Maybe just stick to the new bag limits and there will always be fish to catch. Anybody that upgrades is a COCK and shouldn't have the privalage of being out there.

people will not stick to them they will upgrade and fish will be killed for nothing mores the point more small fish and thats the hard facts

Cry more!

They won't be making me a criminal because I won't be upgrading or taking hiom the wrong fish during the closed season.

Conservation is only going to help the fishery in the long term.

Was the bag limit going to be changed if they still had the $150 demersal fee? 

Or has the bag limit change been brought in along with the closed season as a consequence of the $150 fee being abolished?

will be in the absolute minority.

The bag limits are the unfortunate cost of past overfishing/increasing population pressure/improved fishing efficiency (GPS Sounder technology) and a slow growing target species.

I'm afraid its pain that nobody likes, but hopefully most understand as being part of the solution to protect the fishery from possible collapse.

As macca said upgraders should take a long hard look at themselves.

Its simple really, stick to the rules and everyone wins, flout the rules and you stuff it for everyone.

Like most, I don;t necessarily like only being able to catch one dhuie, but I do understand why I am being asked to do so. Hopefully my grandchildren will be able to enjoy the same privilage in years to come.

Carry and use a release weight it works!!!

The original plan was going to be reduced bag limits and a 4-month closed season!

I wont be up sizing. But as we all know take a Dhie, Baldchin and Snapper from deep water it will probably die. I believe a tag system would be of greater benefit than what is in place now. Catch a fish return the skeleton and the tag for research and you receive another tag.

The system at the minute has no research base and doesnt have research linked to future catches.

i hear your pain mate, but i have to agree, it needs to be done.

Technology is advancing and the fish are as stupid as ever.

I agreee some people will be upgrading, but no one on my boat will be doing this.
Decision needs to be made right there and then if your going to send a fish which is legal but maybe only just, back down on the release weight or in the icebox.

Release weights have been proven to work.

one dhuie is enough for most families so suk it in or stop fishing.

this bag limit is so there is still fish to catch in years to come.

cheers danno

duck out off shore get two dhuies and come back - if you want some sport fishing go n catch sambos - the rules are easy to follow - TWO DHUIES PER BOAT - once youve got two you go back in and drift for squid and sand whiting or even a few kgs - whats the problem - think of the reasons for these regulations - to prevent dhuies from getting wiped out. - so stop fishing for bragging rights about how much dhuie youve got in ya freezer and enjoy a fresh dhui every now and then! 

when people have, and openly display, poor attitudes towards fishing regulations and future species sustainability like this. Actions as described will lead to further tightening of bag limits, longer season clousures and the extending of or introduction of further marine parks.

Very disheartening.

totally huggy b, there are always gona be bad apples in the lot to spoil it for everyone, that is our nature but hopefully the majority will do the right thing. If you love fishing for what it is you will know how to conserve and farm your spots. Why is everyone so hyped about dhuis anyway! there are better fish out there to target, its not all about dhuis you know! god forbid i catch someone up here do that to a fish only to catch one 1 kg bigger! Now that the ban is in force you realise just how much more fishing is out there to do when you dont get focussed on those named fish! Ive got back into my fly fishing and fishing the river for bream, grunter and mullaway and soon crays! We went out on a m8s boat the other nite for mullaway and for the first hr and half it was a pink fest but we were still frothing for the mullas, this can only be a good thing in the end!
FISH FOR THE FUTURE NOT THE FREEZER!

The same twits that already disobey the rules will upgrade - there half the reason that the fishery is in a mess. Two dhuies per boat is pleanty, share a fillet or two with ya mates for christ sakes. Isn't that what fishing's about?? Is it really that important that you catch the biggest and best fish out there?

