Caught out by lesions
Anglers report wounds on Holloways Beach fishes
FISHERMEN fear fish being caught off a Cairns beach with horrific skin wounds are showing symptoms of marine pollution.
Cairns Recreational Fishing Stake Holders (CAREFISH) co-ordinator Paul Aubin has received four reports from fishers who have caught sharks and barramundi with large skin lesions off Holloways Beach during the past month.
Mr Aubin took photos of a wounded blacktip shark about four weeks ago, reporting the issue to Fisheries Queensland.
“With the shark, it looks like it’s had some chunks taken out of its back,” he said. “Around its fins, it’s all red. “And around under its mouth, it’s all red. It looked suss.”
He feared the skin lesions were symptomatic of poor water quality or water pollution.
“It could be the same thing that happened in Gladstone (Harbour). A stress-related thing,” he said.
“But we don’t know what it could be. It could be something toxic, or it could even be a staph infection, something which is contagious to humans.”
A Fisheries Queensland spokeswoman said a post mortem and pathological tests would be required to diagnose the cause of the lesions on the fish.
“In this case, the shark in the photo was released alive by fishers and a sample could not be provided for testing,” she said.
She said incidents of sick fish or fish deaths should be reported to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection’s pollution hotline on 1300 130 372.