mgj Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) I note the recent post about poor fishing in Pittwater; Broken Bay .This has also been topical on other websites.In the last few weeks the pros have been legally netting Broken Bay,and hammering the place.Before this,there were plenty of kings,now good recreational fishermen have not turned a reel in Pittwater/Broken bay ,after the netting.Also the Minister has allowed netting of salmon to recommence,and all of us are worried about the consequences,ie you will not see those salmon schools in Broken Bay for much longer.Now that these local fish have recovered they want to decimate them again, as was done with the bad old days of the Eden catfood cannery.Those native salmon provide food for sharks;dolphins;and big kingies.The local State Member appears sympathetic and has been lobbied to arrange a buy out of pro licences. The State Minister has also been emailed about the above,and informed about the healthy state of Sydney Harbour since the pros were stopped.And that a healthy, mainly catch and release fishery is much better for the environment;and the State's coffers,(from tax on boats;gear etc) than slaughtering these fish.and wiping out these healthy populations. I would suggest concerned recreational fishermen and women should do the same and email these politicians.The Minister is Katrina Hodgkinson,and the Member is Rob Stokes. Mark Edited January 9, 2012 by mgj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen801 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Totally agree and until the pros are banned i wont bother fishing Pittwater or HR. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryboy Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I can 100% attest to the fact that Pittwater is as dead as a doornail when it comes to fishing lately. Unfortunately, I recommended a Pittwater fishing charter to some overseas mates recently and they shelled out good money for a day on Pittwater where the sole catch was a couple of Tailor and a Bonito. Should have sent them to the harbour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 +1. Lower hawkesbury banned till further notice. nice place, no fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasksta Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 This really is sad news. I learnt to fish in the hawkesbury and have had many successful years catching almost every species. I guess not for much longer if this continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasksta Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 This really is sad news. I learnt to fish in the hawkesbury and have had many successful years catching almost every species. I guess not for much longer if this continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKW Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 FWIW I ran into a Fisheries officer at the Bayview ramp a little while back. He was collecting catch data (type, quantity, size, capture location etc), he mentioned that overall recreational catches in the Hawkesbury were poor, particularly jewies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windredj Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 i must say i was out on pittwater hawksbury today and saw about 4 or 5 boats dragging nets simultaneously right through the whole place, is sad to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 i must say i was out on pittwater hawksbury today and saw about 4 or 5 boats dragging nets simultaneously right through the whole place, is sad to see they do that 5 days a week all year, and have done so for years. the only difference is you saw them this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cptkrks Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Total agree the pros should be bought out, my recent visits to the system have been very dissapointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzlar Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 well said get rid of the pros & watch the place go off, fish that is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieweekender Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Sadly I have to agree with you all. It has been very quiet lately. I also learnt to fish there as a boy. Nearly all my catches have been catch and release so it is disappointing that if things stay the same my 2 year old son will miss out on fishing what used to be a great place to fish. Out of curiosity how far up the river are the netters allowed. I have seen netters fishing the corner of milson island up near bar point. I used to think this area didn't get much attention. Clearly I was wrong. Edited January 9, 2012 by Aussieweekender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinfisher 4.9 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I am pleased to see this post and can only agree. I have been fishing that area for over 25 years and have watched it deteriorate to where it is today. The email addresses to voice your concerns are: office@hodgkinson.minister.nsw.gov.au and pittwater@parliament.nsw.gov.au Please add your support - we can make a difference if our voices are loud enough. Thanks in advance for your help with this. Cheers, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Gear Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Email sent!