Shark numbers decline 'threatens tourism'

Agence France-Presse

October 21, 2009 08:25am

New research shows the ocean predators draw a healthy chunk of the tourist dollar.

WWF Australia spokesman Nick Heath says shark tourism is on the rise but shark numbers are declining, with estimates placing reef shark populations at three to 12 per cent of their original size in some parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

”We must do more to protect these top predators from disappearing on our watch, if not for the benefit of the environment, then at least for the benefit of the back pocket,” Mr Heath said.

”A guaranteed shark sighting is worth its weight in gold to the tourism industry.”

He said recent research by James Cook University found potential shark sightings were a major drawcard to the diving sector, with tourists willing to pay thousands of dollars to see a shark in the wild.

The researchers estimated up to 25 per cent or $1,375 of each visitor's expenditure in Cairns and Port Douglas in far north Queensland went towards the opportunity to see a shark.

Divers mostly want to see hammerhead sharks followed by whale sharks and tiger sharks, the study found.

The group says more than 70,000 sharks are taken by fishermen each year in waters off north Queensland, many inside the Great Barrier Reef area.

Sharks thus come under particular threat because of slow growth rates, late sexual maturity, long gestation periods and birthing only a few young at a time.

Just added a wing onto the leg to help with the boat lifting onto the plain.

The wing has done the job but at the expence of top end speed.

The lift at the rear of the boat at speed seems to have affected the boats ability to use the chines to hold the water.

The boat wants to chine walk at speeds that it didnt before.

Does anybody else have the same problem or am I asking to much from the boat?

i am wondering how the twinpower 10000FC will stand up to big fish?

has someone got one or has used one and whats the maximum line strength you'd put on it?

cheers fellas

theres a new saltiga rod series out called the saltiga spartan, they dont look to bad a little to technical with the reel seat and look very expensive.

what do you reckon theyll retail for and when will the hit the shores of australia?

i think the original saltiga rods will leave them for dead!

hey guys if u could only have 4 lures in ur tackle box what would they be?and what would ur main species targeted with them?mine are halco laser pro 160 redwhite 4 mackies,kilalure terminator =grunters in the creeks,gold bomer=barra,and a weezel poper=big gts not that ive used a weezel yet but it looks like the pilbra boys give them a good workout!!!

Took the kayak up around burswood on Sunday using lures and got nothing, not even a hit. Anyone been havin any luck?

Hi All,

Further to my last post regarding the centre console modifications (http://fishwrecked.com/forum/console-modifications) I've made some progress.

However as time is a little restricted (and also wanting a good job done) I've decided to get the console mods done by a professional.

Hence, I was wondering if anyone can recommend an ali fabricator or boat builder that does mods like this?  I live up mindarie way so anyone near wangara/malaga etc would be good.

As you can see below I've already made the console in MDF.  This way I figured it will be easier for them to see what I want and hopefully be able to just use the MDF as templates for the ali.

pretty quiet on ehre about the old abs!!!!

Season starts in 11 days!!!!

who's heading out to get some???
This season will be my first targeting them. Did eat some last year at a mates place and they were dam tasty so getting into it this year.

Only free diving, so gonna have to test out the old minute breath hold again!!

with the amount of people on this site and a few putting their hand up for deckie spots i thought maybe every one could voice there opinion of what they expect of the guest they take along to clear the air and make deckies/fishing buddys aware so there are no surprises.
for example i have a small tinny so i have too keep gear to a minimum and i make my deckies aware of this and it s&*ts me to tears when they bring a whole tackle store and crack it when i tell them it aint all coming aboard.
brenz

I know it isn't cheap but has anyone on the site been there (they had a stand at the boat show) - thinking of hitting the place during the build up next year 

imgoing down to busselton for the weekend and i want to know for sure if the busselton jetty is open at all, grew up there and love it. want to get into some hard fighting fish on it, so is the busso jetty open?

Hey all, just in the market to buy some braid for a couple of new reels. I want to spool a Daiwa Advantage 3000 and Daiwa Luna 203. Any suggestions would be great!!!

Hey guys I've been thinking about getting some custom rods built for no reason other than it'd be pretty cool! Does anyone know of anywhere in Perth that builds custom rods or can put together a rod if i provide the blank etc..?

If you have any contact details that would be much appreciated too!

I was thinking about maybe getting a 6-10kg spinning rod or a light bottom bouncing rod...but like i said it's just cos I've always wanted one, not that i actually NEED one :P

G'day guys

Heading up to Coral Bay this weekend for 2 weeks work. Boss has just got a new work trailer (4.8m trailcraft). Whats the weather been like up there over recent weeks? Has there been any stickfaces around?

Cheers Mick

hey wondering where u can decent fish off rocks down south region, 4wd or 2wd car i can access, it would be awesome if somebody could get me onto some big juicy fish. cheers

Final tally;  too many wrasse to count (over 10), 1 monster skippy dropped at capture by yours truly, 48 cm flounder, and some thumper whiting.  Cheers, Ben

