The reports of massive illegal catches of prawns on Coila Lake and big breeding flathead being killed on Tuross Lake are part of a disturbing trend where people will do the wrong thing if they think they can get away with it.
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Others such as Pam Feeley (pictured left) do the right thing and she always releases her big fish, such as her personal best 103cm dusky flathead caught earlier this month.
It also highlights the need for more Fisheries officers on our waterways enforcing regulations and making sure people are not doing the wrong thing. There was at least one case and probably numerous others over the holidays where observant locals noticed poaching or other nefarious activity but could not Fisheries to come out in time.
Why is it that when we have a good thing like the trophy flathead in Tuross Lake or a bumper prawn crop in adjacent Coila Lake that people have to do the wrong thing, raping and pillaging the resource?
We reported this week that DPI Fisheries officers are investigating South Coast seafood retailers in relation to prawn purchases following a number of Coila Lake prawn hauls being seized.
The massive numbers involved are disturbing and for that matter, why are haul nets still allowed when they dredge up the bottom and allow amateurs to catch commercial amounts? Let them all go dabbing with a hand net, I say.
It’s not surprising that we’ve heard recent reports of no more prawns in Coila Lake, and that one day there may not be any big flathead left in Tuross Lake if heartless fishers keep the big ones that don’t taste good anyway. It’s not a trophy after all – take a pic and let it go!
Let’s have more operations such as Operation Portunus – we all pay our fishing license money, and how about instead of more boat ramps, let’s just hire more officers so they can be out on the water or on call, so when we make the call, they can be there, notepad in hand, ready to take action and protect a valuable resource.
Fish and the environment are a resource that belongs to us all and that brings in the tourists and the dollars. Talk about ruining the goose that laid the golden egg!
Further information on fishing rules, regulations, bag and size limits is available at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/fishing-rules-and-regs or just simply call the Fishers Watch Phoneline on 1800 043 536 if you see someone doing the wrong thing.
Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
