Skipper Meggs Amidships

Greetings all,

I know, I know, I know…. I’ve been very quiet of late and I apologise for the delay in updating my regular posts.

I’m sorry but with the presidential elections on in the US my life has been turned upside down with my potential candidacy, see;

 http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=379346&altf=Tljqqfs&altl=Nfhht

Anyway, today’s topic is in regard to releasing fish.

Rules and regulations concerning size and bag limits compel anglers to release fish upon capture.

Generally these limits are applied for a number of reasons but in the main the intent of all fishing regulations is to protect the individual species from extinction.

After researching individual species the authorities set size limits largely according to the stages of sexual maturity of the fish. The idea is to allow the fish to survive so that it can spawn at least once in its lifetime and make a contribution to its ongoing population.

Not that research is conclusive on when a particular species reaches sexual maturity and there many instances that have been cited where this may even vary by geographic location.

For example a Sailfish is said to be sexually mature at 23kg in Western Australia whilst on the East Coast it is reached at 30-35kg.

New research comes out on a regular basis that indicates some species mature later in life and that their legal size limits are actually smaller than when they reach sexual maturity.

In these cases the authorities tend to be rather slow to react and change the laws which is understandable as it would be mayhem in the fishing world if we were to have changes to the regulations every second day of the week.

It would appear though that some popular Northern Australian fish species such as the Fingermark and Mangrove Jack both have published legal size limits below that of which they attain sexual maturity.

For some fish species there are maximum legal size limits and the reason for this is that in a few species (for example the barramundi) larger members contribute more to the populations not only in terms of spawning volumes but also pass on survival traits to future generations.

Bag limits have been set up not only to conserve fish populations in certain areas but also to stem the illegal trade and selling of fish by amateurs. It also makes sense to set bag limits for fish that are relatively simple to catch (eg Black Jewfish) or that are severely depleted. Bag limits also ensure that the fish is accessible to a wide range of anglers.

Aside from the fishing rules and regulations there are also some other really good reasons why fish should be returned.

If you are in Northern Australian waters and have caught something that you can’t identify it is it may be wise to return it to the depths rather than run the risk of being poisoned or catching the dreaded ciguatera disease.
 
Regardless of fishing regulations you may also find yourself in a position where you have too many fish for your purposes and even though you are well within your bag limits you should consider releasing any more fish caught.

A good rule is to only keep those fish that you know you can cook at home fresh without the need to freeze them.

If you have little storage or ice to keep the fish fresh and cool during the day it makes no sense to keep a dieing fish that will only be hardened and ruined in the sun.

Some fish or sharks are on the endangered list and must be returned to the water immediately for example the Port Jackson shark.

There are also closed seasons for certain breeds (for example the coral trout) so that large aggregations of mature fish are able to survive through their spawning period.

In some areas across Australia, particularly in the Whitsundays, many marine parks and no fishing areas exist prohibiting anglers to even wet a line let alone extract fish form the water.

Perhaps the best reason to return fish to the water is so that the species will survive and prosper.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

Greetings once again!

I’ve had the opportunity to fish with a couple of local Sydney based fishing clubs that still operate a system where they catch and weigh their entire haul of fish to determine an allocation of points for the crew.

Ok, it may be true that the purpose of fishing is to catch fish and the bag weights of each individual is certainly a measure of the relative success of each angler.

However, it is also a case of keeping fish for the sake of a competition rather than releasing them to live and fight another day.

I’ve seen unwanted fish like sweep, leatherjackets and slimy mackerell kept for the sake of winning points on the weigh in and I think that this is a travesty.

What I believe that fishing clubs should consider is a system of point allocation that increases on the basis of legal size fish returned to the ocean rather than being kept by the angler.

This method would ensure that fish stocks aren’t unnecessarily depleted just to win a competition.

The fishing around the reef areas of Sydney and Wollongong are nowhere near their hey days and it is the likes of fishing clubs that should foster a mentality of catch and release rather than catch and kill.

I’d be happy to receive feedback on this post and continue the discussion.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

My apologies once more for the delay in getting this post to you.

Our crew had a sensational trip to Weipa and I’ll write more about that some other time.

We worked hard for our fish up there and it got me to thinking that even this area may be prone to over-fishing by over zealous southerners.

Even in the early days of our exploits on the far south coast of NSW my fishing buddies and I, members of the Fishing & Reef Tour Specialists (F.& R.T.S.), would catch and kill more than our fair share of fish to take home.

We used to keep everything we caught of legal size. We packed them in plastic bags, threw them in the freezer and then at the end of the trip we would lay the carcasses out to take photos and to divide the catch between the crew.

What this meant was that invariably those fish that weren’t given away to friends and relatives would sit in the freezer until they were too stale to eat after which time we would use them as bait.

There are many fish that turn into mash or ice cream soon after freezing and unless they’re cooked straight away some aren’t worth the effort to prepare. In fact they’re better off to be used to make fish slurpys and I don’t know anyone who likes that sort of drink!

The other sad thing is that I’ve also seen my fair share of slaughtered fish in photos – pictures with big men alongside a tarp full of hundreds of barely legal sized flathead and I think we’ve all seen gantry shots of huge dead fish alongside proud fishermen.

I also remember seeing with my own eyes a garbage bin full of undersize bream being taken off a private boat at Hawks Nest jetty and remember feeling totally outraged and disgusted by it as I suspected they were headed for the mincing machine.

