NEWSCAST - Recreational Fisheries News October 2024

[mrsswordfisherman]

NEWSCAST an information bulletin for recreational fishers   October 2024

 

Gone Fishing Day Reminder - Sunday 13th of October Gone Fishing Day is back in 2024! Make sure you mark Sunday 13th of October in your calendar!   It doesn't matter if you haven't fished before or if you're the keenest of anglers, Gone Fishing Day is for everyone. Once again DPIRD will be running a host of major events around NSW to celebrate our love of fishing and encourage everyone to get out on the water.  Each event will have free fishing sessions, experts to provide fishing advice, casting competitions, as well as some free fishing giveaways. You can also pick up fishing guides and other advisory information.   These free fishing events will take place from 9am to 2pm at the following locations; 🔹 Nambucca Heads - Gordon Park 🔹 Taree - Queen Elizabeth park 🔹 Lake Keepit 🔹 Narrabeen - Lakeside Park 🔹 Merimbula - Spencer Park 🔹 Wagga Wagga - Apex Park 🔹 Jindabyne - Gaden Trout Hatchery (10am - 3pm) Bookings for the Narrabeen Gone Fishing Day are essential. To secure your free ticket, register via Eventbrite.com here. The Jindabyne event will also be extra special and feature an Open Day and Gone Fishing Day event at the Gaden Trout Hatchery - see below for more information.  In addition, more than 110 fishing clubs, organisations and community groups will also be joining in the fun by running their own Gone Fishing events and activities in their local area using grants and fishing packages provided using funds from the Recreational Fishing Trust.  Activities on Gone Fishing day NSW are proudly supported by NSW DPIRD using funds from the Recreational Fishing Trusts. This is all part of 'Fish for life - Building a healthy fishing future'.  For more info on Gone Fishing Day, please visit here.

 

 

 

Family Fun At Gaden Trout Hatchery Open Day! Join us at Gaden Trout Hatchery, located on the Thredbo River about 10km north-west of Jindabyne, for a special Open Day this Gone Fishing Day on Sunday 13 October.  Gaden Trout Hatchery is one of Australia’s main centres for breeding and stocking cold water sportfish including rainbow, brown, brook and tiger trout and Atlantic salmon. After more than a year of closure to complete multi-million dollar renovations and upgrades, the hatchery is now ready to welcome the public back with a major event celebrating our iconic trout fishery!   Explore the Gaden Trout Hatchery with guided tours and enjoy free events like fishing workshops, fly-fishing classes, and feeding the massive trout and salmon. Watch a short film about the NSW trout fishery in our new theatrette and check out historical displays in the tourist centre. Plus, enjoy market stalls, food trucks, and a BBQ by the Jindabyne CWA and more! The Snowy Monaro boasts some of the best trout waters in Australia. Spectacularly located on the banks of the Thredbo River, the Gaden Trout Hatchery supports the local fishery and also stocks trout across other key NSW trout waters, including the Central West and Tablelands.    More than three million trout and salmon are produced and stocked by NSW Government hatcheries each year. Careful management and controls ensure our trout fishery remains sustainable while delivering important socio-economic benefits. The Gaden Trout Hatchery is also well known for its research including tagging and monitoring programs as well as guided tours and kids fishing days.   Bookings for the Gaden Open Day/Gone Fishing Day are essential. To secure your free ticket, register via Eventbrite.com here. Activities on Gone Fishing Day in NSW are proudly supported by the Government using funds from the Recreational Fishing Trusts.

