:@ bass theives

[Joel Eadie]

hey guys i hit the bass today in my favorite spot, not much happening got a few.

i was sitting on the bank with rod in hand and i was, putting it nicely: a little annoyed to see 3 persons from a certain ethnical background carrying 2 buckets full of bass :ohmy:

i have heard areas have been netted and can certainly vouch for the lack of fish in that spot now

i was just wondering, who has permission to fine these people? it is not the sort of place where any EPA people or who ever follows up bag limits patrols.

does the PRFMA have the ability to fine people? after all they put in the effort to get these fish in these areas. not that they should run around chasing these guys but maybe the fines could be a way to raise revenue for them.

joel

[elops]

Hi mate if you see things like this call 1800 017116 FISH WATCH 24 hours that is all you can do.

To put it as briefly as I can without stocking there would be virtualy no bass .

Without another overflow there will be very few in 12 months time .

Regs Steve

[Joel Eadie]

do they do anything steve?

thanks

[elops]

Yes they do if people call enough.

I have made many calls about the things you have described and more .

I will call boating and fisheries patrol on monday and remind them that it is still going on .

But you should call the 1800 017116 number and report what you saw .

Regs Steve

[Joel Eadie]

thanks a tone steve

[shayned]

If you can get a rego number even better.

[elops]

Yes a rego number helps just be discreet in getting it some of these types can get a bit upset if they see what you are doing.

Regs Steve

[EMP]

I just don't understand why this sort of thing just keeps on going on. It's upsetting.

Did you try talk to them, mate? I did on a couple of instances and they were really cool about it. Although I'm pretty sure not all violators would be nice enough to listen to just another fisho like myself. AND normally, I'm alone when fishing hence more vulnerable to deaf ears, if you know what I mean.

EMP

[yoyo]

a picture speaks a thousand words...........

[hulk]

You could always see if the council will supply a sign which they state that any illegal dumping is being monitored by CCTV like they do in real instances of dumping.May be a deterrant to these bastards.Worth a try?

Hulk

[Feral]

Saw a show where in Africa they use few lumps of concrete with reo hooks sticking out them to take take care of illegal netters.

Not having any of those lying around handy, toss in any branches you see lying around, Provides homes for the fish and also makes a mess of nets

[Swagger]

Feral wrote:

Saw a show where in Africa they use few lumps of concrete with reo hooks sticking out them to take take care of illegal netters.

Not having any of those lying around handy, toss in any branches you see lying around, Provides homes for the fish and also makes a mess of nets

Suprisingly, I have never thought about that. That's a great idea, just slip in the odd log that happens to be around to create more structure for the fish. Will benefit us fishos that promote catch and release

[fenelious]

This sort of selfish disregard that some people have really sh**s me.

I can offer people some advice from a cop's point of view:

Put simply, if you witness anything like this and you want these people stopped, record as much info/detail/evidence as you can and report it to police ASAP.

By this I mean record descriptions of people, their clothing, equipment carried/used, vehicle regos especially, anything that will help identify them. Record time/date/place. Photos or video are ideal... and no it's not illegal to photograph someone without their permission, but be careful with this because there are laws regarding invasion of privacy, stalking, and terrorism etc. You have to be able to justify that you have a reasonable and lawful reason to take the photos/video. If you (or any reasonable person would) have a firm belief that it will provide evidence of the commission of an offence, then what you're doing is certainly appropriate or at least defensible.

I don't know much about what organisations or authorities normally deal with illegal fishing activity, and as suggested you should definitely report it to them also, but be aware that police also have a variety of powers to take action against these people. For example they have power to demand name and address, search and detain persons and vehicles, and take all necessary and reasonable steps to investigate where they have a reasonable suspicion that an offence has been or is about to be committed.

Prosecuting the offenders is where it gets a little complicated. Police don't have tickets/fine books for these sorts of offences, as I'm guessing the Fisheries people do. But that's not really a problem because they can either hand over the info to the relevant authority/organisation for them to take action, or police can get permission to issue the offenders with a notice to appear in court for the offence. At the very least police can record their details and give them a stern warning.

So if you see these clowns out there destroying our natural resources, jump on the phone straight away to the cops, and hopefully if they're not too busy they'll come straight out and catch em in the act. Or like I said, give them plenty of info/evidence to go on and they'll look them up and pay them a visit.

A word of warning though - do not get in any sort of aggressive confrontation with people. Record and report ASAP.