Cockburn Sound re-opened to crab fishermen

SARAH QUINTON, The West Australian October 18, 2009, 1:48 pm

Crab fishermen have welcomed a decision by fishing minister Norman Moore to reopen Cockburn Sound to commercial and recreational crab fishing after a three year ban. Mr Moore said researchers at the Department of Fisheries determined that blue swimmer crabs stocks in Cockburn Sound had recovered after a three year ban imposed in 2006, caused by overfishing and poor recruitment. The crab fishery will open from December 15 to March 31, however, with increased size limits and reduced pot numbers. "The commercial sector cannot take crabs smaller than 140mm across the widest part of the shell (up from 130mm)," Mr Moore said. "Professional fishers will also be subject to a 20 per cent reduction in the number of pots they use." Recreational fishers must also comply with the crab fishing rules at all crab fishing areas in the West Coast Bioregion - which included a minimum size limit of 127mm and a bag limit of 10 crabs per fisher per day and a boat limit of 20 crabs. Mr Moore also conceded that the Peel Harvey Estuary had been experiencing pressure from depleted stocks but rejected a suggestion to extend the September and October closure into December. Mr Moore said research between the Department of Fisheries, WA Fishing Industry Council and Recfishwest will monitor crab stock at Peel Harvey Estuary over the next six months to determine if further restrictions will be imposed. Mandurah Licensed Fisherman Association president Damien Bell said he was extremely happy with the minister's announcement, applauding him for waiting until a three year research program in Peel Harvey was completed before making a decision to extend the closure of the season. "The minister has made the right decision in keeping the Peel Harvey Estuary open for a further six week," he said. "Opening Cockburn Sound will also divert a lot of recreational fishers away from Peel Harvey and alleviate pressure on Peel Harvey."

hi fellas,



On sat morning I took the boat out to try my new sounder.  The sounder works great though for some reason my GPS is playing up.



Usually when I turn it on after a couple of minutes it detects all the satellites and it fires up. However, yesterday it stayed on the "acquiring signal" screen when occasionally a satellite would appear then drop off the screen.  After an hour or so I gave up.



When I got back I tried restarting the GPS and resetting it back to factory settings though I'm still getting the same problem.



The sounder I have is a Navman 5380.  I was wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar problem?  Or perhaps have some suggestions?



If I can't get it working then I'll take it back to Challenge Marine though hopefully I can avoid that.



cheers



Wayne

G'day FW, I am new to fishing and have found some great advice in these forums. 

I took my kids fishing at Buffalo beach a couple of days ago, and couldnt cast past the breaking waves. Does anyone have any advice regarding the recommended wave and sea height, and when you should just give it a miss and try the river instead.

Thanks

Jack9

THE water police are investigating a suspicious Mayday call from a mystery boat sailing off the coast of Rottnest Island.

hi every 1,i went fishing  at mosmans on the jetty ,after ringing around a few m8s and relatives,looking 4 a deckie 2 go fishing in mosmans on my boat,because i can not launch it on my own ,because of my lower back problem , it was a beautiful night that was hard to resist,so of i went and i arrived around 6.30 pm,set up a mulloway rig,cast it out,then proceeded 2 try out my new back brace,after just puttng on my backbrace,i started 2 get a run,i quikly grabbeb my rod,waited a bit ,while my line was running,lent back and hooked up.i was thinking 2 myself it might be a mulloway,but after a moment i thought not another sting ray,anyway i fought it for 25 minutes .i finally landed the ray,got a quik photo from my crowd that had gathered,and i released the ray.thank god for my back brace.....................any 1 available as a deckie nxt time i need 1,i live nor

Looks like the wind arrived a bit earlier than seabreeze.com expected !

hi guys ive been fishing off the beach alot lately and was  wondering if the beach fishing gurus out there could give me some advice .is there anyway to minimise the chance of getting snagged ? -every time i go out im constantly losing 3or 4 rigs everytime due to getting snagged and its becoming way to expensive ( i lost 90$ of braid in just 2 weeks+ lures and hooks and sinkers) also where should i be casting and what should i be looking for ? and finally how can i increase my hookup rate cause i was getting heaps of bites the other nite but i couldnt hook up?    . thanks

Jono.

A 30-year-old Bunbury man was ordered to pay $7854 in fines and penalties after being convicted of possession of 181 marron out of season.

Scott Albert Paton  was in a vehicle that was stopped and searched by Fisheries and Marine Officers at 11.45pm on Saturday October 25 last year.

It is an offence for a person to be in possession of marron out of season, except on private land, owned or occupied by that person.

Rockingham-based Supervising Fisheries and Marine Officer Darren Schofield said Paton
was apprehended with marron during a non-possession period, he was at Wungong Dam
where no fishing is allowed at any time.

“When his vehicle was searched, the Fisheries and Marine Officers found the 181 marron, of
which 94 were berried females (with eggs),” Mr Schofield said.

“One of the important sustainability rules in WA’s wild marron fishery is that female marron
carrying eggs or young must be carefully and quickly returned to the water, as they are protected at all times (including the marron season).

“They are carrying the future marron stocks for the fishery and must be protected.”

Mr Schofield said yesterday’s court result followed a spate of marron fishing cases where fines have been imposed in recent weeks.

“Last month in the Armadale Court, eight people were fined various amounts between $314 and $2994 for a range of marron offences, from possession out of season to taking undersize
marron,” he said.

“In Midland Court last month, a further seven people were ordered to pay fines, ranging between $814 and $6,114, after they were apprehended with marron during a non-possession period.

Two of them were in joint possession of 145 marron out of season.

“In the lead up to next season, we’ll be looking out for anyone who breaches the rules that
protect WA’s iconic marron fishery”

The news of yesterday’s big fine comes as the dates of the next marron season have been
decided.

The 2010 season for wild marron fishing, in areas where it is permitted, will run for
from midday on Friday 8 January to midday on Friday 5 February.

Anyone know when the pro's start putting their cray pots out south side need to strt marking some ground with the new sounder

Thanks

Should i put lots of line out or a little? where off mindarie will i find them?

Looking for some for a nice feed toomorrow

Great fishing spot.

One of my friend won a comp at the Bill Fish shootout. 2 nights at ECO beach in a Garden View Eco Tent.

If anyone is interested  just let me know.

Bids man!! 

Been searching the net for two nights and cant find anywhere in aussie to buy from. What would be the cost to buy it from the store??

And whats the price for an SL20sh???