Ken noahs
I was just reading gallash's latest post, plus the south west boys exxy report, etc, etc, and it seems the sharks are making their presences well and truly felt throughout not only exxy, but the whole state.
One of older supervisors at my work religiously goes to Broome for 2 months every year, and has said the last 4-5 years have successively gotten worse and worse, to the point he is not taking his boat anymore, as he looses upto 90% of his fish to the grey coats.
Me and a few of my mates have noticed a definite increase in gettin sharked in the last few years in exxy, to a point where this years trip ( in a few weeks now), I'm having to rethink the whole plan of attack. It's not cool hittin every spot, and having bomber reds ( you know it's a red ) gettin smashed within 5-10m of the bottom.
I had rarely caught a shark in metro, but this last season caught 5, and I haven't fished in the last 3 months due to a knee recon.
Anyone else noticed these things, or got any explanation to their increased presence?
Is it time the government lifted the max size limit on whalers, or permitted more commercial shark fishing? Do you reckon it would make any difference?
brenz
Posts: 2182
Date Joined: 15/06/06
shark numbers
shark numbers are definately on the rise thats for sure. i have personally noticed the increase in numbers especially this year when some nights we would get up to 11 runs on the slides each which is great.
i personally dont think we should start necking them though as they are a great sports fish to catch and are alot of fun. i think you will find also that over 60% of anglers who target them release them anyways (the group i fish with release 99% of them be it big or small) so raising the size limit on whalers may not make a huge difference any way.
Plus on a side note alot of the fish that are getting called for bronzies or various other species are not that at all. it seems that every shark caught metro is either a bronzie or black tip.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
As Brenz stated
most sharks caught are classed as a Bronzie or a Black tip. So often this is not the case.
As for the increase in shark No's in the Nth of the state, you will find most of these are Thick skins as they are comonally called but really probably Long Nosed Grey Whalers which a lot of the sharks being caught down Sth off the beaches are these chaps, a bonus in my books for rec' anglers.
Seasonal water temperatures may have a lot to do with the increase in inshore NO'S.
As for allowing the Nets to begin operating again, these devises are what devistated the demersal stocks-----do you want that to continue?????
milsey
Posts: 1462
Date Joined: 22/08/07
My understanding was
My understanding was commercially they fish for sharks using hooks and not nets. Will stand corrected tho,
milsey
Posts: 1462
Date Joined: 22/08/07
I agree the numbers have
I agree the numbers have increased but excluding the barges I haven’t had a problem metro, I went to exxy in 05, 07 and 09 and noticed an incremental increase with 09 being so bad we were basically forced to troll and even then we were still losing fish. I don’t think raising the size will have much effect but I think a few years of commercial fishing could ween the numbers back a bit.
Paul N
Posts: 483
Date Joined: 09/11/06
Sharks at Exy
Been going to Exmouth every year for the past 10 and the sharks are increasing all the time . Got back from exy 3 weeks ago and this trip they were everywhere . Could not get a fish off the bottom, let alone anywhere near the boat, before the grey coats would grab it . Every drop was the same from 30k south of south passage to north of the Murons . Got to the stage we were dreading dropping a line as it only meant re rigging 2 minutes later . 40 mtrs to 100mtrs deep made no difference .
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
I hate the buggers.
I hate the buggers. Sometimes we head way offshore, looking for reds off Dampier. After travelling 60kms, the last thing you want is to lose every bloody fish to sharks.
Rig
Posts: 2925
Date Joined: 27/12/06
increased
yep as brenz said definate increase in the metro. I remember years gone by when beach fishing sharks would be occasional and now I get one nearly every time even though I am targetting other species. I have kept a couple of small bronzies and found them to be excellent deep fried in beer batter so it cant be a bad thing around the metro.
On a recent fishing comp with WCLBG club i hooked onto some monsters on my 50lb gear that left me with my tail between my legs and that was only a short cast off the beach. On the 80lb gear I only got hook ups on some black tips around 2m which were easily brought in.
couple of weeks ago I was at steep and the mackies didnt stand a chance sharks everywhere, moved to quobba and the same story.
In january I was fishing off port gregory and every pinkie was getting mauled by sharks, they werent intereseted in dhuis or trout for some reason so it wasnt the end of the world
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Doesnt lots of sharks mean a
Doesnt lots of sharks mean a healthy fishery, the pros use nets to catch them and nets dont care what they catch the sooner all gill nets are banned the better. I would rather take my chances with the sharks, even if you arent catching the bottom fish a feed of bronzie is still ok. I fish out of Bunno so any fish is a good fish LOL.
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
Alan James
Posts: 2213
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Sharks at Exy
A mate of mine recently returned from two weeks at Exy. His words ... "The fishing was frustrating at times, particularly at the start of the trip as the sharks took most fish we hooked. It did not matter where we fished or what depth, we just could not get away from them until towards the end of the trip."
If I recall correctly I think Carnarvonite said the pro shark fishermen hadn't fished the Exy area for some eight years. Maybe thay could do the recs a favour and cull a few.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Imagine
No Nets at all.
What a great fishery WE would have.