 

 

 

 

Keep It Clean - Our Waterways And Our Reputation Are you passionate about keeping your local waterway clean and healthy? Why not join a local ‘clean up’ event, grab a bag, have some fun and make a difference! As a part of the DPIRD Keep It Clean initiative, Ozfish are running the following clean up days across the coast from next month. 🔹 Hastings River - McInherney Park, Port Macquarie - 28 September 2024; 🔹 Manning River - Queen Elizabeth Park, River St, Taree - 13 October 2024; 🔹 Richmond River - Wardell Wharf and Reserve, Sinclair St, Wardell - 13 October 2024 To join in on the fun, or for more information on these events, register here - Keep It Clean | OzFish Unlimited By taking part, you're not only lending a helping hand in cleaning up the environment, you are also contributing to building the social fabric of your community and recreational fishing. Fish for Life - Keep it Clean is a partnership project between OzFish Unlimited and DPIRD. It is made possible using funding from the Recreational Fishing Trusts and the Marine Estate Management Strategy.

 

 

 

Estuary Fishing Charters: Fun And Learning For Families This Spring Spring is here and, local estuary fishing charters are offering an ideal family adventure this spring school holidays. Led by experienced operators, these trips provide everything you need for a fun-filled day on the water, while learning the basics of fishing. Families will not only enjoy the experience but also receive expert guidance and supplied gear. It’s the perfect opportunity for both kids and adults to connect while exploring the natural beauty of the estuary. To find your next outdoor escape head to our Go Charter Fishing interactive map to find your preferred operator for a family outing you won’t forget!

 

 

 

Always Respect Your Catch Whether it is your favourite species or a "nuisance" scavenger species that you try to avoid, all fish you interact with should be treated with respect. This means swiftly and carefully releasing those fish that aren't needed for the table, or humanely dispatching those that are, using best practice. Undersized, undesirable species or fish you don't need to keep are important to the ecosystem and fishers are reminded to treat them ethically and with respect when out on the water. Remember any poor practices of this type also reflect badly on the social licence of recreational fishing so always RESPECT YOUR CATCH. For more information on responsible fishing visit NSW DPI Fisheries website - https://bit.ly/3T7isJ0

 

 

 

Tagged Striped Marlin Heads Towards The Coral Sea  The satellite tag attached to a Striped Marlin caught by Brian Schofield and the Shockwave crew whilst fishing off Bermagui on 3 March 24 has detached from the fish and is now transmitting its data back to us via satellite. The fish ended up way north of NSW, and a long way offshore - at a location approx. 1000 km east of Fraser Island when the tag released! Movement modelling showed the fish moved quickly from Bermagui up towards Newcastle tracking in and out of the continental slope and then back into the shelf area before moving offshore by the end of March. In April the Striped Marlin moved south of the Taupo Bank and continued to track east steadily crossing the Lord Howe Seamount Chain and kept moving NE towards Norfolk Island. From there, the marlin headed NW at the end of May and into early June with the tag popping off around 250 km west of the Lord Howe Seamount Chain, approximately 1000 km east of Fraser Island. It is likely that the mature fish had left its summertime feeding grounds of NSW waters and was heading towards the Coral Sea, which is a recognised wintertime spawning area for Striped Marlin. The depth profile is consistent with that of other recently tagged Striped Marlin, in that the fish displays yo-yo oscillations, where the fish regularly moves between the surface and deeper water, multiple times per day. The deepest dive this fish recorded was well over 450 m deep! Despite the deep dives mentioned above, the fish still spent over 70% of its time less than 10m below the surface in water temperatures between 22 and 26°C. A big thanks to Brian Schofield and the Shockwave crew for successfully tagging the fish and playing an important role in the research! More info on the aim of the project is given on our website here. NSW Fisheries is undertaking this project in collaboration with the Australian National Sportfishing Association (NSW) and NSW Game Fishing Association.

 

 

 

Ferry Wharf Fishers Doing The Right Thing  Our Education Officer Alex and Fishcare Volunteers have been out and about, educating fishers to fish responsibly while using the Sydney Harbour ferry wharves. Our team were lucky enough to meet young Titus, who was fishing very responsibly with his friends on one of the many ferry wharves around Sydney Harbour. This group of teenagers ensured they left no mess behind and were being very mindful of not obstructing ferry commuters. The young fishers received some free lures for their outstanding effort! Titus went on to hook up a Kingfish with his free lure much to the delight of his friends as well as some ferry commuters. After a quick photo, the fish was released carefully back into the water. A big thank you to fishers like Titus and his friends who use these iconic locations in a respectful manner!

