Winter Whiting new rules being enforced

[Feral]

I know there are a few members here who are also members of Fishntales as well, but the majority of AFO members probably are not aware of what the DPI (or whatever they are called these days)are up to in Hervey Bay.

As you would be aware, there is a new in possession limit for winter whiting of 50 fish.

As your probably also aware it has been a tradition for many many years for the Grey Nomads to hit up Hervey Bay for a week or two in Winter and fill their freezer before going home.

Well the DPI have been raiding the caravan parks and fining anyone with more than 50 fish (or the equivalent in fillets). Best haul so far was one bloke with 800 fillets in his chest freezer!

They are taking a pretty lenient line so far, just fines, no confiscations of vehicles or gear, (they could probably take the boat, the car and the van!) but interesting to see they are being serious about it!

Been playing out in the local papers up there for a few weeks now.

[rayke1938]

I think that they would do ok if they hit up some of the dams also.Whiting would be easy to count but be a bit harder with larger fish that are filleted and cut up.Maybe a change of regulations where a fillet has to be frozen intact with skin on.

Cheers

Ray

[Travis]

i really think its a load of crap the whole in the fridge at home thing, im all for conservation, even dropping the bag limits further, but hitting pensioners up that cant afford to or physicaly go fishing every weekend with a double bag limit in their feezer is harsh

[Feral]

Yeah I'd normally agree, I'd be worried about bagging out with the family on board, but being the only one home when the Inspector came a callin!

But the sort of numbers they are finding - 800 fillets - is a little more than double the bag limit!

[rayke1938]

I think that hitting someone up for being 16 times over the the bag limit is reasonable.

There are a lot of grey nomads who specifically travel to different destinations to load up their freezers.

Being a pensioner is no excuse for breaking the law and raping our fish stocks.

Would you be so lenient in your thinking if it was reported that certain ethnic groups were being prosecuted for the same thing?

The bag limits are there to protect different species so that there is a sustainable fishery for generations to come.

If they wish to stock up their freezer with fish let them shift their target to fish without a bag limit such as grinner.But then again that would probably upset the ballance in the food chain

Cheers

Ray

[Gad]

I have no problems with rules being enforced,times have changed from the days of open slather on of our fishing stocks.It is up to the individual to fish within the regulations.DPI&F should be doing their jobs checking fishers,on the water and at boat ramps,etc.

Regarding policing these policies in coastal camping parks goes,does this mean you or I holidaying in a holiday rental house or unit could be next on the list,then in our own homes.

If your neighbours feel they have a grievence with you,can they ring PPI&F and say you bring esky loads of fish back from fishing trips.

If you let your imagination work it could be scary

[Travis]

Feral wrote:

Yeah I'd normally agree, I'd be worried about bagging out with the family on board, but being the only one home when the Inspector came a callin!

But the sort of numbers they are finding - 800 fillets - is a little more than double the bag limit!

800 fillets is 8 bag limits, thats worth a fine but then you get 4 blokes in a boat every weekend taking 200 whiting and thay can get away with that as long as they eat it, i dont have an answer for it, i dont mind the nomads taking 800 fillets home from a week or so fishing trip, its the 50 per person every weekend that adds up

[Cowfish13]

There is a law against taking too many Whiting. If you break it, face the consequences. Don't think age should change anything

[thousandyards]

cowfish - there's a law against taking too many whiting but when it is extrapolated to storing too many whiting.....that's just bogus.

in my humble opinion i think the DPI inspectors' jurisdiction or whatever you'd call it should be limited to on the water and the boat ramp. going into people's houses or caravans......that's ridiculous. like has been previously stated - what if you're the one person home after the whole family's been out a few times and bagged out - you're done....

my brother and my dad have guns at home and by law the coppers have to give at least 2 days (or it could be 2 weeks) notice before they come and do a random inspection on the gun safe and the safety of how they're stored. how is it that a DPI inspector can rock up on your door and get access to your property, then book you like that....what a joke.

they SHOULD be out on the water and the landbased spots booking the certain no-speeky-engrish folks nabbing dozens of fish that are undersized and over bag limit.

[Cowfish13]

It is a take & possession limit. So if you have greater than 50 in possession, regardless of where they are stored, or when they were taken, it is still illegal. How is it bogus?

[uglyfish]

Dpi&f officers are only doing the job there paid to do,and it takes alot of evidence to convince a magistrate to sign a warrent for homes to be searched..the laws are put there so we as recreational fishers can still enjoy our sport/ passion for many years to come..it's all about sustainability

[Travis]

I agree with the fact that they should be out on the water, at the ramp or pulling boats over on the highway, if all this was done properly in the first place ( its obviously not because i have never been pulled up and inspected by them or police in my life..... ) then they wouldnt need to have this rule

[Feral]

You musn't get around enough Travis, I'd reckon I get "inspected" 5 or 6 times a year! Mostly by DEETA, but a couple of times by the water police.

[uglyfish]

You can blame ms Bligh for that because of lack of funding.

[Gad]

In the past, going on holidays had always been a time when you did take home a reasonable amount of combined daily catches,with the new wording of "in possession" changes all that.

I believe that the authorities have done a very pour job in alerting the average fisher to the "in possession" part of the law.

Signage at boat ramps and coastal camping parks,really is a must these days.