Now I’m not sure what happens to a hunter or an angler but sooner or later the penny drops that if you continue to wipe out large populations of fish then you are killing off your own sport.

Fish species need time to breed and restock the very areas that fisherman regularly frequent.

The more you study the habits of certain species the more you come to realize how the odds are really stacked against the poor old fish because of aggregations, limited movements, late maturity and predictable spawning activity.

If you combine that with all the latest gadgetry like GPS’s, depth sounders and fish finders the outlook for the humble fish is not good.

It truly is no wonder that when boats go out on places like Botany Bay you really have to work hard for each fish you get.

I am also reminded of the true story that in 1995 Asia, India and China reported 400,000 tonnes of black jewfish caught by commercial fisherman. Sadly ten years later the industry did not exist as the entire populations were wiped out.

If collectively we only keep what we intend to eat and return every other fish safely back to the water we can at least hope to have a fishing habitat in years to come.

You don’t have to go back home with a full freezer to prove how much you enjoyed your fishing trip. The fun is in the catching and that can only continue for everybody if we have populations of fish to target.

In Weipa, we enjoyed a fish dinner every night but released most of our catch to live and fight another day.

I hope that in future, you too consider doing the same.

Until next week!

Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs

Years ago I was lucky enough to pay a visit to the largest sand island in the world - Fraser Island. Like most tourists at the time we took a bus trip along the beach front and through the heart of the island stopping off at the lakes and the rainforest areas.

There was no doubt that the island itself was picturesque and I was blown away by the rainforest and freshwater stream that spun its way through the middle of it.

But there was one thing that didn’t impress me and that was the amount of plastic that was washed up on the beach front.

Alas it is the same along the Australian coastline particularly in remote beach locations that don’t have the luxury of council sponsored grooming.

In one sentence: plastic is the scourge of the earth.

This was brought home to me yet again this week with the news of a rubbish vortex twice the size of Texas floating somewhere between Hawaii and Japan.

It’s estimated that there is 100 million tonnes of plastic produced each year and over 10% of that ends up in our oceans if not directly by careless fisherman, oil pltforms, cruise ships and beach goers but indirectly through stormwater fallout.

With slight winds, calm waters and clockwise currents discarded rubbish gets caught in the “Trash Vortex”, “Great Eastern Garbage Patch” or the “Asian Trash Trail” and stays there collecting more. Reports of up to 6kg of plastic for every kilogram of naturally occurring plankton are common within the area.

Not quite our ideal flotsam and plastic is said to make up 90% of the world’s floating rubbish.

Sadly not all plastic floats. In fact 70% of plastic sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Tests in the North Sea have found that there 110 pieces of plastic garbage for every square kilometre of sea bed.

Clean up operations for the plastic soup could be put in place tomorrow - if only there was a government or people movement somewhere in the world that would take responsibility for it.

The impact on fish populations is still inconclusive but one thing is for sure the breakdown of plastic in the water into tiny pellets that have the ability to attract man made chemicals which enter the food chain through the fish we eat is obviously not a positive phenomena.

Needless to say, next time you’re on the water make sure you keep your rubbish on board and where possible keep your plastic usage to a bare minimum.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

I was out at the Sydney FC game last weekend and had a great time. It’s good to see that areas of Sydney still have a pub on every corner and we made full use of them to and from the ground. As for the soccer I saw most goals scored and managed to escape the sudden downpour.

Speaking of which it’s been raining a treat up north and I’m saddened to hear that the resultant floods have caused widespread reports of dead fish and prawns washed up on the banks of the Richmond River. In fact the system is now closed to both recreational and commercial fishing.

This is a far cry from the days when I was a lad and a big fresh would flush the river systems out and make the resultant fishing at the river mouth and nearby beaches an absolute treat.

Outside fishing was pretty interesting as well after a flood and if you were lucky enough to troll the edges where the murky fresh water met up with the clean salt water you were always pretty much guaranteed a feed.

I remember once seeing a huge tree washed out miles offshore and it acted like a gigantic FAD providing cover for rat kingies and baitfish which in turn attracted hordes of albacore and yellowfin tuna wider out.

But alas, today with chemicals, algal blooms and artificial fertilizers it seems that a flooding is often at odds with good fishing.

I once caught a decent kilo plus bream at Shoalhaven Heads Beach after a flood in the Shoalhaven River and thought to myself at the time that it looked pretty lethargic as I pulled it from the water. It just didn’t seem to have the kick of a freshly caught bream off the beach. No doubt it had been affected by the pollutants in the fresh water at the time.

There are of course some fish that depend on floods - silver perch for instance will only spawn during floods. Up north the big wet season certainly brings on the barramundi and the locals count on a good wet season for prime fishing at the end of it.

Some research suggests that frequent freshwater flooding in the north is important for future fish populations. In fact researchers found that there was a direct link to healthy numbers of barramundi after the flooding of the Fitzroy River in 1973, 1975, 1991 and 1996. It would appear that the floods improve the habitat and the chances of the younger fish to survive.

With southern estuaries in more populated parts of the country it seems that there maybe issues with urban runoff of sediments and nutrients, heavy metals and litter throughout the systems and this peaks at times of flooding. This has a tragic impact on fish populations and hence situations as the one described in the Richmond River.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs