QDPI&F East coast fishery review

[Adam Royle]

Hi All!

Has anyone heard anything about the QDPI&F's review of the East coast fishery?

They held public meetings last year and earlier this year but it has all gone eerily silent.

I thought we were supposed to hear something this month (which I know is not over yet) but I thought someone out there might have heard something???

[Flying Ant]

This is the latest info I received. I will be putting this in the November edition.

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
Queensland Government

8 October 2008

Have your say: Rocky Reef Fin Fish Fishery

Stakeholders are encouraged to attend public meetings to discuss proposals for managing Queensland’s Rocky Reef Fin Fish Fishery, which include key species such as snapper and pearl perch.

Fisheries resource manager Dr Brigid Kerrigan from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) said the proposals focused on ensuring the future sustainability of these fish stocks while also ensuring fair access to the fishery for all sectors.

“Species such as snapper and pearl perch are highly sought after by the recreational and charter sectors and are also important to the commercial industry,” Dr Kerrigan said.

“Queensland is experiencing rapid population growth, particularly in the south east region, and these fish can be caught in highly accessible fishing grounds that are close to densely populated areas.

“We need to ensure these types of impacts are considered when planning future management arrangements.”

There are a number of proposals being put forward to manage this fishery, which include a review of size limits for snapper, a seasonal closure and improved catch reporting for all fishing sectors.

For those who are not able to attend the public meetings an options paper is now available to download at http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au

“The proposals have been developed by a Stakeholder Network Working Group, which included representatives from all fishing sectors and other fisheries stakeholder groups. DPI&F was a partner in this working group process,” Dr Kerrigan said.

“The members on the working group have extensive knowledge of the fishery, contributing to an innovative and inclusive approach, which has aimed to capture the key issues from all stakeholders with an interest in this important fishery.

“Recreational fishers, key fishing industry, media and scientific representatives worked together in reviewing and developing improved management arrangements for this fishery. We are now asking for the wider community to provide feedback on the proposals.”

Public meetings which are still to be held include:

Victoria Point Sharks Sports Club 7–9 pm, Thursday, 9 October 2008
Inala Blue Fin Fishing Club 7–9 pm, Friday, 10 October 2008
Bundaberg Across the Waves 7–9 pm, Monday, 13 October 2008
Hervey Bay Boat Club 7–9 pm, Tuesday, 14 October 2008

For more information call the Business Information Centre on 13 25 23.

The deadline for feedback is 5pm, October 20, 2008.

[Adam Royle]

Thanks Ant, this looks to be a different or an extension to the review that I attended earlier in the year.

I'm just a little concerned about the deafening silence from the QDPI&F considering that they were all promises when it came to informing the community on any developments.

I know at our meeting they were told in no uncertain terms that the bastardized actions taken by GBRMPA were still very fresh in peoples minds and that it would be very much in there interest to inform on any progress whenever possible.

I just hope that they come through with some sensible conclusions to their review because they do conduct valuable research on fish stocks with the help of many recreational fishermen (including myself). The fear will be that if they make the same mistakes GBRMPA made much of that valuable support may/will be withdrawn.

I guess it is a wait and see situation???

[jamie]

Adam Royle Wrote:Thanks Ant, this looks to be a different or an extension to the review that I attended earlier in the year.

I'm just a little concerned about the deafening silence from the QDPI&F considering that they were all promises when it came to informing the community on any developments.

I know at our meeting they were told in no uncertain terms that the bastardized actions taken by GBRMPA were still very fresh in peoples minds and that it would be very much in there interest to inform on any progress whenever possible.

I just hope that they come through with some sensible conclusions to their review because they do conduct valuable research on fish stocks with the help of many recreational fishermen (including myself). The fear will be that if they make the same mistakes GBRMPA made much of that valuable support may/will be withdrawn.

