What's With All The Washed-up Dead Leatherjackets?

[jamesds]

Went to wet the line down at 40 baskets for an hour or so and then a bit further south on the rocks. Caught nothing, but there were quite a lot of dead leatherjackets about (a dozen or so), washed up.

Is that some kind of natural phenomenon? If so what is it? Should we be concerned?

I've not been fishing very long, so pardon my ignorance!

[braddles]

Went to wet the line down at 40 baskets for an hour or so and then a bit further south on the rocks. Caught nothing, but there were quite a lot of dead leatherjackets about (a dozen or so), washed up.

Is that some kind of natural phenomenon? If so what is it? Should we be concerned?

I've not been fishing very long, so pardon my ignorance!

theres been quite a lot of reports on dead leatherjackets... i suspect trauler didnt want them..

Brad

[Robbielites]

Confirmed as trawler "By catch"

[jamesds]

Cheers guys. Every day I learn a little more

[Dougz77]

Even though they can be pesky when you are fishin for other species and dont have a whole lot of fillet they are still a tasty fish non the less.

Stay safe

Dougs77

[taloyoak]

I saw heaps today at Mona Vale washed up on the beach - chinamen LJ's

[Graham]

Sounds like an infectious disease. There have been reports of this previously.

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfact...filicreport.pdf

[Andy Loops]

reckon its from trawlers - when coming back from port stephens last time we passed a couple trawlers sorting their catch - a slick of twitching leatherjackets and puffer fish for a good 500m or so left behind each boat.

We scooped afew up and used them as bait...

[Bawley]

reckon its from trawlers - when coming back from port stephens last time we passed a couple trawlers sorting their catch - a slick of twitching leatherjackets and puffer fish for a good 500m or so left behind each boat.

We scooped afew up and used them as bait...

A FEW OF THE GAME FISHERMEN OUTWIDE HAVE COME ACROSS TUMULTUOUS BLANKETS OF DEAD JACKETS.... APPARENTLY DUE TO THEIR BURGEONING NUMBERS .. THEY HAVE SIMPLY RUN OUT OF FOOD... SEEMS TO BE THE COMMON LINE OF THINKING..

[jamesds]

Sounds like an infectious disease. There have been reports of this previously.

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfact...filicreport.pdf

I had a read of that PDF - I didn't observe any of the lesions on the skin or red marks on the lips - in fact the fish looked quite healthy. Hopefully that means we can rule that out!

[Keflapod]

I had a read of that PDF - I didn't observe any of the lesions on the skin or red marks on the lips - in fact the fish looked quite healthy. Hopefully that means we can rule that out!

Seems to me the PDF is talking about a species called Threadfin leatherjackets, not the chinaman jackets as we know them. It states they are a tropical species swept down away from their normal habitat into our areas. I imagine the jackets that were found were chinamen and that the observations made by the fishos downcurrent (or downwind) from the trawlers must have got it right.

Price for jackets on the fishmarkets floor is very low, even if the pro fishermen clean them first - which is something they never like doing.....

[Robbielites]

It is definitely by catch, a friend saw them being dumped..

[tide'n'knots]

It is definitely by catch, a friend saw them being dumped..

and the polys want to make marine parks and keep us from our favorite spots along the coast!!

I dont recall ever hearing about recreational fishermen mass killing fish and leaving them for dead.

The average recreational fisherman couldnt do that much damage in a lifetime! what a disgrace!

[kingchaser]

lots of little jackets washed up on Avalon beach, on wednesday night too...

[mrmoshe]

I've just spoken to NSW Fisheries and they say they

are aware of the reports along the coast.

They have a team in Port Stephens now and samples are being taken.

I'm waiting on a call back from their scientist up there on what she

knows about the incident.

Keep you posted.

Cheers,

Pete.

[CR@ZY OS@M@]

i was speaking to a guy that i know fishes the harbour regularly and as he was squidding i thought i would ask him whats with all these leatheries lying around dead ,he told me that he saw a trawler from a far dumping them and has reported it,they are investigating it

[zrealist]

thats a bit of a shame.

[mrmoshe]

NSW Fisheries have investigated the fish kill and have

concluded it is by-catch from trawlers.

Here is an email I just received from Fisheries.:

G'day Peter

As discussed, here is the information from the DPI Aquatic Biosecurity Unit:

1. NSW DPI has spoken to the caller to the DECC pollution line who reported Cabbage Tree matter & has confirmed discard of by-catch from commercial vessel in the vicinity of Chowder Bay

2. NSW DPI Fisheries Officers are talking to commercial fishers re discard of bycatch

NSW DPI has received a number of reports of leather jacket kills in the past 6-8 weeks. While investigating the Oct leather jacket kill in Newc NSW DPI officers were advised by a commercial fisher in the Newc area that commercial fishers are currently catching very large catches of leatherjackets & that the price achieved for the smaller fish is such that the worth of processing & getting them to market is questionable.

Therefore in light of all the above Aq Biosec has advised DECC that processing samples from Manly for ecotox is not required. Further EMAI will conduct gross pathology (& limited histo if considered required by pathologists) on the samples at EMAI.

On the basis of currently available info I consider all recent leather jacket kills to result from discarded by catch. I do not believe this is a disease event.

Regards, xxxxx

Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx

Fisheries Liaison Officer

NSW Department of Primary Industries

[smokinjoe]

Was actually only talking to a pro about this 2 wks ago. Yes they maybe bycatch, obvious if observed being done from a trawler, but as mentioned the value at market makes them not worth the effort. With alot of the commercial buyout they are not trapped anymore so obviously they will plague, but as was mentioned as well once their food source is exhausted they die off probably within the next 2 years lol.

[SAfisho]

A few things:

-It was a trawler, the vessel was dumping bycatch and fish that were too small overboard after being netted. Almost everything was dead. One person out there said you could follow the trail of dead fish.

-It wasn't just LJ's, you could see baby morwong, whiting and other species amongst them.

-This is the kind of stuff that the greenies are feeding on to support their Marine Park. I am disgusted by this act, both because it helps the greenies and it's a disgraceful slaughter of our fish stocks. This will rub off on both commercial and recreational fishing, putting them both in a bad light (although only one deserves it).

Edited December 5, 2008 by SAfisho

[sanger]

On the basis of currently available info I consider all recent leather jacket kills to result from discarded by catch. I do not believe this is a disease event.

Regards, xxxxx

Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx

Fisheries Liaison Officer

NSW Department of Primary Industries[/b]

Geese pete you are on realy good terms with your fisheries officers aren't you. My girlfriend only gives me maybe one or 2 x's at the end of each message not the 20 something you get!!!

[mrmoshe]

Geese pete you are on realy good terms with your fisheries officers aren't you. My girlfriend only gives me maybe one or 2 x's at the end of each message not the 20 something you get!!!

[tuna1]

Totaly agree I hope one day fisheries wake up and ban commercial fishing all together they are so destructive of our fish stocks look what they did with the kingfish and the tuna they take far more than what can reproduce fish farms are the only way to sustain our need for fish and leave the sea alone.

[flatty hunter626]

but as was mentioned as well once their food source is exhausted they die off probably within the next 2 years lol.

that aint really a good thing those bastards will eat ANYTHING so if they die out of starvation then the oceans must be in extremely poor condition.

[Mick]

I would imagine as previously stated it is trawler by catch, the same thing happned a few months back and long lines of leatheries were seen behind trawlers. I doubt that they would all run out of food at the same time and all miraculously turn belly up, at just the same moment. They are fish, when they run out of food they move on. But they dont move very far in a net, except straight up.