I've been fishing for ages and haven't yet got my first dhuie and I can tell ya - a feed of whiting or herring still keeps me coming back to the sport - half the fun of fishing is spending time on the water with ya mates. Getting a feed at the end does't save you money or anything...as people seem to suggest. If you can afford to be out there fishing for demersals you have enough in your kick to buy a nice feed of whatever the hell you want.

rojar! just ask tapout or bouttime about me frothing for whiting! first learnt to fish for whiting and still go nuts on them when they are on the chew!

the reason i posted this is to get people talking. fisheries says that it wants a 50% reduction in demersal species ,yet the old bag limit was 7 fish including 2 dhuies each .with 4 on a boat thats  28 (a lot of fish in anyones book) now on the same boat its 8 with 2 dhuies included. thats a hell of a 50% reduction and means that your all not entilted to catch a dhuie each ,so draw staws. my souce in fisheries tells me that this bag limit was put up as a startpoint in bargining and they did not expect it get in and that now they are going to try for a 4 month ban because no one cares . i support 50% reduction with everone having the right to catch one dhuie and thats what im pushing i have use a release weight for over 3 years now and still wonder if they work over 25m but will still put back females under 700mm.               

 ONE MAN ONE DHUIE

you can buy as much dhu fish as you like from the shops i would prefur that my grandkids have the chance to catch one if we dont all abide by the laws that have been put in place now in 30 or 40 years (if that) fishing for dhu fish may well become like abalone imagine only being able to fish for 1 hour on a sunday full stop.i say f that i would rather just take one now and know i can keep doing that for years to come.if you want more fish then fish 7 days a week then you can have 7 dhu fish but personally i am just greatfull for the fish that we can take.there are many countries that cant catch fish because there are none left!!

it never ceases to amaze me how greedy people are. Mate its not your birth right to capture dhuies. Its a privlige. we all know that the species is deplenishing rapidly so any reduction is a positive move. So what if you cant fill your eski. Its not about you its about the fish! these reductions i thought should have been done years ago. i dont know what you get out of fishing but if its a feed then its cheaper to go to the market, and if its for fun then so what the restrictions are, there are plenty of other species of fish to target. i totally support the govt and its move. I can only hope in the future that these reductions pay dividends.

stop worrying about your stomach and start worrying wether you can still go fishing in 20 years from now, remember the future of fishing is in your hands and if there are too few fish in the ocean then just mabe fishing might be a thing of the past.

would you rather have two dhuies per boat or in a few years be like some of australia's northern neighbours who now have absolutely nothing so they have to poach them from other waters (ours in particluar)!

you might only be able to get 2 dhuies on the boat and then you can get a couple of pinkies then there is also b/bums and so on in the cat 1 then there is cat 2 species and you can get 12 of them each and not forgetting cat 3 and thats another 30 each , so if your only in it for a feed and not for the fun of the sport , go and fill up on the cat 2 and 3  after you have your 2 dhuies, you only realy need 1 fillet to feed a family , we dont get too many dhuies ourself  but we are more than happy to just get out on the water and forget about the rat race for a while and i cant remember how many times we have done more than 50nm to get 3 or 4 fish with 4 on the boat so we end up going after the kg's on the way in. more than happy to get enough fish for 1 or 2 meals. and if we do by some chance get more than enough for us it then goes to others . so quit your whining and enjoy just getting out there for some r and r . 

interesting reading

i dont mind a feed but to me its more about sportfishing. i would hate to think how much a KG of fillets has cost me over the years. The amout of times i go out and catch a shoot load without bringing back a single fish is a lot.

I must be down to abut $1273 per kilo of fish kept by now

haha, but i dont give a rats ass becuase for me its about the experience not the fillets. I certainly didnt rate my last barra or montes trip on how many fillets i brough back.

The boat limit of category 1 fish with 4 on a boat has never been 28 fish, not sure where you got that figure from . cheers Pete

I love the fact every1's like save the duhi dhui, but since they cray boys have stopped fishing for em, we tend to catch shitloads more than before. Even more than wrasse. If theres 1 fish we gotta look out for its the queenie but because they taste like shit no one gives a toss about saving them.

to see people thinking about the future of our great pastime...

yes people will upgrade...but really you are only ripping yourself off...and the personal guilt when watching a dead fish float off....well you would have to be a heartless bastard to do that more than once...