I guess it is a wait and see situation???

just some constructive criticism.i mean all bue respeact to all.but this us and them must stop.there is no science for both sides every thing goes through gbrmpa.now why dont use ask them for an interveiw dont talk to the bottem feeders they just whant to show there muscles go to the top keping in mind catch your flys with honey.these people dont wake up in the morning and say were going to do this they have a 5 10 & 20 year plan so why not ask now i will tell you about my own experiance and you can take what you can.back when all us dirty farmers were killing the reef an association called the johnstone river catchment asked me if they could do some triles on my farm at first i was a bit dubios because i knew it all.we did best water manegent and run off now when growcom trys to take your findings to claim as theres you know its good(growcom is the peak industry group for horticulture in aust)we had on the ground resserch water quailty readers in the river at differnt points.last year i had 2 senetors the secretary to the environmentail minister and the head of gdrmpa based in townsvile looking at what i have implamented and what i would like to spend money on trialing this year.i had a good talk to the gbrmpa boss about size restrictiouns and he said that way each fish spawns at least once then he asked about my feelings on the spawning closures and i said its good before you come home with nothing now you allways come home with a feed.so i found him aproachable.......morel of the story if we all work together as a group both pro's and amatures try some new things anythings possible . do some trials because scientests wont look at it for under a mil.we have nothing to lose but heaps to gain.
regards jamie

[Adam Royle]

Jamie I couldn't agree more that we need further research and co-operation between all groups with interests in fisheries and marine environments.

I'm also a great believer in recreational and commercial restrictions such as bag/size limits, seasonal closures and in fact I don't think we have enough seasonal or short term closures for some areas or species.

I work in R&D with the sugarcane industry and agree that many agricultural industries have in the past, and to a certain extent still are, being held as scape goats for issues such as run-off or nutrient levels on the GBR.

Many city folk would be surprised at the level of effort put in by many farmers to reduce their footprint.

However...and here it comes....it is very unfortunate and much harm is done to credibility when organizations such as GBRMPA not only blatantly disregard community feedback on proposals but then take that information and turn it against the very people that freely offered it in the first place.

Many everyday people and business owners who gave up their time and years of knowledge were railroaded by GBRMPA. Then to ensure that they got their way they told the government it would cause minimal impact and probably cost taxpayers about $2 million. Well guess what... it has cost over $250 million dollars so far and still climbing, not to mention the ongoing losses to the local economy. But do we taxpayers get an apology? Does GBRMPA get a slap over the hand for it.....NO!

In my humble view GBRMPA acted irresponsibly and in many cases without justification. I think many of us forget that "conservation" is about conserving what we have for the future not locking huge parcels of land or sea and throwing away the key. That’s not conservation that's environmental evangelism.

As I said previously, I support the QDPI&F and look forward to working with them in the future with whatever research they are doing. I just hope that they too haven't forgotten what the word "conservation" actually means.

Thanks for your response Jamie!

[jamie]

thanks for the reply adam.i can see your point.my feeling is these politicians sit in there office whith the greens in there ear and are oblivious to the good things we do and must be shown what is in place and how its working.maby some records before and after the closures started.please dont laugh, but i also think that with freedom of information in aust we should know whats in the pipeline so then its not a bombshell,then we have time to build an arguement. i know a lot of hard work went in from people like yourself and get sick of banging your head against a wall, but there must be a way around this stalemate . regards jamie

[Adam Royle]

Thanks Jamie, mate I believe we are now in a period of change not only in our little corner of the woods but around the world.

Labour won federal power not because everyone hated Howard or the Liberals; they were simply starting to feel that their lives and standard of living was in decline. People started to feel like they were not being listened to and the bullshit that was spun in the past didn't work on them anymore (we simply woke up!).

I think the level of prosperity many parts of this country has had over the past decade or more has made it easy for politicians (and "green" groups) to do what they want and get away with it.

People are now starting to feel less in control of their lives and as the lifestyles they presumed they would have don't eventuate, they will start to ask questions and demand answers.

I believe this because I am one of these people.

Two - three years ago I wouldn't even blink at returning from a fishing trip to fill up the car and boat and head out again. I would travel to Brisbane every year to see family and go out for dinner whenever I felt like taking the family out. Now I'm starting to ration my trips, see my family less and eat out a few times a year. (And I class myself as one of the lucky ones still!)

I believe many (not all) recreational boaties and fisherman have been happy to endure bad decisions because they could afford to. "Ban me from fishing here and I'll just buy a bigger boat to take me there"! "Put a green zone there and I'll just spend more money on fuel and equipment to go somewhere else"! "I don't know why I can't do that anymore but I'll just do or go somewhere different instead"!

