I guess how fast u bring it up and the way u handle them would all go into the chance of them going back successfully.

Agree that there are issues with releasing demersals in water depth greater than 20m.....hence the promotion of the "release weight"....

But the mortality research conducted off Perth was lets say average....methodology had a few concerning holes

If you were caught, dehooked, (probably measured, weighed and tag) then released into a tiny tiny cage and left for a few days you would probably turn your toes up as well....

fish will suffer baratrauma in shallow water too.....if you use inappropiate gear, go too hard on the fish and rip em up too quick 

Glad to see you are reading up mate.....it is a scary thought -lossing our Dhufish....

Get a release weight and make sure the little ones go back down.....

dont know where you got the info harro but your spot on w the figures m8, just happens i was chatting to another deckie up in barri bout this same subject. I dont wetline anymore cos of the size of the dhuis getting ikid! and when i see a large fish 15kg+ held up like a trophy i feel pretty bloody sad! When all the dhuis are gone down the metro area i hope people dont go blaming the pros cos the recos have done just as much damage! As for the mortality rates, People seriously need to be educated on how to pull up a fish, not just scull drag the thing up on 50pnd or 100pnd line and not give a fig! Suppose you might as well throw the comment of fish for the future away when some people dont and wont bother getting educated on the finer points of fish survival. Thankgod up in barri we have our spots for going and getting dhuis and at some stage ill have some footage of a spot where ill be tagging and releasing a heap of dhui off a lump, should annoy a few people but it has to be done!! onya for stepping up harro. tangles. FISH FOR THE FUTURE NOT THE FREEZER!!!!

"250-300 tons of dhufish for one boat", more like the whole state!

The correct Dhufish catch on the last count/survey was Commercial approx 200 tons versus recs tonage that came just under the 200 so both are putting on the pressure equally and thats from Kalbari to the Southwest.

With the wetliners being cut down from 1100 plus licenses to a max of approx 70 their take of dhufish will be so much less from now on i'd say. The recs to be cut down to one dhu if that happens will balance up the other side ie recs.

The release weight works well if you treat the fish right and wind up slow as mentioned. People i see on the water struggle to do this and obviously the % of survival just plumets.

JMO

* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference *

Owner/Operator "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682

it was like that 4 or 5 years ago and since stopping wetlining and realising i can get fish to eat anytime, i wont fish for the freezer m8. Its my choice i suppose i think its good disipline to do so. I understand that there is stuff all left down there but up here i will farm the spots i have and wont fish them out. If i get too much fish like the fishing comp this weekend i go round town and drop fish off to crew that cant or dont get out to catch fish cos i dont need that much! The days of stocking up your freezer are gone and you have to start looking after your stocks or slowly but surely they will disappear.  ive just got wiser the older ive got and being in the commercial fishing industry i have had to or ill turn into a redneck rapist of the ocean like some commo fishermen have become! tangles
FISH FOR THE FUTURE NOT THE FREEZER!

onya tangles

Wal

ps its how most of them are tangles, its just another propaganda rip off, a few bad eggs spoil it for everyone else, let them catch a feed i say, and tell RFW so. a feed coming off a com quota, and the problem is, not a win in RFW eyes

your beloved south west dhufish are going to get belted this weekend .

we can only hope

 wondering how you went bill?did u belt them lol

*** Go Hard Go Deep ***