Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => News Views & Press Releases => Topic started by: Editor on October 02, 2013, 09:11:29 PM
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Fish responsibly to protect endangered species
01 Oct 2013 - NSW DPI
Some fishers in the New England region are still doing the wrong thing, despite a three month fishing closure that is in place to protect a popular and endangered species, the Eastern (Freshwater) cod, Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Compliance Director, Glenn Tritton, said today.
"Fisheries Officers stationed at Inverell have intercepted several fishers flaunting with the rules when it comes to fishing in the seasonal total fishing closure that applies to the Mann and Boyd Rivers in North East NSW," Mr Tritton said today.
"During the month of August, in separate incidents, three people were caught fishing on the Boyd River near Dalmorton.
"A man and a woman from Glen Innes and another man from Boambee, were each issued with $500 penalty notices for fishing in closed waters.
"In addition, the man and woman from Glen Innes were also each issued with $200 penalty notices for failing to pay the NSW recreational fishing fee.
"Two other men from Yamba in NSW and Palm Beach in Queensland were apprehended for being in possession of rigged fishing gear adjacent to the closed waters.
"Eastern (Freshwater) cod, similar to Murray cod and Trout cod, are extremely vulnerable during their breeding season, due to the high level of parental care that they invest into protecting their eggs and their offspring, and fishers are encouraged to do their bit to protect them during the closure period.
"As an endangered species, it is imperative that Eastern (Freshwater) cod be given every possible opportunity to breed successfully and uninterrupted to ensure the species’ survival."
Every year from August 1 to October 31, there is a total prohibition on all fishing using any fishing method in the waters of the Mann River and all of its tributaries (including the Boyd River) upstream of its junction with the Clarence River and the Nymboida River and all of its tributaries from its junction with the Mann River upstream to Platypus Flat.
The closure does not apply to notified trout waters which are regulated separately.
Once deposited in a ‘nest’, the Eastern (Freshwater) cod will guard its eggs against predators and they will attack anything that moves in close proximity to their nest and as a result they are very susceptible to any fishing activity which is why the total prohibition of fishing exists for the duration of their breeding season.
"Fisheries Officers will continue to enforce this and other fishing closures throughout the year, and anyone found in contravention of the rules will face heavy penalties," Mr Tritton said.
"In addition to the closed waters regulations, any fishers found to be targeting or in possession of Eastern (Freshwater) cod at any time or at any location, face penalty notices of $2,500 with maximum penalties of up to $220,000 and/or 2 years imprisonment or both upon prosecution.
"Fisheries NSW is calling on the public to help in the fight to stop illegal fishing in the State’s North East.
"Everyone is encouraged to report illegal or suspicious fishing activity to the Inverell Fisheries Office by contacting 0419 185 532 or by contacting the Fishers’ Watch Phone line on 1800 043 536 or reporting online (http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/compliance/report-illegal-activity)."
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Meanwhile in QLD.............................................. ...............
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Meanwhile in QLD.............................................. ...............
Banjos, banjos everywhere!
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Meanwhile in QLD.............................................. ...............
What would you propose for Queensland?
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What would you propose for Queensland?
A total ban on any fishing in the Mary at this time of year for a start.
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A total ban on any fishing in the Mary at this time of year for a start.
That would upset a lot of people in the downstream stretches.
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What would you propose for Queensland?
Total closure of the Mary catchment upstream of Six Mile Ck. junction and Tinana Ck. catchment upstream of Tallegalla Weir 1 August to 1 November with Baroon, Borumba and Macdonald exempt from the closure. And Bass and Golden Perch declared non indigenous natives downstream of the 3 impoundments and treated as such in them as they are.
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Wouldn't that close Lake Borumba?
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Good point Dale edited the post No Take in the 3 impoundments anyway for what that's worth.
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It would be a brave minister who tried to close off that much water for that amount of time, and stopped the people who paid for the fish in the lakes from taking the fish in the lakes. Remember the official meaning of the word "take". You can't buy fish with SIP funds and then tell the people they cannot target those fish.
