New measures to safeguard stingrays

[4liters]

These people will continue to pressure fisheries on other species. Soon it will be Makos, threshers bronzies and on it will go.

Basically skates, rays are a by catch when people are fishing for other species, so it is almost impossible not to catch them, so the only way to stop people from catching them is too stop people from fishing,

they aren't trying to stop people from catching them, they're trying to stop people from killing them. i don't think anyone cares if they are bought up as bycatch as long as they are released safely

[re-tyred]

There are people who target rays to eat. Why is it not ok to eat a ray, but ok to eat a shark?
I have interacted with the people behind this and they don't want you to eat any fish or animal and they want to impose their ideas on everyone...

[re-tyred]

They don't want you to catch them either, but so far have not been able to get fisheries to ban all fishing from jetties.

[cobby]

There are people who target rays to eat. Why is it not ok to eat a ray, but ok to eat a shark?
I have interacted with the people behind this and they don't want you to eat any fish or animal and they want to impose their ideas on everyone...

This is ultimately what the want, especially around piers.

As a justifiable retaliation I implore everyone to document every instance divers break the law or are just general arseholes. They legally have to have a flag, even at piers which barely any of them do. And in a lot of my experiences at Mornington and blairgowie especially, they will purposely cut and/or tangle lines of anglers. Send all evidence to transport safety Victoria, parks and the police outlining your call for diving activities to be banned within 400m of man made structures as they're a risk to themselves and hamper the enjoyment of public structures on the rest of the public.

It's about time the terrorists had a taste of their own medicine

[frozenpod]

Just so you are all aware this was posted on facebook.

The facebook action group has almost 700 members.


URGENT CALL TO ACTION! PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE DIRECTLY TO FISHERIES.

Today is a MILESTONE in our campaign for ray protection. Fisheries Victoria have now officially released their draft Fisheries Notice for a 8 week broad consultation period. The proposed regulatory changes are:

* Reduce bag limit on rays, skates and guitarfish from 5 to 1
* Ban on taking rays within 400 mtrs of piers, jetties, etc
* Ban on taking rays over 1.5 mtrs

YOUR IMPORTANT TASK! We believe this proposal a definite win for rays in Victoria, and members of ALL stakeholder groups are being asked to submit their responses. WE NEED TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT TO PUSH THIS 'RAY BAN' THROUGH. Whether you have already written letters in the past or have been saving your efforts for the Grand Finale, NOW is the time and YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

ACTION: PLEASE WRITE AN EMAIL ASAP expressing your opinion on this proposal (send to: joanne.klemke@ecodev.vic.gov.au) either SUPPORTING the proposed changes which might be seen as a win-win for all stakeholders OR asking for a bag limit of zero. (Alternatively you can express any other viewpoint that represents your stance on this issue.)

WE ARE NEAR THE FINISH LINE AND NEED TO FINISH STRONGLY - EVERY VOICE COUNTS! We are ONLY at this point due to the numbers of individuals who have cared enough to speak out on this issue. WE NEED AS MANY EMAILS OF SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE!

ACTION: PLEASE ask your friends / social networks to do the same. You can either SHARE from the Fisheries Victoria FB page or the consultation page in the comments below.

Please let us know when you have sent your email and feel free to discuss the proposal in the comments below. #raysawareness #nearlythere

[frozenpod]

There are people who target rays to eat. Why is it not ok to eat a ray, but ok to eat a shark?
I have interacted with the people behind this and they don't want you to eat any fish or animal and they want to impose their ideas on everyone...

This is ultimately what the want, especially around piers.

As a justifiable retaliation I implore everyone to document every instance divers break the law or are just general arseholes. They legally have to have a flag, even at piers which barely any of them do. And in a lot of my experiences at Mornington and blairgowie especially, they will purposely cut and/or tangle lines of anglers. Send all evidence to transport safety Victoria, parks and the police outlining your call for diving activities to be banned within 400m of man made structures as they're a risk to themselves and hamper the enjoyment of public structures on the rest of the public.

It's about time the terrorists had a taste of their own medicine

I wasn't aware that they needed a flag when near a pier but I have seen the same in terms of cutting lines.

[Bayrock]

It doesn't include any extra policing or penalties. It just outlaws landbased fisherman from taking ray's anywhere but from a beach or rocky outcrop essentially.

Those same people that do stupid cruel sh*t now will continue to do so.

X2
Punishing the law-abiding angler serves no purpose.

[yepi'mon]

From my knowledge bag limits are there to protect fish stocks, ensuring that individual species aren't overfished in our waters.

In regards to Banjo's, there are only few fisherman who actually take these... this means there is limited pressure on the species from fishing so a bag limit on them isn't going to really achieve anything other than restrict the fisho who does target them.

If someone in the past has killed a banjo or mutilated it because it simply ate their bait then I would be pretty confident in saying that they would also have little regard for a bag limit or that they may have caught the animal of a pier. I can't see them having their way with their first banjo and releasing the rest to avoid a fine for going over the limit......

Money would be better spent educating fisho's on these animals and the benefits they provide in keeping our fisheries alive and well. You don't treat something that you respect and understand poorly.

In the meantime it wouldn't hurt for fisheries to have more of a presence around jetties and piers to enforce/educate.

[cheaterparts]

From my knowledge bag limits are there to protect fish stocks, ensuring that individual species aren't overfished in our waters.

In regards to Banjo's, there are only few fisherman who actually take these... this means there is limited pressure on the species from fishing so a bag limit on them isn't going to really achieve anything other than restrict the fisho who does target them.

Money would be better spent educating fisho's on these animals and the benefits they provide in keeping our fisheries alive and well. You don't treat something that you respect and understand poorly.

In the meantime it wouldn't hurt for fisheries to have more of a presence around jetties and piers to enforce/educate.

every season there are those even fishermen themselves that say the Snapper bag is to high and taking them through there breading times should be closed - however fisheries go to great lengths to make sure that the bag limits are sustainable

how do you think it would go down if they took the approach of bowing down to the uneducated and bought in 1 snapper a day no catching them off piers and so on

so is the bag on rays is 5 per day sustainable ? if it is I see no reason to reduce the bag - should any species be banned from being targeted from a pier come guys think about it
there are many fishos that only land base . so are you telling them they are to be treated differently to other fishing platforms ( what if the ban were for all kayak fishing instead or boat cos they may be able to hunt more of these creatures )

you may say it would make no difference as you don,t take rays ( I don't ether they are let go a soon as I can release them ) but I don't really take many snapper and really don't target them except foe the Tea Tree Comp ( or the Hobsons Bay Comp this year ) does that mean I should agree that no one else targets these poor quality table fish

and finally will it stop those F/Wits that kill fish/rays and chuck them back I doubt it and lets face it thats the problem not the bag limit or the hooking and catching them land based on piers it's the guys that dont follow the rules that are allready in place

the simple fact if you are not going to use the fish ( on the table or for bait ) it should go back with the least amount of harm to that fish - and if the rules can't be enforced now what difference will a change of bag limit make

[Paul Foot]

This is a good move from Fisheries in that it is simply not a good look for fisherman to have people killing and maiming big rays that hang around piers. Education and enforcement of catch and release around piers is also important as non-fisherpeople don't like seeing dead and discarded fish.

The rest is just fluff, they are not endangered, not many people keep and eat them but obviously there are pricks who will kill them and throw them away.