Not sure of your source in DoF yellow and black.....but they are full of it.

the 50% reduction in effort and catch was a very painful negotiation....no one there wanted what was being proposed, but when faced with the facts that our activities arent sustainable...well what do you do....other than make the most of a bad thing...and suck it in.

yes its hard to take......but think about the benefits in years to come

its all about the fish

hope you understand what every body is trying to say mate....

I agree with many of the comments being about about somthing need to be in order to conserve our fish stocks ! but the bag limits are getting to the state where it costs more to go out n get a decent fish then it is worth. Its a shame substantial fishing laws and practises were not put into place many many years ago. its mans only way , to little to late !!

n also if pricks do chuck there smaller dhu back for a bigger one , maybe people driving past who dont have a dhuie can chuck it on board lol one mans rubbish is another mans treasure

I reckon it is your birth right to catch a dhufish, but you cant catch em when there not there.
New rules are too harsh tho.

I fully agree that something had to be done to conserve dhuy stocks and I will follow the new laws to the t. But what do I do when I have 4 people on board all who have payed for the days fishing(fuel and bait). First drift we have our two dhuys on board. Do I call it a day after 5 mins of fishing or try and target other species knowing that we are likely to catch more dhuys while tageting pinkies or sambos. Im not into catching whiting, hezzas(bait only) or fishing 200m +.

To the guys up north who are all for the new laws, what if you had to stop fishing after you had caught 2 barra or 2 gts of any size. We have limited options down here and cant just go taget something else.

Two dhuies for me is not an issue I can live with that it's the ban that shits me. We had a quite lengthy ban imposed on us by mother nature (winds) now we have the ban from fisheries. Also are they letting the pros loose again? Alot of people will upgrade that is human nature. If someone gets a couple of just legal dhuies then gets a 15kg one towards the end of the day a lot of people will find the temptation to great. Especially if it's there first chance to have a fish in a few months due to bans weather and work commitments. Take a mate out that only fishes once every now and then and tell him we gotta let the big one go cause we already got two little ones. He watches it float away, he now thinks i'm a nut case. While most claim to be playing by the rules there is plenty of fisher folk that will fish for the freezer not the future. Personally I will fish by the rules but did not spend $50k+ to have it sitting in my drive way. I"m not spending $ on boat fuel etc when I can get a feed of herring or whiting from the shore.

GO BLUES.

But I agree 1 duhie per person per boat is way fairer. I work week on week off & if I go out with 3 others on my boat 40k offshore then we catch 2 duhies on the 1st drift are we meant to travel back to the ramp. It is not just about taking fish but actually enjoying a past time. As far as get your 2 then come back & fish for Whiting & herring they are good for bait & that's all, if I wanted to taket them I would have brought a 13 foot tinnie not a 23 foot offshore boat. If you catch 2 on the 1st drift you're bound to catch more on susequent drifts when trying to target other species & even when not up grading you will see the fish floating. You can't tell me that if my boat takes 4 dhuies every 2nd week I am depleting the stocks when whilst at Port Denison we saw the pro net boats come in with well over 50 under size duhies. When the fisheries bloke was quizzed about this he said yeah that is acceptable by catch. Asked what happens to it,Answer "They sell it." yet I have to return anything over 2 to the ECO SYSTEM even when clearly dead why don't they???? Cause wont earn the government any revenue like the pro's can selling under size fish. That's my rant on this the fisheries have no idea & need to get their heads out of the a*ses & don't even get me started on the fillets sent from their Broome office to Perth office private freezers.

everyone has the same two choices;

1. you comply; or

2. you dont comply

the choice is yours.......

likewise you get caught not complying then only one person is responsible for that.....YOU and nobody else!

