# Invitation to fisheries review public consultation meeting



## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Hi all... this applies to Queenslanders... your chance to have your say regards the future management of Qld's fisheries... if you're a keen fisho, be there at the venue nearest to you.

If we're at all complacent about this, take in this thought... commercial fishos will be there in numbers, having their say, and if they're the only ones there, guess what?

That's right... what they want will probably be what fisheries go along with!

Got the message?

Cheers all... Jimbo

*Invitation to fisheries review public consultation meeting*

Queenslanders interested in the future management of the state's fisheries are encouraged to attend their local public consultation meeting, hosted by independent consultants MRAG Asia Pacific.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister McVeigh today announced the dates for a series of public consultation meetings on the fisheries review in major ports and locations in Queensland.
It is important all fishing sectors, as well as other community groups with an interest in fishing, provide input into the review.
The meeting dates and locations are:

Location*

Date

Time

Venue

Gold Coast

Wednesday 20 August

5-7pm

Nerang Bicentennial Community Centre (Main Hall), 833 Nerang Southport Rd, Nerang

Mooloolaba

Thursday 21 August

5-7pm

Lake Kawana Community Centre (Room 5-7), 114 Sportsmans Pde, Bokarina

Wynnum

Saturday 23 August

9-11am

Wynnum Hall,Cnr Bay Tce & Cedar St, Wynnum

Redcliffe

Saturday 23 August

2-4pm

Redcliffe QCWA Hall, Redcliffe Pde, Redcliffe

Rockhampton

Tuesday 26 August

5-7pm

DAFF Conference Centre, Parkhurst, North Rockhampton

Gladstone

Wednesday 27 August

5-7pm

Gladstone Entertainment and Convention Centre, Conf room "A", 58 Goondoon St, Gladstone

Bundaberg

Thursday 28 August

5-7pm

Bundaberg Civic Centre, Supper Room, 190 Bourbong St, Bundaberg

Hervey Bay

Friday 29 August

5-7pm

Hervey Bay High School Hall, Beach Rd, Pialba

Tin Can Bay

Saturday 30 August

10am-12pm

Tin Can Bay Community Centre, Tin Can Bay Rd

Cairns

Monday 8 September

5-7pm

Cairns State High School, "N" block Science Auditorium, Upward St, Cairns

Innisfail

Tuesday 9 September

5-7pm

Innisfail Concert Hall/Shire Hall, Rankin St, Innisfail

Townsville

Saturday 13 September

9-11am

Townsville Show Grounds, Large Functions room, 72 - 104 Ingham Rd, Townsville

Bowen

Sunday 14 September

10am-12pm

Bowen State High School, 1-9 Argyle Park Road, Bowen

Mackay

Monday 15 September

6-8pm

PCYC Hall, Mackay, Off Norris Rd, North Mackay

Karumba

Sunday 12 October

9-11am

Karumba Civic Centre, Karumba

*Burketown and Thursday Island meeting dates are to be scheduled. 
The meetings are an important forum for anyone interested in the future management of fisheries as it offers the opportunity to provide input into the review.
MRAG Asia Pacific will also be accepting written submissions via email at [email protected].
Written submissions close on Thursday, 30 October at 5pm.
MRAG Asia Pacific can be contacted on 3371 1500 or email [email protected]


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## Nikko (Jul 5, 2014)

Cheers, tanks for that. Might try to get along to the Redcliffe one.


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

I went... Trevor went... some Sunfish members attended as well... quite a few commercial fishos made their presence felt as well...

But... where were all you kayak fishos?

This was the time to come up with suggestions that could enhance recreational fishing for all of us well into the future.

It was a terrible day... windy and raining... no excuse re missing a day's fishing...

There's no use complaining about crabbers, commercial fishos, trawlers etc if you can't take the time to attend these type of meetings.

There will be a Sunfish stand at the Brisbane Boat Show being held at the RNA grounds from Friday 12th September through until Monday 15th September.

I'm the treasurer of Sunfish Moreton Branch, and will be there for some time on the Friday and Sunday mornings. Come and say hello and introduce yourselves. Perhaps get a $5 membership if you so wish to show support for the countless hours of work done for the betterment of recreational fishing. There will be some interesting information for most of you.

Jimbo


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Beekeeper said:


> I went... Trevor went... some Sunfish members attended as well... quite a few commercial fishos made their presence felt as well...
> 
> But... where were all you kayak fishos?
> 
> ...


Get your arse there and show that you care about your kids being able to catch fish from the shore or a kayak, well into the future. Your support now, at the meetings and at the Boat show, will help make this happen. Apathy, non-attendance/non-membership of Sunfish, will not benefit your kids to experience the thrill of fishing well into their lifetimes.


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## mackayaker (Aug 14, 2010)

I will be going along to the Mackay meeting to voice my concern over the illegal netting practices in the upper Pioneer river, this absolutely decimated our Barra population last year, not to mention the other by-catch left on the bank to slowly die and rot. Might not make a difference but it will make me feel better at least.

Cheers Scotty


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

mackayaker said:


> I will be going along to the Mackay meeting to voice my concern over the illegal netting practices in the upper Pioneer river, this absolutely decimated our Barra population last year, not to mention the other by-catch left on the bank to slowly die and rot. Might not make a difference but it will make me feel better at least.
> 
> Cheers Scotty


Good on you Scotty. Tops for being involved.


