Sustainable Fishing Practices from KFDU site.

[Member]

 have copied this in its entirity from the KFDU site. Leper (Brad) has given his permission to post his thread here.
The only thing that I do not agree with is giving away locations . Whilst this is justified for certain areas I am quite happy to share spots in put and take fisheries but that is a personal choice.
Mods if this contravenes sweetwater policy please delete.
 Cheers
Ray
Posting Trip Reports (Sustainable Fishing Practices)
by Leper » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:23 pm

Firstly a very big welcome to all new members.

This site is a wealth of information about kayaking and fishing in general with some very experienced and knowledgeable fishos and fishettes to provide advice on any range of topics. I was recently asked by a few members both old and new to write a post regarding some of the delicate topics that often become sore points between members of this forum. This post has been written in the hope that all new members have some insight into the sensitive issues of our chosen sport and avoid the possibility of potential disagreements. So here goes;

1. Try to avoid the use of lip grippers: When handling fish many species do not need to be handled with lip grippers, especially during catch and release(C&R) and especially on species like bass. There is the potential with their twisting and turning when caught that serious damage can occur to their mouth and jaw structure. Many of the bass fishos on this site have posted photos of bass with major jaw damage from previous poor handling. Fish such as bass can have the lure removed while in the net and easily handled with at thumb lock and belly lift

2. Try using an Environet: the old nylon mesh nets can also do some damage to the mucous coat and scales. Both these structures are designed to minimise the impact of disease. Minimising damage to this surface can only help maximise fish survival upon release. Environets are designed to minimise this damage and as a bonus do not hook up lures like nylon mesh nets.

3. Minimise exposing fish to the air: Fish cannot breathe above water (hopefully this isn’t a revelation  ) so minimise their exposure to it. If you want to take a happy snap keep them in the environet and in the water until you are ready. Take a photo and then release! Avoid posting 10 photos of your new PB as it can look like the fish has been mistreated rightly or wrongly!

4. Use a thumb lock on fish where possible and support weight under the belly: Avoid showing photos of fish like bass with a thumb lock and no belly lift. This can put too much pressure on the jaw and spine and may impact a fish’s survival upon release. Also avoid photos of dangling the fish vertically while holding it by the jaw especially when C&R fishing as this can do similar damage.

5. Avoid Posting Specific Locations (especially freshwater): posting specific location names can be a sore point. If fishing in estuaries and bays give a general location eg. Sydney Harbour, Wellington Point etc. General locations make it difficult for people who do not have sustainable recreational fishing practices in the best interest to lurk on the site and find where the fishing is good and “net” the area. With freshwater locations it’s best not to name the river/ creek unless it is exceptionally large with multiple locations. To be honest I would not name them at all.

6. When keeping fish, keep the average fish and release the big fish (breeders!): Scientific evidence suggest that in many species large fish have a higher reproductive potential than smaller fish. If chasing a feed try to keep average sized individuals, they often taste better anyway.

7. Avoid posting photos where you have “bagged out”: Limit your Kill don’t kill your limit: Try not to post reports where you have caught your legal bag limit of multiple species. Seeing photos of individual fisherman with 30 fish can be a sore point. Take what you need for a feed and not to prove how successful a fisherman you are. Most people will be more impressed with people posting trip reports where many fish were caught and a few taken home for a feed. Think of it this way, keeping 30 fish means you don’t need to go fishing for a long time. Catching a couple of fish and eating them the same day means you’ll have to head out again soon to get another feed and that can’t be bad.

8. Fishing barbless: Many C&R fisherman crush their barbs to minimise damage to fish they plan to release anyway. Fishing barbless is a scary thought for many who envisage that new PB coming off in the ensuing fight. However, if you read the posts of many of the fishos that fish barbless you will see that it doesn’t impede their ability to catch good numbers of fish and big ones too. The bonus here is that if you accidentally hook yourself it’s a simple case of removing the hook and not a potential trip to the doctors. 

There are many members on this site that are very passionate about sustainable recreational fishing practices that will hopefully keep the stocks of our favourite fish around for many years to come. They are thinking of what is best for our recreational species and hope to spread this message to other fishos so that the future of our sport is assured. This post is designed to hopefully pass on some of that philosophy onto other like- minded individuals. Feel free to take on all or none of this advice as it suites your own fishing philosophy!

So that said enjoy this fantastic sport or ours and I hope to hear about some of your yakking adventures soon. See you on the water! 

Cheers

BradBrad

Coleman Scanoe
Viking Tempo

Impoundment Bass: 50cm
Jungle Perch: 44cm
Mangrove Jack: 54cm
Flathead: 74cm
Bream: 34cm


Leper
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Posts: 627
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:41 pm
Location: Brisbane
Local Fishing Region: SE Queensland
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[Member]

This is a very good article and makes you think a bit more about fishing next time.

I make a habbit of crushing barbs on lures the same day as i buy them because i know i dont like getting locals for hooks too deep to pull out the old fashion way . The lip grip snippet made me think too as it was only in my last report i have a picture of a bass with lip grips ... reason being i couldnt get a hold of it with the hooks flying around but will try my hardest to not use them and just my enviro net.

It is a sad thing to know that people still net areas where they have heard fish being caught.

Thanks for the eye opener 

Steve

[Member]

Great reminder mate, it is going to take a lot to change the habits of some fishermen.

Must say I haven't seen any netting going on. Where the he'll does that happen ?

I don't have one of those Enviro nets. Mine has a very fine mesh similar to shade cloth.

Too fine to catch scales. Probably removes some of the protective slime. I would be interested to hear how that rates when it comes to being gentle on the fish.

Gordon