Come the first of October, the annual four-month closure will commence on fishing for pink
snapper in both Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds.

Department of Fisheries Principal Management Officer Martin Holtz said at this time of year the Sounds attracted the largest known aggregations of pink snapper in the West Coast Bioregion.

“Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds are also vital nurseries for the species,” Mr Holtz said.

“The aggregations are critical for sustaining adequate breeding stocks for pink snapper, which is a long-lived and slow-growing fish species.”

“It is illegal to fish for pink snapper, or be in possession of pink snapper while fishing by line, in the waters of Cockburn and Warnbro sounds during the closed season.”

More details of closures for recreational fishing are available in WA’s Recreational fishing guide 2013, which can be downloaded at www.fish.wa.gov.au or from Department of Fisheries offices and Information Outlets.

Regional Manager Metropolitan and Shark Response Unit spokesperson Tony Cappelluti said the pink snapper fishing closure (1 October – 31 January inclusive) would be closely monitored in the Sounds by Fisheries and Marine Officers to ensure compliance.

“While this means recreational fishers cannot take pink snapper, people do fish for other species in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds throughout the spawning period and we ask them to do it safely,” Mr Cappelluti said.

“Night fishing is popular and so is recreational fishing from kayaks and water users need to
always consider their personal safety.”

“Fishers and water users should also look out for each other and report shark sightings.”

Advice is that fishers and other water users should:

• Take additional caution in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds,

• Keep informed of the latest sighting reports or tagged shark detections by checking Surf Life Saving Twitter – twitter.com/SLSWA or at www.mybeach.com.au,

• Report any shark sightings promptly to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Eveready Dolphin and well-loved celebrity Tom Williams 
launch new and brightest-ever Dolphin LED

 A new generation is introduced to Dolphin torches

Dolphin torches and Australian celebrity, traveler and handyman Tom Williams have launched the new and brightest-ever Dolphin LED Lantern torch in a campaign which introduces the memorable torch-throwing dolphin to a whole new generation.

As iconic as Vegemite, Dolphin torches have been a main stable in Australian identity since the late 1960s. Some have fond memories of the old dolphin advert, watching the floating waterproof torch being thrown around the pool by a loveable dolphin. Or some remember Dolphin saving the life of Sydney To Hobart yacht race survivor Garry Schipper in 1998, as rescue helicopters spotted the light from his torch amongst the waves, his Dolphin torch still in hand as he was washed overboard.

No matter which memory you have, over the past 45 years, more than 20 million Dolphin torches have been sold in Australia and New Zealand – no Australian household is complete without one. Dolphin continues to be one of the most reliable and durable range of torches around, making them ideal for a multitude of situations, including a wide range of outdoor and work activities.

The new Dolphin LED Lantern torch comes packed with a high quality LED bulb, which delivers a light output of 100 lumens and improves the efficiency of batteries used, increasing runtime by 6 times. The new high quality LED Luxeon bulb never needs replacement and is 40% brighter^ than the previous model with Xenon bulb. The new ergonomic rubber handle offers a better grip and improved comfort, while being impact resistant and a shatterproof lens help make the Dolphin LED Lantern torch tough enough to last.

Durable and reliable as always, the Dolphin range of tough, waterproof, and floating torches are suitable for every lighting need: 

• At home: Blackouts, taking out the garbage, checking for possums, in the car for emergencies
• Outdoors: Camping, fishing and boating
• At work: In roofs, under residences, installing cabling, working in areas where lighting is restricted

FEATURES

• Tough, Waterproof and Floats
• 100 Lumens (40% brighter than Xenon bulb)
• 365 metres beam distance
• 47.5 hours runtime (6x longer than MK6 Xenon – using Eveready Super Heavy Duty 6V Battery 1209)
• Impact resistant
• Convenient: Anti-roll shape; recessed push button to avoid switching on the lantern involuntary
• Comfortable: Rubber handle for firmer grip and improved comfort
• Power Source: 6V battery (not included)

Dolphin LED Lantern torch RRP is $27.99

Stockists include: Bunnings, Masters, Mitre 10, Supercheap Auto, BCF, Blackwoods and other electrical wholesalers.

Pre-Christmas fishing trips in the Pilbara had their sequel in the Karratha Court earlier this month, when two men were issued with heavy fines for taking undersize high-risk demersal fish species and other offences.

Taking undersize fish presents a risk to the sustainability of Western Australia’s fisheries, so they are protected by legislation.

Four days before Christmas in 2012, Sergio DEGUZMAN of Karratha had his catch checked by Fisheries and Marine Officers (FMOs) at Dampier’s Hampton Harbour Boat Ramp and was found to have a total of 43 fish. 17 of the finfish were undersize and included demersal species known as blue tuskfish, redspot emporer, and coral trout and the nearshore species stripey seapearch.

On Tuesday 10 September Deguzman was ordered to pay $3,600 for this offence and given a fine, penalty and costs totalling $3,239.25 for possessing 15 fish in excess of the group bag limit.

The Court was told that when an FMO asked Deguzman whether he knew the local fishing rules he said “it’s just sometimes I don’t fish very often, so I take home whatever I catch”. 

