3 year ban in SA

[4liters]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-29/ ... n/11557248

"I'm not supportive of a three-year ban, I'm supportive of a ban until the science has been redone and the actual stock has been reassessed and they get it right."

This is an attitude that ***** me. "I don't like what the science is saying, do more science until it says something different"

People need to trust the science.
Unfortunately there’s casualties with peoples earning capacity.

Yep. By all means keep scientists accountable (which is what the peer review system mostly does) but arguing the answer must be wrong because it affects you financially is just stupid and dangerous.

[re-tyred]

Stock assessments are done constantly. The method used is egg counts in the water over their area of distribution. Years of study on various fish species has established a database of the average number of eggs per fish of the different species. Regular water sample over large areas and a count of the eggs allows a calculation of the likely overall stock of each species. While the overall number has a fair fudge factor, the rise and fall of eggs gives a good estimate of trends. Significant falls in egg numbers would mean a decline. This is what they would be seeing. There will probably be many causes, not just over fishing, but the only response that can be implemented is reduction in catch. We can't suddenly do things to restore environmental issues

[bluewater81]

I used to live in SA, I'm surprised VIC does not implement a fishing ban in both bays during breeding, let's say month of October like SA did/still has. I mean wouldn't it be more beneficial to let the big girls pump out a load of eggs before raping and pillaging before they've had a chance? I'm not really up to speed with it all in recent times but that seems logical, 4 weeks of pain for a long term gain.

[re-tyred]

A small extract from the NSW snapper research paper. There are snapper spawning somewhere all year round.
Snapper leave the bays and bass strait to find warmer water to spawn during winter. It is an unfortunate fact that Bass strait and the bays have the coldest water temp of all of mainland Australia. Colder even than east coast of Tassie.
"
Snapper are serial spawners, with individuals spawning repeatedly
throughout a season (Wakefield, 2006). Spawning patterns of snapper vary across latitudinal
locations (Macdonald, 1982) suggesting that temperature and day length may be a driving force in
these patterns. Observations by Crossland (1977) suggest that gonad maturation and subsequent
spawning activity occur at various locations within the distribution of snapper in Australia. The
physiological requirements of snapper during reproduction are possibly a determining factor in
their distribution and spawning timing. A minimum of 18ºC surface water temperature is needed to
induce spawning activity; coincidentally the maximum summer temperature of their southernmost
distribution is 18ºC (Cassie, 1956).
The fecundity of female snapper, like most fish, is linked to size (length/weight)."

[frozenpod]

SA ban is nothing short of terrible.

Everything I have seen indicates this is a band aid short sighted approach that will not address the root cause of the problem.

Re vic snapper as has been found the key to snapper population is successful spawn and fishing has minimal if any impact on spawning.

Water quality and habitat are essential ie dredging the yarra which caused a failed spawn and wiped out 95% of the PPB flathead population.

In the passed trawling for scollops in PPB had a massive negative impact on snapper numbers.

Protect the habitat, look after the environment ie water quality and you will have successful spawns and plenty of fish to catch in years to come.

[cobby]

SA ban is nothing short of terrible.

Everything I have seen indicates this is a band aid short sighted approach that will not address the root cause of the problem.

Re vic snapper as has been found the key to snapper population is successful spawn and fishing has minimal if any impact on spawning.

Water quality and habitat are essential ie dredging the yarra which caused a failed spawn and wiped out 95% of the PPB flathead population.

In the passed trawling for scollops in PPB had a massive negative impact on snapper numbers.

Protect the habitat, look after the environment ie water quality and you will have successful spawns and plenty of fish to catch in years to come.

[purple5ive]

I'm all for upping the size limit to 35cm and a no take policy during spawning.

But as already suggested. Keeping the environment they live and spawn in pristine condition is key.. and I must say vicfisheries are certainly putting in a lot of effort so good on them..


On another note..
Doesnt the fish from SA the same ones that migrate down to us, or do we get a different batch of fish that visit us every year?
Or was it the fish we get here that visit them after. I remeber it was something like that..

Cheers

[re-tyred]

A few things that would need investigation.
What is the water temp trends in the gulfs over the last ten years?
How much extra pilchards and other feed fish has been taken in SA waters to feed the fish farms?
What are the trends in others species?
Are the open waters outs side the gulfs effected the same?
It wouldn't surprise me if this is directly related to high water temps in the gulf due too a series of hot dry seasons. It may be the snapper simply moved to the coastal waters which are cooler.
It may also be that pilchard stocks in the gulfs have fallen.
While the catch limit on pilchards is very modest against total stock, it is a fact of life that it is cheaper for the fish farms to catch them close to home. This may well lead to local depletion

[re-tyred]

I'm all for upping the size limit to 35cm and a no take policy during spawning.

But as already suggested. Keeping the environment they live and spawn in pristine condition is key.. and I must say vicfisheries are certainly putting in a lot of effort so good on them..


On another note..
Doesnt the fish from SA the same ones that migrate down to us, or do we get a different batch of fish that visit us every year?
Or was it the fish we get here that visit them after. I remeber it was something like that..

Cheers

Victorian snapper move during colder months. Some go west to the Bight and some go east to NSW. The pinkies generally stay local till the reach breeding size.
Like most fish they have a minimum and maximum temperature range. Not many snapper around in sub 16c or over 24c. Interestingly Snapper and KGW are becoming more common in Tasmanian waters. Particularly the NE coast and East coast.
Temperature, food, clean water, salinity. That is all fish look for.

[bluewater81]

If you have hundreds of boats out in the bay catching craploads of breeders before they lay their eggs, how does that no effect spawning?! A 4 week ban during breeding I'm all for.