A lot of average family fishers who only fish a few times a year and at holiday times may get caught out with the new fishing regulations.

But the bottom line is.. the onus is on the indivdual to know the regulations,and unfortunately you will always have the ones who ignore them anyway.

[uglyfish]

And the people who ignore these regulations will be caught,as I said before it's all about sustainability

[Tiny Tin]

i don't like this rule or the DPI being able to invade your home! if you buy 15 snapper from the shop (there's no bag limit in the shop) lose the docket then freeze the fish essentially the DPI can fine you? if you have ten people in the house they cannot! that's what's bogus about it. it would seem to me that this has little to do with fish stocks more like forcing people to buy fish! what are you supposed to do keep someone at home with you in case the bag limit is compromised? you know if you swap a few potatoes with someone else for something else you are supposed to pay tax! it's a joke. it's just another form of control from big brother which we already have too much of. grey nomads getting nicked at home yet the 'you know who's' who have someone meet them on the water to take fish straight to the fisho's don't get bothered. all this fish stocks is bull dust..bit like garret closing the coral sea to fishos then saying no worries to a strip mine in a sensitive wild life area..it's all about money and the government getting their share of tax. read the doco posted here before they even state china is running out of fish? why is that relevant to australian fish if the government are not thinking export dollars? it suks big time..save the whales..but don't upset japan :silly:

[uglyfish]

As ive said before the dpi&f cannot just walk in your home on a hunch,they have to have evidence beyond resonable doubt before a magistrat will even look at a warrant.And i dont think there after the little fellas with just a few extra fillets in the frezer but the people who indeed take 800 whiting fillets,they may be destined for there own personal consumbtion,but i know for a fact some do indeed take them home to sell on the black market.So at the end of the day the legislation is in effect to protect the sustainability of our stocks and to stop the black market.

[Travis]

so taking 800 fillets is worse than exporting tonnes and tonnes of our best seafood overseas each week?

[uglyfish]

never said that travis,its no different to sending our oil overseas or our wheat.All i was saying was about the black market that takes money out of honest hard working fishermens pockets mate

[Tiny Tin]

uglyfish wrote:

never said that travis,its no different to sending our oil overseas or our wheat.All i was saying was about the black market that takes money out of honest hard working fishermens pockets mate

that's a fair comment mate. 800 fillets is a lot. a few weeks ago an old boy pissed me off driving up to our boat. i had a few words to say as we were on a good bite. he didn't fish just got on the phone. he drifted a fair way from us and a little while later another boat that i had seen fishing all day went over to him and started offloading something (had to be fish ay) he went home and they went back to fishing? that needs to stop like the guys filling freezers of prawns on the banks of cabbage tree.on the other hand if i paid a small fortune to go on a fishing trip..say a five dayer out of cooktown i'd expect to bring home some of the catch..before this report i'd probably have been over the 'in possession' bag limit. we eat a fair bit of fish..but we have some pretty lean times too..which balances out over time. i still don't like it. i guess size doesn't matter? i know you'd have a lot more fillets from 5 ten kilo snapper than 5 x 2kg snapper? which by the way i wouldn't keep we now let the big uns go as we see em as breeders..i've never met a government i'd trust..cheers mate

[Travis]

i agree that 800 fillets is too much..... for one session... not for a weeks holiday if the bloke and his mrs have been there for that reason, off loading fish for the black market isnt on either, its the fact that the daily bag should be diffrent from the possesion limit, and the possesion limit shouldnt need to exist if the job whas being done where it is meant to be, i mean who hasnt had more than 10 litres of prawns in their esk on the way to a xmas party? recipt or not its sh!t

[uglyfish]

seriously fellas the fishos aint really out to get the common man,i think its the repeat offenders with the over possesion limit time n time again that gives them the right to search boats cars and homes,but again they must have evidence that proves this beyond resonable doubt.Any doubt and there is no case as it will not stand up in court.Ive been studying the laws and rights and i agree some of its crap but when i get on the job il have to inforce them under oath..

[Tiny Tin]

uglyfish wrote:

seriously fellas the fishos aint really out to get the common man,i think its the repeat offenders with the over possesion limit time n time again that gives them the right to search boats cars and homes,but again they must have evidence that proves this beyond resonable doubt.Any doubt and there is no case as it will not stand up in court.Ive been studying the laws and rights and i agree some of its crap but when i get on the job il have to inforce them under oath..

i'm in the dark here mate..what's ya job?

[rayke1938]

The in possession wording has been around for a long time. I have a 1998 copy of DPI publication where it is mentioned and I was chatted by fisheries when I was living at Wellington Point for having spare dillys in the boat whilst i had the legal number in the water and the in possession words wete quoted then. That was at least 25 years ago.

Cheers

Ray

[uglyfish]

tiny i have 3 months left of studying to get a diploma in the seafood industry (fisheries compliance)wich means i will be qualified to be come a member of the QDPI&F,wich i intend to do if the goverment allowed new reqruitments in the budget.if not looks like a deckie job for me till i can get in to the fisheries

[Tiny Tin]

gotcha..good luck with that mate. sounds like a worth while career. with all the stuff going on in the fisheries area i reckon they have to open a few places. good to know that someone with your 'roots' as a fisho will be in the job. cheers

[uglyfish]

cheers tiny..