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvbigfish Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 my email sent i just got back also today and seen 4 trawleys dragging in front of patonga cheers paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StessL72 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Well i havent fished the hawksbury river since 1998 when i was anchered off flint and stell in that bay to the right when facing east, i was rudley awoken by this dirty of trawler wich was raping the bottom approxamatly 50 meters away from our boat and continued to work around us as i wasnt moving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgj Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the positive response.There has been a wealth of protest about this,and I get the feeling that there is a positive political air of change regarding this problem.Let's hope the pros are bought out,and The 'Pitt becomes as good a fishery as Sydney Harbour is now,after the pros have gone. Mark StessL72, Your observation of that trawler is pertinent.When they trawl like that,they take everything-including the baitfish.No baitfish,no food for kingies;snapper-and they take those too.Result no fishery.In Sydney Harbour since its recovery- plenty of baitfish,plenty of bigger predators,healthy mainly catch & release fishery. Edited January 10, 2012 by mgj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Well i havent fished the hawksbury river since 1998 when i was anchered off flint and stell in that bay to the right when facing east, i was rudley awoken by this dirty of trawler wich was raping the bottom approxamatly 50 meters away from our boat and continued to work around us as i wasnt moving! They can come right up to you and go past you gunwhale to gunwhale if the skipper thinks it's safe. Did you not know that they have the right of way in a known hawling ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parto Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Agree with the above comments.. Was out at west head today collecting lives and a pro boat came right through it and down to flint and steel with his nets collecting everything in it's way.. Didn't spot a fish till we got outside of barrenjoey. Very sad It's a joke to see this happen these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) I noticed yesterday that Barry O'Farrell said, "Evidence should be basis of policy not the Bob Carr-style approach, which was whenever there was something that happened there would be another piece of legislation," (source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-10/27no-evidence27-nsw-crime-policies-slammed/3765778) Considering the amazing rebound of Sydney Harbour and Tuross Lakes since the removal of commercial fishing (whilst still allowing recreational fishermen) there would be a strong case to push to get rid of these unsustainable practices from Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury. The money to buy back the licenses is supposedly part of the fishing license fee I think. This also make me look sideways at a marine park or two that have no evidence behind them. If you want to hit up your local member or the Minister for Primary Industries, NSW (Katrina Hodgkinson), have a quick google for "effective lobbying" or similar. Excuse the blurb, I haven't slept... Edited January 10, 2012 by Richie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginko Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Sent today to: burrinjuck@parliament.nsw.gov.au Katrina, It has recently come to my attention that there is a proposal before government has recently extended the professional fishermen’s rights in Pittwater and Broken Bay to include netting of native salmon. May I register my strong objection to the previously existing rights of professional fishermen and any extension thereof. As an avid recreational fisherman, I frequently observe the methods and the catches of the “pros” – they haul numbers of large and small fish alike in an unsustainable manner with over-frequent deployment of nets and traps. The frequency of the netting and the number of “pro’s” deplete existing stocks and compound the damage by harming the underwater environment upon which future stocks will rely. The rate of fish catches in the area is markedly below the levels of comparable waterways, and the recreational fishing industry (likely worth far more than the professional industry) is essentially destroyed in the area. The great concern is not limited to Pittwater and Broken Bay: the damage to the entire Cowan Creek and Hawkesbury system. These areas are a unique drawcard of Sydney: no other city in the world boasts such pristine and potentially plentiful wilderness. Sea eagles, penguins, sea turtles, seals, and tens if not hundreds of species of fish ought to be thriving in an environment that is under siege on your watch. It is your responsibility to protect this unique environment from the interests of but a few constituents who are putting their individual interests ahead of the rest of society. Please ensure that there is an immediate removal of the salmon rights, and that the proposed re-purchases of professional fishermen’s licenses proceeds as quickly as the funding from recreational fishing licenses allows. Regards, Bill Butler .cc Fishraider recreational fishing forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kooks Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Message sent too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcooper21003 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I saw this on ABC the other night. Very interesting.. http://endoftheline.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadavu Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Why don't the greens actually do something productive and try and stop this problem. Surely they must see the damage trawlers & longliners etc are causing and should be working harder to address it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddaniel Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) im not a big fan of commercial fishers,but you have to remember it wasnt them that decimated fish stocks, they playd a part in it, more so it was the introduction of the deep freeze, freezers are fishes worst enemy. since the stop of commercial fishing in the basin 5 or more yrs ago it has turned into an amazing little fishery, in saying that rec fishers are keeping bag limit catches of fish because they can, what we dont eat now we'll leave in the freezer for later, most cases later never comes.im all for a buy out scheme but think just because fish are their doesnt mean we have to rape and pillage a school of fish when their on the bite, because the thought pattern is next time i come out it may not be like this so i better take as much as i can now!!!! what im getting at is just because we can take, dosnt mean we should. we have to wise up. Edited January 15, 2012 by ddaniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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