Reflecting on the case, Karratha Supervising FMO Michael Dunne said Deguzman’s overall penalty was $6,839.35 – an important message for anyone who might ignore the rules.

In another case heard on 10 September, Broe LONERGAN of Karratha was fined $2,000 for failing to state his name and principal place of residence.

He had been questioned by FMOs at a Dampier boat ramp two days before Christmas in 2012 and the court was told Lonergan had stated false particulars in order to avoid receiving a fine.

A check of his catch found an undersize coral trout, which was able to be returned to the water on the day, but in court this week Lonergan was given a fine and additional penalty of $1,450 for having possession of the fish, which at 42cm was totally protected.

Mr Dunne said size limits were very important, as most fishers recognised.

“The size limits allow fish to reach maturity to complete their breeding cycle, which is vital for the future of high-risk demersal species, which are long-lived and slow-growing,” he said. “The minimum legal size for coral trout is 45cm.”

For all of his offences, Lonergan was ordered to pay a total of $3,579.35.

For More Information On WA Fisheries Rules & Regs:

WA Recreational Fishing Rules

Healthy shark populations may aid the recovery of coral reefs whose futures are threatened throughout the globe, according to a new study from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).

The link has been found by long-term monitoring of reefs off Australia’s northwest coast, and showed that where shark numbers were lower due to fishing, herbivores – important fishes in promoting reef health – were also significantly lower in number.

“At first glance the result might seem strange”, says Dr Mark Meekan, Principal Researcher at AIMS and co-author of the publication that appears today in the scientific journal, PLOS ONE.

“However, our analysis suggests that where shark numbers are reduced we see a fundamental change in the structure of food chains on reefs. We see increasing numbers of mid-level predators – such as snappers – and a reduction in the numbers of herbivores – such as parrotfishes. The parrotfishes are very important because they eat the algae that would otherwise overwhelm young corals on reefs recovering from natural disturbances,” he adds.

The study comes at an opportune time in the life of coral reefs, which are facing a number of pressures both from direct human-activity, such as over-fishing, and from climate change, as explained by lead author, Dr Jonathan Ruppert, of the University of Toronto.

According to Dr Ruppert: “The reefs we studied are about 300 kilometres off the coast of northwest Australia and the only human impacts are Indonesian fishers who primarily target sharks, a practice stretching back several centuries, which continues under an Australian-Indonesian memorandum of understanding. These reefs provided us with a unique opportunity to isolate the impact of over-fishing of sharks on reef resilience, and assess that impact in the broader context of climate change pressures threatening coral reefs.”

Dr Meekan adds: “On reefs where sharks are fished we found much lower numbers of herbivorous – algae eating – fishes, providing evidence that over-fishing sharks can have detrimental knock-on effects at least for some species further down the food chain. With many of the changes from a warming climate already locked in, there may be little we can do to prevent increased frequency of disturbances on coral reefs in the near future.”

“However, this is not case with the loss of reef sharks,” he says.

“Tracking studies show that in many cases individual reef sharks are closely attached to certain coral reefs, so even relatively small marine protected areas could be an effective way to protect the top-level predators, which may ultimately mean that coral reefs are better able to recover from coral bleaching or large cyclones. This makes the declines that are occurring in reef sharks due to overfishing throughout the world of great concern, because our study shows that a healthy reef means healthy populations of sharks,” Meekan concludes. 

Title of paper:  Caught in the middle: combined impacts of shark removal and coral loss on the fish communities of coral reefs.

Authors:  Jonathan Ruppert, Michael Travers, Luke Smith, Marie-Josée Fortin and Mark Meekan.

For More Information:

Read The Full Article Here

Roads and Maritime Services Boating Safety Officers (BSOs) will be out in force at boat ramps across NSW from Saturday 21 September with zero tolerance to be shown to boaters not observing lifejacket laws.

Roads and Maritime XXX said Operation Ramp Check will be carried out before the official start of the boating season to ensure boaters are educated and aware of key boating safety requirements as they launch and retrieve boats.

“Boaters must be prepared and understand changes to boating legislation introduced in November 2010 before heading out on the water.

“BSOs will carry out safety checks to educate boaters on lifejacket and other safety equipment, boat ramp etiquette and ensuring navigation lights are correctly fitted.

“Boaters will be reminded authorities have switched to zero tolerance mode when it comes to ignoring lifejacket rules and penalties will apply.

“The zero tolerance follows the last two boating season campaigns which reminded boaters lifejackets need to be worn more often and in more situations, depending the boating activity, size of the boat and age of the person. Just like seatbelts must be worn in a car, boaters need to understand lifejackets save lives.

“Lifejackets must be in good condition and either worn or available, depending on circumstances, easily accessible as be the right size for each person on board.

“Boaters need to ensure lifejackets are worn in times of heightened risk, regardless of the size and type of vessel.

“Just like the campaign says, a lifejacket never ruined a day on the water. If in doubt, wear one.

“Boaters are also reminded there will be increased activity on Sydney Harbour from 3 to 11 October for the International Fleet Review,” XXX said.

