fisheries actually improve. Be responsible. Think twice about keeping that fish. Throw back what you can't eat. Throw back what you don't NEED. Don't pollute the waterways - this includes throwing trash and cigarette butts on the sidewalk, because you'd have to be stupid to not know where it will end up.

There's my 2 cents.