Management proposal - your thoughts
IN light of the recent conversations and changes to closures I would like to hear some of the fishing GUru's thoughts on this as a workable solution and the reasons behind it.
Firstly - and this is just my observations from two years so please throw in your comments - I seem to find that Dhuies are really easy to catch around the FUll moon, not sure on pinks as I am a pinky Leper. Given that our main objective is to protect stocks does it make sense to have a complete bottom fishing ban on all demersals 3 days either side of the FUll moon each month. This would cut 6 days fishing out per month, at a time when IMO dhuies are very vulnerable to being caught. This, in combination with changed bags limits should allow Dhuies to do their thing (spawn) without any interuptions and also wipes out the inevitable bycatch that those (fishing for KG's) are going to kill.
Your thoughts - am I way of the mark, don't know shite, need to fish more?
BQ544
Posts: 361
Date Joined: 22/10/06
Good Point on Moons
But if you use the fishing Almanac, the best fishing times are not just the "Full Moon", but also the "New Moon"....
The full moon is normally two days before and two days after....
The new moon is normally 3 days after....
This is in relation to feeding cycles not spawning as you refered to.
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
I know both moons
are the same in the almanac but I figure that closing off one each month might be manageable, both would just cause the same outcry that the first proposed ban got.
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
simpler ways
cut two weeks from each month off,
it would give two weeks fishing every month, with a third week every third or fourth month cycle.
This will cut out 24 weeks a year, plus another three in the snapper closure for the sound.
This is fair and reduces over all access for the year. Plus the weather will further reduce the access for many in smaller boats.
It' been done before and was successful in fisheries overseas.
I think the new-moon -full moon bans are harder to police, as many people are not up to date on the moon phases etc.
But if it was a ban on the first 7 days of the month and then again from 18th to 25th of each month, then it's easier to apply and police.
Simply, 1st to 7th would be no fishing days for bottom bouncing at all ~ V5 target fish. still allowing for shallow water fishing for other target species.
same would go for 18th to 25th of each month.
Whats you call on that instead???
cheers
Tony
Full-time piscatorial-idiot, in The Vines. "It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek poet.
Supporter of Meals on Reels
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Either or TH
For me I am just as happy to chase TUNA and YTK/sambos on a nice day as i only take what i can eat that night anyway(unless it won't release). So not bottom fishing would not upset me that much. Something has to change, and i think that at least everyone is in agreeance on that.
My biggest issue is the bycatch thing no matter what period it is. At least if it was "no bottom fishing" full stop it would stop big dhuies/baldies etc being left to float away.
My only thing with the moon is that it makes it harder to actually catch the fish in the first place. Probably there would be enough moon phases that fall under your dates that it may achieve the same thing anyway.
I think that if this was to be brought in then some leniency on bag limits should also apply. Probably 2 dhu per person then a mix of 3 to make a bag of 5. If someone wants to make there bag 5 pinkies well so be it as I think their reproduction far outstrips baldies and dhufish.
Rodrat
Posts: 1672
Date Joined: 13/01/07
Fishing
I think the lousy weather robs us enough of fishing days!
Being realistic how many times a month do you get out bottom bouncing during winter.
As for the pinkys, aquaculture!!!!!!!!!!
FISH FOR THE FUTURE
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
your thoughts
I know that my catch rates are better now than two years ago - but I also know why, more time on the water, better sounder, refined techniques, learning what to look for, knowing tides and weather better, better gear etc etc.
Have your catch rates dropped over the past 15 years, or have you just had to travel further, buy better sounders, bigger boats etc to catch the same numbers of fish.
Are we feeling pressure from a lot of people who believe they should be able to put in at hillaries, go to the three mile and knock over 2 20Kg + DHuies each time they go out or is technology our enemy both because of sounders and also sites like this, where people see the haves and have nots when it comes to fishing ability.
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Rodrat
In answer to that - whenever i can, but guys like Ryan and myself are probably not the norm as our jobs allow us to pick the weather. I am sure most monday - friday workers actually do park the boat up in WInter.