Rob H
Posts: 5751
Date Joined: 18/01/12
yes Alan
I fished Exmouth north to Lacepedes for 2 years in 03/04 longlining for shark and a mate of mine who Carnarvonite will know did it many years-but not anymore.
I believe my mate got a few calls over the years from Broome fishermen to get up there and clear them out a little. There are SH+Tloads of thickskin whalers from exmouth north. But the fact is that even if all of the shark is sold/utilised, 90% of the money is from the fins and politically thats unpalatable these days so the sharks arent fished anymore AFAIK.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
sea-kem
Posts: 14891
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Just move around if you are
Just move around if you are getting sharked. We would fish a spot at Gnaraloo it would take the sharks probably 20-30 mins before they would muscle in on the action. We would just move a few k's to another spot. It is a pain in the arse to see a nice big Red bitten in half though.
Love the West!
jono.s
Posts: 440
Date Joined: 27/07/09
Definatly a huge increase in
Definatly a huge increase in sharks both metro and up north , the last 2 or 3 trips to quobba and steep point we were lucky to get any fish past the sharks .
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
FYI,
I'm not talking on increasing the size limit of whalers, but completely removing them from the protected list.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
You must
define which whaler/s you wish to remove from protection?.
At present all whalers are protected by size because the average jo-blo cannot distinguish the differance between all whalers.
I believe that the only whaler that the FD are concerned about is the Dusky Whaler hense the net closure, in some areas,as this is when they are Pupping.
Hope this clarifies things.
I also believe it's easy reading on the FD website.
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
I'm not talking about
I'm not talking about increasing the size limit that already exists on whalers, but completely removing them from the protected list.
I reckon it's awes that there are so many in metro ATM, but I haven't been sharked down here. It's farked that so many good fish are being lost to sharks up north.
They are a big animal, they do taste good, and it seems like their numbers are rife ATM, especially up north. Sounds like the perfect commercial target to me.
It would be great to see cheap local shark at your local Coles or woollies, rather than imported basa and other shitfish hey?
Maybe whoever pulls the puppet strings Could actually allow an increase in shark fishing in some areas up north?
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Which "protected list" are
Which "protected list" are bronzies on?
If a shark fishery does start up North, what are they going to do with the large sharks loaded with mercury?
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
Send the shit overseas. They
Send the shit overseas. They will eat anything over there (even tiger penis WTF)
I have had schools of big sharks circling the boat off Dampier, there is millions of em. We could take 10,000 tonnes and still have too many.
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
For the record, I dont have
For the record, I dont have any problems with setting up a shark fishery if its sustainable, and I like flake. Not sure about the poisoning is ok as long as its not Australians bit...
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
this one for hcokk
page 6, you imbecile
http://fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/WestLimits/westcoast_rules_2011.pdf
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Protected species are on page
Protected species are on page 8 and guess what? No whalers.
There's only a max size limit for them which you said you didnt want to change.
dumper
Posts: 1027
Date Joined: 03/04/08
Scotto mentioned removing
Scotto mentioned removing the max size limit. Sharks over the max limit are classed as protected. You don't have to read page 8 to realise that
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
About as clear as mud....
About as clear as mud....
scotto
Posts: 2470
Date Joined: 21/04/08
WTF?
HTF can that not be clear to you?
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Enjoy your mercury ladden
Enjoy your mercury ladden sharks
Lastchance
Posts: 1272
Date Joined: 02/02/09
Sort of muddy,'Due to
Sort of muddy,
'Due to overfishing of some whaler shark species, a maximum size limit of 700 mm
(interdorsal fin length) applies to whaler sharks (Family Carcharhinidae) caught in the
West Coast and South Coast Bioregions (see illustration).
This equates to a shark of about 1.8 metres total length. Importantly, sharks larger
than this often have high concentrations of heavy metal compounds (including
mercury) in their flesh and are not suitable for human consumption.
Common whaler sharks caught in the West Coast and South Coast bioregions include:
dusky shark'.
As soon as there is any kind of restriction on a species, people tend to err on the side of caution and not touch them, regardless of the actual restriction.
Hang on, why am I justifying the obvious.
Bag limits dont take into account losses to sharks. By that I mean if you hook 10 good fish, lose 6 to sharks but came home with a feed, means there are still 10 less fish on that patch.
Im pretty sure thats what Scotto is getting at.
Hlokk, why do you pick on Scotto so much?
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
I asked a simple, non loaded
I asked a simple, non loaded question, hoping for a reasonable mature discussion but I get personal insults hurled back. I guess its my fault for thinking that its possible to have a mature discussion sometimes.
Lastchance
Posts: 1272
Date Joined: 02/02/09
Wow, easy Girlfriend. Must be
Wow, easy Girlfriend. Must be a full moon or something. What question did you ask? What mature discussion? You made a statement 'Clear as mud'. If you dont like what I responded with (In good nature I might add), dont be a Sooky La La. If you cant accept all potentials, then get out of the game.
If you can put across your point of view, so can I.
Take it easy.
God still loves you.
Far out.
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Not having a go at you. See
Not having a go at you. See my first post, just two simple q's.