 

 

 

NSW Fisheries Rules For Marine Invertebrates: A Simple Guide The weather is warming up, and if you're planning a day out by the beautiful waters of NSW, whether it's rock fishing, spearfishing, or collecting marine invertebrates, understanding fishing rules and regulations is crucial.   Rock platforms along the NSW coast are rich in marine life but also vulnerable to human activity. Many marine invertebrates, such as shellfish, crabs, and sea urchins, are fascinating creatures that play essential roles in ocean ecosystems. NSW DPIRD has important rules and regulations you need to know before engaging in any collecting activities to help protect our delicate marine environments and ensure that future generations can enjoy them too.   To safeguard these species and their habitats, NSW has specific rules. Broadly these are: Licencing: Adults in NSW are required to pay the Recreational Fishing Fee before collecting marine invertebrates, unless exampt. Bag and Size Limits: To prevent overfishing and allow for reproduction, most invertebrates have restrictions on how many can be collect, and the specific minimum and/or maximum size they can be. Collecting Methods: While collecting invertebrates can be challenging, there are rules in place around how they may be taken. You can use your hands, gloves and a knife, but please leave the garden, kitchen and DIY tools at home, as these are not permitted. Bait and Consumption: Marine invertebrates including crabs and cunjevoi can be used as bait while fishing, however, there are further regulations around personal consumption and the shucking of invertebrates on rock platforms. Protected Areas: Some rock platforms are protected or have restricted access to preserve their natural state. These include Aquatic Reserves and Intertidal Protected Areas. In NSW, there are 12 Aquatic Reserves and 9 Intertidal Protected Areas. The fishing/collecting rules for each of these protected areas differs and should be consulted prior to engaging in any activity. Look for and follow any posted signs, check the DPIRD website or download the free FishSmart application.   Detecting illegal fishing and ensuring compliance on rock platforms is a major priority for DPIRD Fisheries Officers, particularly during the warmer months and holiday periods. In the 2023-2024 financial year, Fisheries Officers seized over 46,000 marine invertebrates relating to offences against the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and the Marine Estate Management Act 2014.   Fishing and collecting marine invertebrates in NSW can be a rewarding family experience, but it comes with responsibilities. By following these guidelines and staying informed about local regulations, you can enjoy your time in our beautiful marine environments while helping to conserve them into the future.   For the most current information, always refer to the NSW DPIRD website, the NSW FishSmart Application or contact NSW Fisheries on 1800 043 536.

 

 

 

The Secret Life of Fish (Ways) Imagine living somewhere with a large concrete wall blocking your path, no matter how hard you try to get to the other side. This is a reality of many fish in rivers, where weirs and dams create barriers, dividing their habitat into isolated sections except during high-flow periods. Fishways, or fish ladders, help fish bypass these obstacles. Our Reconnecting Fish Passage Team has released two short animations showing how fish navigate through two commonly used fishways - rock ramp fishways and vertical slot fishways. Both fishways allow fish to quickly move past barriers and access the upper reaches of rivers that were previously blocked to them. Vertical slot fishways are typically constructed on weir barriers up to 6 m high. Fish enter these through vertical slots and can navigate around the weir through a series of small pools spaced to enable them to easily swim through to the upper level of the weir. Rock ramp fishways consist of a V-shaped channel with baffles that pool and slow water flow, creating suitable conditions for fish to swim up the ramp. To see how fishways work please check out the following links below: Rock Ramp Fishways Animation Vertical Slot Fishways Animation You can also find out more about fishways by checking out the DPIRD Fisheries webpage. Reconnecting Fish Passage is a DPIRD Fisheries project funded via the Marine Estate Management Strategy.