Let’s protect fishing future

TIGER or king flathead should be high on fishers’ catch rates at this time of the year, however for some unknown reason, not many are showing up on our shores.

I did receive a whispered phone call the other day suggesting that commercial fishers were allegedly netting vast amounts east of Maria Island in Commonwealth waters, but I can’t confirm this at this stage. If it is the case, surely a resource such as this would be closely monitored and enough stock left to repopulate or enough left to satisfy a recreational market? Certainly food forthought.

I haven’t had many reports of tiger flathead from higher up on the East Coast which, again, is unusual nor along the northcoast.

I used to have a hole off Weymouth that always produced good flathead, so I must endeavour to get back out there.

While on the subject of netters, and I receive much correspondence about this, it’s surely about time that netting was banned in all estuaries in this state? Netter scan wipe out a whole school of fish, most of which enter estuaries and creeks to spawn, and yet our governments allow this to continue to happen.

A classic example used to be the massive runs of blue warehou or snotty trevally that entered the Tamar River each year, but for the past 10 years, hardly a snotty caught. Large schools of Australian salmon which provide great sport for recreational anglers up and down rivers are targeted by the commercial sectors who take dozens of tons of them each week, usually for fertiliser or cray bait.

I know of one operator who used to monitor social media and fishing writings to see where the schools were appea ring and then run nets right around them and removed the wholeschool.

It’s the same with squid; huge amounts are taken by commercial fishers under lights of a night, usually from hugetrawlers.

It’s about time our governments started to realise what a valuable commodity we have here in Tassie and make it available for more recreational fishers as this is a resource that would benefit the state more, much more than a small return from commercial operations.

A lot of correspondents suggest a buyback of commercial licences, something that has happened with great success in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, where commercial fishers now have to fish with rod and line. Surprisingly, the catch, namely snapper, have increased in size with bigger, better fish being presented, certainly value adding to that sector and making more fish available to all.

With licences, anglers paying for accommodation, fuel, accessories such as fishing gear, clothing, recreational fishing really is an untapped resource in this state. If more was done to promote what we have here (while it’s still here) anglers from throughout Australia would be lining up with boats to get here, hopefully on a fast cat!

I have said it before and will mention it again, our fish are just that, ours and are owned by the people of Tassie.

There source is managed by government, perhaps that’s something that needs looking at?