For more information:

Boating Safety:

Roads and Maritime Services has issued an alert after a Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warning about dangerous surf conditions continuing tomorrow for the NSW coast south from Ulladulla.

Skippers and owners of small craft should be on high alert and check the conditions before considering crossing a coastal bar or heading offshore.

Rock fishers should also check weather forecasts before heading out to decide whether it is safe to fish near dangerous surf.

Strong winds can also cause dangerous conditions for vessels on moorings which have been poorly maintained.

Every skipper is responsible for the safety of their vessel and all on board. Roads and Maritime advises skippers to:

• Check the official weather forecast before and during boating
• Ensure the boat and its equipment is suitable for the conditions
• Log on/off with a Marine Rescue NSW marine radio base for every trip offshore
• Wear a lifejacket.

For more information:

Offshore boating safety:
Lifejackets:
Live vision of bar crossings:
Official forecast:
Boating safety images:

NSW Government Transport: Roads & Maritime Services

Boaters are advised sand dredging will take place in the navigation channel near Ettalong Beach at Brisbane Water from Monday, 16 September.

Roads and Maritime Services Maritime Acting Manager Operations Hawkesbury River/Broken Bay Darryl Lennox said work by Gosford City Council to deepen the channel to improve navigation and renourish the beach will be carried out until to the end of November, weather permitting.

“The dredging will be carried out from sunrise to sunset and forms part of renourishment work underway in the area,” Mr Lennox said.

“During dredging work, the navigation channel next to Ettalong Beach between Ettalong Beach Wharf and Kourung Street will be closed to marine traffic.”

“Skippers should use the main navigation channel between Half Tide Rocks and Wagstaffe and exercise caution when navigating near work vessels.”

“The dredge will display day shapes and lights at night to alert boaters work is under way.”

“Boaters are reminded to observe safety advice from boating safety and police officers, to maintain a safe distance and speed from the work and producing wash which impacts on work is an offence,” Mr Lennox said.

For more information on boating safety, go to www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime

CONTACT: Roads and Maritime Services Media Unit:  8588 5999 

New fishing tips book out now

Popular host of Fishing Australia Rob Paxevanos outlines his top tips for the beginner (or developing) angler.

Like most things, the devil is in the detail when it comes to fishing. It’s all about choosing the right hook, line, bait and position. It’s about learning how to berley, polaroid, cast off and tie a knot that won’t untie.

For nearly two decades, Rob Paxevanos – star of WIN’s Fishing Australia – has been perfecting the fine detail, and showing others how to do the same. Australian Fishing Basics brings together years of expertise and the kind of knowledge needed to turn enthusiastic beginners into expert anglers. And it’s not just sweating the small stuff. Rob provides an overview of how to confidently go after Australia’s most popular catches, including flathead, golden perch, trout and barramundi.

Fully illustrated with hundreds of photographs, including step-by-step instructions for the fiddly techniques, Australian Fishing Basics is an exuberant and accessible guide to achieving fishing success everywhere and every time.

About the author:

Rob is the host of WIN Television’s Fishing Australia, a popular series broadcast around regional Australia and on Channel 9, the Imparja and the NBN networks.

He has over twenty years’ experience as an angler and is lucky enough to have fished extensively from the mountains to the sea and beyond.

Rob is a writer and consultant for leading Australian fishing magazines and a guest writer for overseas fishing, sporting and travel magazines. Additionally, he has a weekly column with the Rural Press network of newspapers in Australia.

Broadcasting around Australia from October 2013

Black Run Productions in association with Creative Media, are pleased to announce an all new fishing program, hosted by well-known fishing personality Lee Rayner. Fishing Edge will be broadcast on One HD around Australia from Sat 26th October 2013 at 5pm.

Lee Rayner is no new comer to television. Initially, Lee co-hosted ‘Rex Hunt’s Fishing Adventures’ where he worked for 5 years until the program finished in 2004.

For the last four years Lee has hosted and co-produced the outdoors and fishing program ‘Adventure Bound’ which has been seen on Foxtel and other networks around Australia and New Zealand.

Fishing Edge is a true, down to earth fishing program that travels the length and breadth of Australia visiting some of the country’s most remote and beautiful places.

In creating the Fishing Edge concept, Lee and series producer, Andrew Clark, have continued to build on the popular format which they developed on Adventure Bound over the past four years.

Fishing Edge places an emphasis on the DIY aspects of fishing and takes viewers on a journey to the locations featured. This certainly isn’t the easiest way of producing a program like this, but the end result is a show that viewers can easily relate to and has proven to be very popular.

The first Fishing Edge series will showcase many fantastic locations around the country in pursuit of highly prized fishing species. Lee and the crew will chase everything from large off shore snapper out of Lakes Entrance Victoria, hard fighting long tail tuna at Port Stephens NSW, barramundi in the remote rivers of Melville Island NT through to big brown trout in the freezing conditions of the Snowy Mountains. Plus a whole lot more. It is a journey not to be missed!

For updates visit their Facebook page: Fishing Edge