Rodrat
Posts: 1672
Date Joined: 13/01/07
True simon
I run my own business and usally get a sunday,monday off.
9 times out of 10 the weather for the sunday is shit and its hard to find people to go fishing on a monday, and like you said most people work mon-fri. I have been out 5 times since April!
FISH FOR THE FUTURE
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Yeah mate - I am generally
Yeah mate - I am generally limited to tues and Wednesday but luckily my main deckie is the same so we are always pretty right each week if the weather comes good. Having said that if I still had my old boat I reckon I might have been out once in the last 2 months, bigger, drier boat certainly opens up the possibilities.
NOHA
Posts: 914
Date Joined: 24/06/07
I believe min sizes is the
I believe min sizes is the key. more fish to school and produce eggs over a wider area with a greater chance of survival than fewer big fish spawning in less area. The fickle nature of current and weather may cause all the eggs laid by that one 20kg dhiue to be lost but ten 50 cm dhuies over a greater area may have a higher success rate
min sizes...bump up
dhiues to 60cm but only 1 over 90cm
snapper to 50cm but only 1 over 70cm
baldies to 50cm
breaksea to 35cm
red snapper to 40cm
red emp and nor westers should be bumped up to 50cm also
All boats that are 5 nautical miles from the coast and fishing must carry a release wieght. Same as flares and epirb, make it the law.
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No Orange Hats Allowed
V8 twin turbo diesel....Ohh what a feeling!
Twin turbo..V8 diesel..Ohh what a feeling!!
No Orange Hats Allowed
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Excuse my ignorance, but
Excuse my ignorance, but when do Dhuies become sexually mature. The only sort of program like this I really know about is the Flathead in SEQ and Barra in the NT. Both these are well known that killing big breeders is a prick act, and through education, and the fishing media both stocks are well recovered in most places.
Could we change the Dhuie take to ban the taking of female fish within a slot size. They are one species where male and female are very easy to identify and separate. We do it with crabs, why not dhuies. Combine that with a big arse release weight and you have about as good protection as big breeders are going to get except banning fishing altogether.
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
According to research, at
According to research, at around 30cm, about half of dhuies are sexually mature. Over 40cm pretty much all are. They're about 5 years old at that stage.
This also makes interesting reading and has breakdowns of catches over time and percentage share to recs and pros
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/FisheriesBriefs/Fisheries%20Brief%20No%201%20-%20Scalefish.pdf
I was partially looking forward to a ban just so I could get out more often chasing fish other than dhuies and other bottom fish (dont get me wrong, I still enjoy catching them, but a bit of variety is always good)
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Always interested in someone to go fishing with
TerryF
Posts: 489
Date Joined: 11/08/05
Dhufish Biological and other
Dhufish Biological and other information.
Proceedings of the Western Australian Dhufish Workshop 2004 http://www.recfishwest.org.au/DhufishWorkshopProceedings.pdf (4 years ago)
Page 24/25 of Prowest Nov/Dec 2001 http://www.wafic.com.au/pdf/prowestnovdec2001.pdf West Australian dhufish study has important implications for future management (SEVEN years ago)
Fisheries Fact sheet No 3 Dhufish http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/FactSheets/Fisheries%20Fact%20Sheet%203%20-%20Dhufish.pdf
Fisheries Brief No 1 West Coast Demersal Scalefish http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/FisheriesBriefs/Fisheries%20Brief%20No%201%20-%20Scalefish.pdf
Spatial scales of exploitation among populations of demersal scalefish: implications for management. Part 1 Stock status of the key indicator species for the demersal scalefish fishery in the West Coast http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/frr/frr163/frr163.pdf
TerryF
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Beavering away in the background.......
diji
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 31/03/07
Over 50% +
Dhuie's, baldies, Breaksea are no good for release in the depths that there caught,Dont kid yourself a release weight just gets them out of sight out of mind,ive released them in 100m and there good straight down,caught them in 40m and they have no chance of survival,vice a versa