Email I got today
FishFacts Issue 20, August 2009
www.pir.sa.gov.au/fishing In this issue
Fish ban around Chambers Creek carp cage Squiding – how many jigs and teasers per person
Overnight trips - notifying Fishwatch Become a volunteer
Guilty plea a successful outcome for Fisheries Yorketown’s one-stop Fisheries shop
Recfish revises code of practice Scaling bag advice
Exceeding boat limits an expensive lesson
Fish ban around Chambers Creek carp cage
In a move to ensure the safety of the local community, a ban has been placed on recreational fishing activity around the area of a ‘carp cage’ to be installed in Chambers Creek at Barmera.
Under the new ruling, it will be unlawful to take fish from any waters within 150 metres of the proposed cage site in Chambers Creek, adjacent to Napper Bridge on the Morgan Road at Barmera.
Executive Director Fisheries, Martin Smallridge, said that the cage will not only provide SARDI researchers with quantitative data on instinctive carp behaviours, it will also trap the carp in a safe, ethical fashion,” he said.
“By minimising interference with the cage, we will be able to reduce the likelihood of carp avoiding the area, and in turn maximise the effectiveness of the cage.
“It’s only a very small area of water covered by the ban, however it is important that we put measures in place to protect the safety of commercial fishers and researchers who will regularly be working in the vicinity of the cage.”
Overnight trips – notifying Fishwatch
Fisheries Officers are often approached by people who are planning to go on multiple-night fishing trips. They are worried that if they are checked when they retrieve their boat, that they might have more than their daily bag limit of fish, and want to know how they can let their local Fisheries Officers know that they are ‘over-nighting’.
If you are planning to fish overnight, or over a period of days then Fisheries Officers recommend that you contact the PIRSA Fishwatch number on 1800 065 522 and report your overnight trip in advance.
You will need to tell the operator that you are a recreational fisher and that you want to prior report an overnight fishing trip. They will ask for information including your boat name or registration number, the port you are leaving from, the date you are leaving and the date you anticipate returning. The trained operator will then provide you with a reference number for your call.
The information you provide will then be sent as a text message to the mobile phones of your local Fisheries Officer.
Guilty plea a successful outcome for Fisheries
A Moonta Bay man has been fined more than $1100 in the Kadina Magistrates Court for illegally taking snapper during the closed season.
A seasonal closure applies to the taking of snapper. It is illegal to take snapper from any of the state’s waters during the closed season, which occurs from midday on 1 November until midday on 30 November.
Peter Michael Wheare pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $400 for the offence, along with an additional $783.75 imposed by the magistrate.
Fisheries officers found six large snapper in Mr Wheare’s possession, following a routine patrol at the Port Hughes boat ramp on the 1 November last year.
Officers originally found six large snapper in Mr Wheare’s possession, however upon a thorough search of his vessel, they uncovered a further four large snapper concealed under bunk cushions within the cabin.
Recfish revises code of practice
Recfish Australia has recently revised its code of practice for recreational fishing to include principles that in particular relate to caring for fish, fisheries, and the environment.
First drafted in 1994, the National Code of Practice for Recreational and Sport Fishing was reviewed by fisheries biologist Julian Pepperell, taking into account feedback from fishing organisations, government departments and animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA.
Fourteen principles have been developed corresponding to each of the four responsibilities listed in the code; being the humane treatment of fish, looking after fisheries, protecting the environment and respecting the rights of all other members of the community.
For more information on the revised code, check out the website
www.recfish.com.au Exceeding boat limits an expensive lesson
Two recreational fishermen have paid an expensive price for exceeding strict boat limits on King George Whiting.
Dennis Broster of Chinaman’s Well, near Maitland and Ray Keam of O’Halloran Hill in Adelaide, were each fined $1200 in the Kadina Magistrates Court recently, for offences which occurred at Chinaman’s Well back in November 2008.
Both men pleaded guilty to charges relating to exceeding the daily boat limit for King George Whiting.
During routine patrols, PIRSA fisheries officers found the men to be in possession of 62 King George Whiting, which is almost three times the daily boat limit for two people of 24.
Squiding – how many jigs and teasers per person
When fishing for squid, people are often confused about how many rods, hand lines and teasers each person can use.
When squid fishing, each person may use up to two rods, or two hand lines (or one of each), plus one teaser line.
Rules about the number of rods, lines and teasers are particularly important when there is limited room to fish.
We urge all recreational fishers to show common courtesy to fellow anglers when fishing from jetties and wharves so that there is room for everyone to throw in a line.
Become a volunteer
During one of your regular fishing trips, you may have met a member of the Fishcare Volunteer Program on a jetty or boat ramp. As well as visiting all the usual fishing localities along the coast and River Murray, Fishcare Volunteers attend regional field days, boat, caravan and camping shows where they distribute bag, size and boat limit information, measuring gauges and a variety of other recreational fishing educational material.
The Volunteers are a large diverse group of individuals who give up their free time to inform recreational fishers about the rules, regulations and updates that apply in South Australia.
Since the program started around eight years ago, the Volunteers have been well accepted by the general fishing community and are often inundated by fishers wanting to know the latest information.
If you have some spare time, are interested in fishing and enjoy the great outdoors the Fishcare Volunteer Program is always looking for new members. For more information on becoming a Volunteer, contact Toni Cox, the State Fishcare Volunteer Coordinator, on 83476118.
Yorketown’s one-stop Fisheries shop
PIRSA Fisheries’ presence on the Yorke Peninsula has received a significant boost with the opening of a new office in Yorketown.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Paul Caica, officially opened the new office this week as part of his tour of the Yorke Peninsula.
The new office, located at 16 Minlaton Road, Yorketown, will give Fisheries a much more public face in the region.
The new facility will give Fisheries a much more visible shop front area where the public can go with their fisheries-related queries and comes equipped with a private interview room for both alleged offenders and witnesses, as well as a proper front counter area giving the public better access to our Fisheries Officers.
Fisheries Officers have been located in Yorketown since 2003, previously occupying a small room in the local council offices.
Scaling bag advice
The use of scaling bags by boaties is a common practice. It saves time in cleaning fish and reduces the amount of mess involved.
Fisheries Officers strongly encourage fishers to avoid using scaling bags for fish that are only just above the minimum size limit.
In some cases, scaling bags can knock the tails of fish around and reduce the size of that fish when it’s measured. If you have fish that are just above the minimum size limit, then leave them out of the scaling bag and scale then by hand. This will ensure that these fish can be accurately measured.
sorry Jas.
.Yep it was a dodge tide .Still with a strong NW or NE wind blowing I thought the water was getting movement enough but no it wasn't.