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## mackayaker (Aug 14, 2010)

Attended the public consultation meeting of Queensland state fisheries last night. A generous turnout of around 70 Fisho's both recreational and commercial engaged in a productive forum of ideas and suggestions on how to better manage our local and state fishery. As promised I raised my main concern on the illegal netting practices of the upper Pioneer River which highlighted the need for more fishery inspectors on the ground to enforce compliance of the laws. In addition to this what I got out of the meeting was that the places we kayak and fish are ours, we need to take ownership of them and look after them. We need to report any illegal activities to the relevant authorities and have our say at public forums such as this. I would like to thank this post for highlighting the importance of this meeting so I could have an opportunity to show my support for our magnificent fishery that we have here in Mackay.

Cheers Scotty (Stop the nets)


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

mackayaker said:


> Attended the public consultation meeting of Queensland state fisheries last night. A generous turnout of around 70 Fisho's both recreational and commercial engaged in a productive forum of ideas and suggestions on how to better manage our local and state fishery. As promised I raised my main concern on the illegal netting practices of the upper Pioneer River which highlighted the need for more fishery inspectors on the ground to enforce compliance of the laws. In addition to this what I got out of the meeting was that the places we kayak and fish are ours, we need to take ownership of them and look after them. We need to report any illegal activities to the relevant authorities and have our say at public forums such as this. I would like to thank this post for highlighting the importance of this meeting so I could have an opportunity to show my support for our magnificent fishery that we have here in Mackay.
> 
> Cheers Scotty (Stop the nets)


Thanks Scotty. You put your money where your mouth is. The company running those meeetings for the Qld Govt. will have noted your comments. Well done.


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Well done Scotty...

At Redcliffe, a town full of recreational fishos, you could have thrown a cast net over everybody attending the meeting... a lot of them were Sunfish members, a bunch of commercials and just a few recreational anglers.

I guess you could call it "apathy of the multitude."

The question is... how to shake the recreational fisho out of his lethargy to help us help him.

At one stage recreational fishos in Qld numbered 882,000, representing a billion dollar industry, but only a handful in each Sunfish branch to do all the work for the rest... (it has been said that this number dwindled immediately following the application of green and yellow zones).

If that number of fishermen could just come together, what a powerful lobby group that would be!

At my age (73) I guess that I'll never see the creation or establishment of such a force coming from our ranks... more's the pity. I guess there would have to be some type of catastrophe occur to get the bludgers off their arses and lend a hand.

If the Greens had their way, recreational fishing would no longer exist... now that would be a sore point that possibly could have some of them banding together.

Most Sunfish officials are around my age, some younger, some older... many of us are tiring of doing work for the uncaring thousands... and what happens in the future if it all folds due to this apathy of the multitude?

With the attitude that the _Powers That Be_ within Qld Fisheries have towards recreational anglers at present, commercial fishermen will continue to take fish on their spawning runs until they are obliterated.

What fish do you think they will target when mullet have been wiped out?

The answer, I guess, will be all the fish that you and I target... really, they target them now, but when the mullet are gone, it will be relentless... how do you like them little apples?

Some people really piss me off, and they are the ones who willingly and knowingly let volunteers spend many hours doing their dirty work for them.

Thanks Scotty and all those who attended the meetings... I hope your input will have some effect.

Jimbo


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## mackayaker (Aug 14, 2010)

Well said Jimbo. After attending the Mackay meeting of the review into Qld fisheries I submitted the following 3 submissions on behalf of the Kayak Anglers of Mackay. If any of our local Mackay Yakkers or Yakkers in any other areas of QLD have any other suggestions or ideas please submit them by email to [email protected] and let your voice be heard!

To Whom it may concern,

These submissions are on behalf of the ever growing Kayak fishing community based in and around Mackay:

1. Kayak and land based anglers leave the smallest environmental footprint of any angler, be it recreational or commercial, with many of our members practicing catch and release whenever possible. Our fishing platforms do not require the use of fossil fuels or noisy motors and our craft can access parts of waterways that neither land based anglers nor boats can access. As a result, our members have frequently witnessed the continual netting of a specific section of the Pioneer River downstream from the Dumbleton Weir. The netting is being carried out under the cover of darkness by persons camped on the banks of the river in semi-permanent dwellings usually in 2 boats without motors. I have personally witnessed these people in the latter stages of removing the net from the water. It became obvious they were not expecting 3 kayaks to come up the river at low tide on daybreak!. On another occasion, I have seen bundles of net in a boat on the banks. However, the most disturbing and common of all these concerns is the dead and dying juvenile fish on the banks that I have witnessed on no less than 4 occasions (please see attached photo). Fisheries have been contacted on at least 2 occasions, the unsatisfactory response given was that "there is a license out to net that area". The above evidence along with the attached photos highlight the need for more fishery officers on the ground to ensure that those who do have the right to net this section of the river are more closely monitored to ensure compliance to the rules and regulations. The Pioneer River is relatively short and has very few tributaries. This area is a nursery for young barramundi and as breeding and spawning occurs here, our members are rightly concerned about the effects of over netting on this fragile ecosystem.

2. More access to the Pioneer River for land based and Kayak Anglers is required. Some small concrete ramps at various sections of the river will allow access for launching Kayaks only. More platforms along the river for the land based angler are also required.

3. Access to tagging or recording of catches for Kayak anglers is suggested as a potential untapped source of valuable scientific catch data. As stated before, due to the restricted room on our craft we practice catch and release whenever possible.

I attended the public review process in Mackay on the 15th of September, this prompted me to contact you to address the above concerns on behalf of the Mackay Kayak Fishing Community.

I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Scott Brodie
"Mackayakka"


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Yea Scott!

We need more like you... many more!

Jimbo


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