People are only happy to indulge political egos and the rants from minority groups like the greens and some environmentalists so long as they don't have to pay for it or can afford to work around it and most importantly, so long as it doesn't interfere with their lifestyle.

Well my friend, I think that that the worm is about to turn. All we can do is hang on for the ride and try our best to guide it in the right direction.

Pretty heavy in parts I know mate and I could go on and on all night but I don't want to sound to pessimistic because I think change is a good thing. I just hope there are enough good people out there to make it a change for the better.

[jamie]

queensland fresh, what an inspiring story. industry wholesalers & restaurants working together. this will be a big thing, it works as an educator. people go to a restaurant and order fish instead of saying that was nice fish must have been the way it was cooked. theyl say the fish was so fresh. in doing this they know qld fishing industrys still there and the old you dont know what you got till its gone comes to mind.next time theres trouble they might stand up and say hay i like fresh fish.

until our littel chat i didnt really know what all the fuss was about .up here they closed 2 reefs one was feather the closest to land and it was floged it needed it,the other nathan straight behind it it was a good reef because this time of year reds came in to breed which is good it was closed and cairns well with tourism you can understand why. i never looked south so thats me a recreational fisherman set in my own world .imagine if we could educate the wider community.

[Adam Royle]

jamie Wrote:until our littel chat i didnt really know what all the fuss was about .up here they closed 2 reefs one was feather the closest to land and it was floged it needed it,the other nathan straight behind it it was a good reef because this time of year reds came in to breed which is good it was closed and cairns well with tourism you can understand why. i never looked south so thats me a recreational fisherman set in my own world .imagine if we could educate the wider community.

Hey mate, I wouldn't worry to much about it I think most of us Reco's have a little to much of the "she'll be right" streak in us at times!

There are a few good souls out there (some contributing to this forum) who are putting in the effort to make sure the "fair go" is still upheld. Unfortunatly many of us simply don't have enough time or resources to go the distance or contribute as much as we'd like to.......I guess that's just life.

Anyway Jamie, good to chat with ya mate. Look forward to having a yarn at a future date perhaps.

I can always tell when the weather turns nasty around here, it's when I start chating on this bloody forum again!

[Leakerty Split]

Hi Adam & Jamie,

Read with interest your takes on the DPI&F & yes I agree, things have gone a little quiet although there was an ad on the radio re submissions being in by a certain date for one of their reviews. I must admit I didnt' catch the full content of the ad so I can't shed any light on it for you. I checked the website but there wasn't much there involving the East Coast Fin Fish stuff so it may have been another.
I know the DPI&F do good work in some studies of the fishery but I think we as recreational fishers need to watch this particular organisation like a hawk......they seem to be of a similar ilk to GBRMPA. I have it on pertty good authority that the proposals put forward by the rec fishers regarding proposed new bag limits & legal size has been totally ignored by the DPI&F power-brokers. I got this info from 2 fairly prominent fishers in my local area that have, in the past, sat on various committees advising the likes of the DPI&F on various issues relating to this type of change. These guys have pretty good contacts. The DPI&F seem hellbent on on implementing, in my opinion, a fairly short term & tunnel visioned management plan (although they'd like us to believe otherwise). As outlined in the DPI&F missiom statement, their objective is to have a profitable commercial fishery & it seems at the expense of the ordinary weekend rec angler that is already under the pump to catch a decent feed now.
An example that came to light at the consultation meeting with the DPI&F was the proposal to increase the legal length of the king salmon for the rec fishers but the commercial fishers as part of their new arrangements could use smaller sized nets. It's pretty easy to see what sector will reap the benefits of any new changes & it will be nearly impossible for the rec fisher to get a legal fish so the pressure will be forced onto another species or the angler will just get the shits & get rid of the boat & gear. Probably what the DPI&F would like.....more for the commercial sector & hopefully their bottom line. I have been doing some research on this organisation & I want to publish it in the NQ Fish & Boat once I have completed the story. Typical of the economic environment we are in now days....a government organisation that is tax payer funded but they have a commercial agenda where they must run at a profit. Usually though, their long term management plans are put together by 'office johnies' who lack any sort of vision and not 'managers'

Enough of me for one day,

Leakerty