kind of irrational logic in that the bigger the boat you have the greater the right to target dhiues and bring home more fillets (or any V21). The rules apply regardless of cost of rig........

no mate will deckie on my boat unless he observes my rules as I am the skipper and responsible for one and all and if you are only allowed one dhiue then you make the choice when you catch the fish at that time.

otherwise happy for my mate to incur the cost of the fine and my new boat and 4wd when it is confiscated because he broke the law. choose well my friend before you step aboard.

its about fish stock conservation and remember no one twisted your arm when you spent such coin to sportfish or enjoy mother nature and all that she has to offer.

have you ever wondered why fisherman need bigger boats to head out wider to catch a few fish.....?

I have a 4.6 CC and do just fine and only ever take the odd fish!! kg for kg I spent way more on the water than I could by visiting the local fish shop.

 Life is the journey not the destination.

Your right damo nobody twisted my arm to buy a boat but nobody told me i couldn't go catch a feed of the fish i bought the boat to target for 2 months either. 

GO BLUES.

rules r rules you decide the outcome but if sustainability is the issue how does gill netting fit into that also the scarceness of food ie crayfish must play into the level of recruiting of dhufish and no take zones would b fair to everyone rec or pro but who and how to police it      fisheries want 50% reduction thats still roughly 140 days a year u can still fish imo a bag limit of one each would b fair and where is the research data to prove release weights work more a case of out of sight outa mind sure as hell no i wouldnt like to come up outa 40m lookin like some of them do 

if dhufish are so easy to catch....I'm guessing on bait...why not try a harder method...make a sport out of it.....jigs, rubbers etc all add a degree of difficulty to catching a dhu.....or snapper/cod/trevor/trout

I tell you the feeling of having a 80g jig smashed on the drop is far more fun than having a dhufish sucking away on a occy leg...

I agree that upgrading is a issue when people have a small one necked on ice and a beast comes over the side....

only thing I can offer is maybe release the small ones and wait for the 7-8+kg model......or do as AndyM does and let the first fish over the side go...and reap the karma of bigger replacements...

cheers

I have no problems with the new rules as i've fished over seas and seen what happens when things arent policed properly!

We need the reg changes and fish will be around for many years, no brain surgery on that one!

To me theres "many other" fish out there and better eating for that matter than just the "Dhufish". I will keep Dhufish as part of my bag limit but have other prefered species by far!

The higher grade issue will happen, as already mentioned they will SHIT in their own nest and pay the price long term if they let floaters go so no point imo

Agree that Dhufish on jigs is a buzz, my prefered way to get Dhufish these days. Most importantly, enjoy your day on the water and enjoy the "range" of quality species we have in WA not just ONE fish!!!

If you do like to release fish and get a bigger fish then please wind up slow, releasing fish quickly with the aid of a "release weight"...."will" ensure a healthy release and the best chance of survival!

Doing it any other way is compromising the fishes well being!

you got that right Ryan, there is much nicer eating fish to catch,imo , the main reason people target the dhui is that they are bigger and you end up with more fillet as they tend to be bigger than the average pinky and nanies , i would rather chow down on kg or nanagi (spelling wrong) but if a dhui does come by my way it doesnt go back unless too small. there is plenty of other nice eating fish to fry

seems too many people think about the fillets rather than the fun and experience

I understand where u are coming from mako , but to other fishers 2 dhufish might only come around 1 day in like a couple of months. Based on your fishing experience you seem to have much more knowledge in catching fish more regulary.

thanks for your input boys i know i didnot word my first post very well & deserved to be caned (i had to hide in the back shed for while and lick my wounds) but i think we all need to talk about these rules more and listen to other opinons.  bear in mind that fisheres only have a buget of 3m this year for research spilt between crays crabs ect ect so the big problem is that the gove is just making rules that have very little scientific backing and not putting the money into finding out what is going on they should be putting 10-15m a year  in this issue and look at things like proteced zones and breeding programs and bag\boat limits that are fair to all