Quobbarockhopper
Posts: 394
Date Joined: 28/05/10
deleted
removed by me
Georgejungle
Posts: 354
Date Joined: 25/03/09
why not target a few more as
why not target a few more as rec fisherman?, Its a reasonable feed and great sport to land then. What is the law regarding shark fishing at the moment can anyone catch them ?.
Righteo
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 23/12/11
wasnt long ago on this site i
wasnt long ago on this site i was reading all about lb shark fisherman killing unnecessrily, funny how the opinion changes when it comes to getting sharked at your favourite goldband, trout, red or even the sambo spots. recently had a good trip to exxy almost no sharks till the last couple of days (bastards took my best goldband), but in saying that my brother inlaw had massive problems fishing the same grounds. i figure time to move if your getting sharked, guess they are getting used to everyones spots and a free feed.
Here we go again.
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
The sharks over the last few years
Havent seemed to give a crap about the size limit on humans and it is only a matter of time until they take an undersize one and watch the opinions change then.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
I agree with
the taking of sharks, any size.
The Pro's can, take them any size except the "Protected" species. So we still get them served up in the F & C shops
I feel some of us are TOO selective in what we eat and maybe helping to create an imbalance.
Too many fussy people out there these days.
Rig
Posts: 2925
Date Joined: 27/12/06
good point
Good Point Righteo I too recall pics of some young fella's getting into some metro sharks and being criticised for handling methods etc. Those young blokes will learn as everyone does. I think for alot of metro LB anglers sharks are a precious resource that has fortunately for them increased significantly. For others that regularly fish north sharks are an everyday occurance LB or offshore and becoming much more of a nuisence than in years gone by
Seaquest
Posts: 1132
Date Joined: 22/10/09
Been going to Exy for 20 odd
Been going to Exy for 20 odd years for an annual fishing trip and the sharks were as bad as I can remember. Found Tantabiddi a lot worse than the islands. The old baseball bat sure got a lot of use.
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
Funny, as a shark fisherman
Funny, as a shark fisherman you would kill it in Exy but chatting to Deepwater I think him and his old boy Canarvonite were the last. Down here they have a pro shark fishery but we hardly come across them (unless it is those huge phuckers that like to paint their belly's white). Would love to see the data for their catches but also wonder if the bycatch is more lucaritive
Brad Y
Posts: 260
Date Joined: 03/02/12
Weird, we have lost less fish
Weird, we have lost less fish in the last two years to sharks in exmouth than we ever have. Mind you we mostly keep inside the reef chasing spanglies on lures. Can see the sharks so if they are around we just move. Last year got sharked twice in a fortnight. Both on the same day and when the full moon was up later in the arvo. Once you go out behind the reef it gets pretty sharky it seems.
Lamby- came across a few sets of green buoys out in the bay last wednesday, they are all in a line out around the 8 mile. Any idea of what the heck they would be? Could it be the shark pro gear?
Fish for thrills....
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
Could be mate, that's how I
Could be mate, that's how I see them do it but not on the 8 mile (usually west side). Once all the net is out it stretches a fair old way
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Did these floats
have No's on them
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
never bothered looking
never bothered looking squidder
bloodysmythe
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 26/12/11
my dad was a commercial shark
my dad was a commercial shark fisherman out of freo for 29 years, covering ground from geraldton to albany, only moving on 4 years ago due to quotas and A MASSIVE F***KING DECREASE IN NUMBERS!!! there are not more sharks around, their habits have just changed! this is partly to do with habitat destruction and other factors such as global warming etc (its real idiots). this is also evident in the fact that scientists are discovering alarmingly high numbers of hybrid sharks, a phenomenon only really becoming noticeable in the last few years. it is not only a drop in shark numbers but all species, as a food source becomes scarce predators are forced to become more aggressive and opportunistic and expand their hunting grounds.
Culling sharks would be a bandaid approach at best. as far as removing the max size limit, as hlokk said these sharks are heavily laden with mercury etc and get no money for them, hence they are not targeted, (although when caught they only really make it into pet food or fertilizer). the most important thing to remember as with all animals is that the large ones are generally where the babies come from...... hence why they introduce maximum size limits in the first place!!!
(Lamby,just as a side note, scalefish rarely make up more than ten percent of catch, and bronzies actually get a higher price than most other species, they're what we chase most. the biggest money actually does come from the fins, its weird)
the only foolproof solution is to replenish stocks of the entire food chain, and the best way to do this is with marine parks and fisheries closures...... which we all agree suck balls. so untill then we're stuck fighting off the stinking sharks for a feed!!
hope you all manage to get a few past em and happy fishin!!!
drinkin TNT n' smokin dynamite
sea-kem
Posts: 14891
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Not having a go bloody but
Not having a go bloody but global warming is based on opinions. There are facts for and against. You find scientists that will swear it's real and geologists that reckon it's proven crap. Not my opnion either way just what I've listened to and read in articles.
Love the West!
Brad Y
Posts: 260
Date Joined: 03/02/12
Yeah there were numbers on
Yeah there were numbers on them but I didn't stop to get them.
Fish for thrills....