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I can't find 6 mile creek, on Google Maps, is that near Tiaro as well?
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I can't find 6 mile creek, on Google Maps, is that near Tiaro as well?
6 mile creek joins the Mary just upstream of Gympie. Lake Macdonald is situated on 6 mile creek also.
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That would upset a lot of people in the downstream stretches.
Going to upset a lot more people ( not just anglers) if wild Mary River Cod populations diminish any further.
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It would be a brave minister who tried to close off that much water for that amount of time, and stopped the people who paid for the fish in the lakes from taking the fish in the lakes. Remember the official meaning of the word "take". You can't buy fish with SIP funds and then tell the people they cannot target those fish.
The river isn't stocked with fingerlings paid for under the SIP scheme. Yes it receives escapees after any spill which may of been acquired with SIP funds, but that doesn't give SIP holders any ownership of those escaping fish.
Bass in a SIP lake have a bag limit of 2. Mary River Cod in a SIP lake have a bag limit of 1, yet some in stocking groups get all anal about spending any SIP funds on Cod fingerlings. As long as that train of thought remains , what happens in the river has nothing to do with the SIP spend.
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You misread what I posted Dave. Steve asked for a No Take for Mary's in the lakes. Fisheries definition of take is target. It would be more than irresponsible of a stocking group to spend public money on a specie which is illegal to target. He's reworded the post now and deleted the no take statement.
I don't think you we're present when the motion was passed at SWFSA, if you want it changed, attend a meeting and move for it to be overturned. I don't think anyone in a stocking group gets anal about it. I disagreed with spending RFIP funds on Mary's for the Lockyer for the exact reason I posted, they would be totally protected and the money was for Recreational Fishing Improvement. Stocking groups need to be responsible with funds from the general public, and not just try to look after themselves.
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We're kicking a ball around inside a room. Fish restocking & recreational fishing ultimately are of little or no long term consequence regarding MRCs.
Until the reasons for MRCs decline are addressed, eg habitat removal, barriers, altered flows, thermal pollution etc Without these being addressed, we can stock MRCs until the cows come home and it will make little or no difference. Forcing restrictions on recreational anglers will ultimately make no difference either. So, IMHO & depending on the system, until these problems are fixed, we may as well stock them just for recreational fishing. As there has been a lot of money spent using recreational fishing enhancement funds to buy fingerlings in the past, why not let recreational anglers fish for them, even on a no take basis. Let's face it, lots already go fishing for MRCs, Easterns & Trout Cod, yet there are still fish there & the sky hasn't fallen down. At what point is enough MRCs restocked going to be enough? Do we keep pumping them in forever? To what end....??? At some point, in theory, if restocking is going to be the savior of the species, do we stop & let them continue on their own? I reckon if there is a point, we are pretty much there already, if they're going to make it they now will or they never will.
A recovery program of an endangered species should be let by, administered by & funded by the federal government. And always remember that fish restocking SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE LAST RESORT, yet here we are hard at it already.... We're really putting the cart before the horse by what we're doing. Fix the habitat, fix the flows, stop thermal pollution, get the livestock out of the beds & banks of waterways THEN we would probably find just a few cod would breed up on their own without the need of restocking. Isn't this where we should be focusing our efforts?
Don't get me wrong, I love our native fish & especially our true native bass (Cod) I'm not for one moment suggesting we don't do what we can. I'm about to hand over some coin to my local group (from Wivenhoe Convention) & ask if this can be spent on MRCs in the Bremer & Lockyer catchments. But by doing that aren't I/we just encouraging those bodies whose job it is to actually take a lead role in this, to do nothing at all & offer no further funding? That's what keeps sitting in the back of my mind......
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Small Proactive land holder on river and creek fronatge rewards ? In place of stocking fingerlings like you suggest encourage key areas assesd to be suitable for MRC breeding habbitat to be looked after in a way that looks after the cod ?
Just throwing it out there.... but do agree constant stocking wont save a species