[faulked]

my god i cany believe some one thinks the cops have the resources to turn up ,in an ideal world perhaps but when it takes on average an hour or more for them to show its unlikely to help .'unlikely' not impossible

[Davo_Dinkum]

we where at collages one time and some1 called the cops on people with underside fish .

they came and made the people put the fish back .

[Freshy2Fish]

Surprised the police got involved, there is a fisheries patrol which runs around during the week and weekends, be worth dropping them a call and letting them know the areas of concern!

[fenelious]

Faulked, did you read the whole post?! You're right, unless they're not far away and not busy the cops are unlikely to get there in time if these guys don't hang around, but that's why I said get all the info you can and report it. If you know who it is, or have an address or vehicle rego, the cops can pinch them long after it happens. I thought I made that pretty clear...

Anyway, it's up to you/the public; if you're serious about getting them caught then go to the effort to give the cops what they need in terms of information. If you're not, then don't, but don't then winge about how little the cops can do.

[Joel Eadie]

i didnt talk to them, though thinking back on it i wish i did

these guys had no car they were just walking, i didnt realise how many they had until they had passed.

next time ill call fish watch and get a picture and car details if they have one

and if i see anyones net in there its as good as gone im sure my braid sizzors will make quick work of it

[elops]

Bump for an update.

Thanks to Boating and Fisheries Patrol making regular visits to this area our "friends" havent been seen for nearly 2 weeks. Though this may be because of the fact that there are a lot less fish. on my last trip 12.12.09 there were 14 of them on the bank I saw one of these "gentlemen" keep a 25cm tagged bass which he denied. I then called B&Fisheries. Then I had an interesting conversation with him and he and 5 of his mates left.

Regs Steve

[faulked]

fenelious wrote:

Faulked, did you read the whole post?! You're right, unless they're not far away and not busy the cops are unlikely to get there in time if these guys don't hang around, but that's why I said get all the info you can and report it. If you know who it is, or have an address or vehicle rego, the cops can pinch them long after it happens. I thought I made that pretty clear...

Anyway, it's up to you/the public; if you're serious about getting them caught then go to the effort to give the cops what they need in terms of information. If you're not, then don't, but don't then winge about how little the cops can do.

please dont take me the wrong way yes i did read the whole post mate and yes i do agree as what you wrote is 100 per cent correct but unless its a very slow day for the lads what hope do they have of gettting there on time after a couple of past experiences waiting for the boys in blue to get there i find myself quite jaded , not the coppers fault its us who under pay and staff them so really im whingeing to my self to pay them more

[Feral]

Last time I called the wallopers, I was told I was 22nd on the list for the single patrol car they had in the area. So I politely said thank you then went and sorted the issue myself. I then rang them back and told them to take me off the list as I had sorted it myself.

The bloke at the other end wasn't stupid, he asked me if I was going to be no 22 on the list myself, I said I hoped not, I was pretty sure no one was watching.

[ryanyoung]

I live out on the southside, and have never had a drama getting the boys in blue out promptly when the need arises (loud music and other war winners!). I now have the fish number saved in the phone, and will be using it as well as my brag camera to get some info on these clowns that want to carry on with illegal and immoral fishing!

Cheers,

Ryan.

[fenelious]

Nice one. What is the 'fish number' by the way? That'd be a handy one to have in the phone.

[elops]

Fishwatch 180001711

Regs Steve

[Joel Eadie]

elops wrote:

Bump for an update.

Thanks to Boating and Fisheries Patrol making regular visits to this area our "friends" havent been seen for nearly 2 weeks. Though this may be because of the fact that there are a lot less fish. on my last trip 12.12.09 there were 14 of them on the bank I saw one of these "gentlemen" keep a 25cm tagged bass which he denied. I then called B&Fisheries. Then I had an interesting conversation with him and he and 5 of his mates left.

Regs Steve

great to hear steve, i havent caught anything in my last couple of trips, possibly cas of the rain but still a couple of months back i would have

[fenelious]

Thanks elops. Is that spot you're talkin about Luscomb Weir on the Albert River?

[Feral]

Dont forget if your serious about making a bit of a difference, Fisheries have a volunteer arm you can become part of, get a uniform, (well a yellow shirt anyway) and trained in how to best "edumakate" those who cant read (or cant be bothered reading) the rule book. Lots of other activities you can be part of as well.

/>http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_8615.htm

It can be quite rewarding.

[elops]

fenelious wrote:

Thanks elops. Is that spot you're talkin about Luscomb Weir on the Albert River?

No mate though the same things go on there as they do at every weir/terminal aggregation area in SEQ.

Regs Steve