Coral Spawn

[Gazza]

I've been told that the brown crap that floats around like a cloud is coral spawn is that right ??

Next question Has anyone noticed that the fishing drops off to non existence when it's floating around seems each time I go out and see it we catch very few fish ?????

just an observation

Gaz

[straddiebrad]

i think it is gazza i have heard this from a few people,not sure if it slows the fish down as have not seen it while fishing

[tugger]

yes its coral spawn and it means the currents are bringing it down from up north but where did you see it. i've had good fishing with it around while chasing pelagics but what are you chasing. up north when it blows into the creeks really thick it can starve the water of oxegen and kill off fish. if your chasing pelagics find a distinct current line where theres clear water 1 side and spawn the other

mark

[Gazza]

I,ve seen it several times now Off Moloolabah (yesterday being the most resent) and the crap was every where no distinct lines

Yeah seems like everyone agrees what the brown crap is (coral spawn) So off I went into google world :woohoo:

My findings where interesting

In WA there is panic that the opening of the lobster season corresponds with the annual coral spawn Well it seems the coral spawn reduces the amount of oxygen in the water and can kill lobsters :woohoo:

and reading further it can affect fishing as well shutting fish down or causing them to move

But the weird thing is every where I googled coral spawn is pink to milky white ( never greenish/brown)????

Further investigation found that what we call spawn is actually a algae bloom well thats the way it looks

so now I'm confused lol

Gaz

btw what ever it is I found fishing to be crappy when it's around /in the bay or out wide

[Eug]

Gazza there are types of coral which is classified as an algae particularly the family corallinaceae (aka red algae).

[yoyo]

it's not coral spawn. it is algal bloom.

Coral (here) spawn once a year, on the full moon around early november typically.

I have been scuba diving during the spawn and it is an awesome sight. I can tell you that from underwater, the activity of reef species (eg. the emperor and trout families) are heightened, not lessened during this period.

The fish absolutely hammer the ovum that are released into the water, they love it.

The semen and ovum released are not involved themselves in oxygen uptake (to the best of my knowledge anyway, happy to be cirected..) so any talk of them 'starving' the water and other species of water bound 02 are simply false.

If you have your scuba licence i highly recommend contacting the DPI and getting their estimated spawn dates for this year and heading up north to dive off cairns. Dive boats up their typically run special night trips for the spawn period and the DPI usually get it right to within a couple of days.

I dove the night before, the night of, and the night after. The Vis the night after was ordinary, but the pre was a spectacular night dive and the dive during was just mind boggling stuff....