GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

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Windknot
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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by Windknot » Wed Oct 31, 2018 7:05 pm

re-tyred wrote:If the argument is that the fish are over fished then it is time to reduce the bag limit from 10 to 5 and close the rivers during spawning. The recreational catch is much greater than the commercial catch of bream.
In addition to the above maybe they should also apply a slot limit as well, where everything under 30 cm and over 40 cm must be released unharmed, along the lines of the Dusky Flathead slot regulations. Everyone knows our bream fishing is going downhill, so why do the authorities stick with the outdated regulations that so obviously aren't working?

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by ratbag » Wed Oct 31, 2018 7:31 pm

Windknot wrote: In addition to the above maybe they should also apply a slot limit as well, where everything under 30 cm and over 40 cm must be released unharmed, along the lines of the Dusky Flathead slot regulations. Everyone knows our bream fishing is going downhill, so why do the authorities stick with the outdated regulations that so obviously aren't working?
I raised this as an option at the duskysymposium & was knocked down as a stupid idea. ....would be too difficult to enforce they said, would impact on the tourism market for lakes.....

Interesting to see only a few months on & it’s still one of the best options available
quid est quod eum

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by cobby » Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:02 pm

ratbag wrote:
Windknot wrote: In addition to the above maybe they should also apply a slot limit as well, where everything under 30 cm and over 40 cm must be released unharmed, along the lines of the Dusky Flathead slot regulations. Everyone knows our bream fishing is going downhill, so why do the authorities stick with the outdated regulations that so obviously aren't working?
I raised this as an option at the duskysymposium & was knocked down as a stupid idea. ....would be too difficult to enforce they said, would impact on the tourism market for lakes.....

Interesting to see only a few months on & it’s still one of the best options available
What did you expect? 300 self centred ignorant people vs 10....

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by ango » Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:47 pm

As I said, there are things that could be changed and things that won't be. Why does anyone need to keep 10 bream? for sure the limit could be reduced to 5 and a slot limit introduced, say only fish between 30 & 35 cm could be kept, bream are a slow growing fish, it takes them about a decade to reach 30cm. I would think the commercial guys should be keen for a buy out because with declining catches there won't be much of a living for them in a few years anyway.
Cheers
Ango.

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by Fishbref » Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:56 pm

re-tyred wrote:If the argument is that the fish are over fished then it is time to reduce the bag limit from 10 to 5 and close the rivers during spawning. The recreational catch is much greater than the commercial catch of bream.
It is? Would'na thunk...

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by fishnut » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:50 pm

I've got only question about the water flow into gippsland lakes and black bream,how many rivers or creeks flow into lake tyers to maintain a healthy bream /population
Just a thought

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by frozenpod » Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:56 am

Fishbref wrote:
re-tyred wrote:If the argument is that the fish are over fished then it is time to reduce the bag limit from 10 to 5 and close the rivers during spawning. The recreational catch is much greater than the commercial catch of bream.
It is? Would'na thunk...
Rec catch of black bream is 4-5 times higher than commercial catch.

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by frozenpod » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:00 am

fishnut wrote:I've got only question about the water flow into gippsland lakes and black bream,how many rivers or creeks flow into lake tyers to maintain a healthy bream /population
Just a thought
Black bream need just the right levels salinity to spawn.

I don't think lake tyres is comparable as the entrance isn't always open.

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by purple5ive » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:18 am

re-tyred wrote: Commercial Lake fishers only fish the lakes not the rivers. The black bream live in the rivers these days not in the lake.
i dont live there, you do. so you know the place a lot better.
But it doesnt help when the netters string nets across the river mouth when the spawning fish are around and taking the breeding stock. i know they have to also live, but saying they dont take from the river is Not true when they do **** like that.

im all for reducing the bag, introducing a ban on taking spawning fish (closed season) and also a size limit on the big fish like the duskies.(not sure if this i proven yet on the bream)

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Re: GIVING THE GIPPSLAND LAKES BACK TO RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

Post by re-tyred » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:39 am

The rivers that enter the Gippsland Lakes are effectively like the small estuaries, Lake tyers, tamboon etc. when too much water comes down them they push the bream out into the saltier lake, as the river flow decreases the correct salt level once again enters the tidal part of the river and the bream follow back in. When river flows were higher then the bream were able to breed in the lake. Now they don't. The smaller estuaries close during low river flows and keep most of the salt out. When they flood the entrance breaks out and lets the excess fresh out and some salt back in, restoring the balance.

Contrary to popular thought the Gippsland Lakes very rarely closed before the entrance was constructed. It just became shallow and wide. This meant it was reported as closed to shipping. The design of the rock wall entrance was that is would restrict the width by stabilising the sand. This restricted width would cause higher current speed and scour the depth out. They simply didn't understand that once that scoured sand got into the ocean it would settle and form an ocean bar. A wide shallow bar once again restricting shipping. The dredging is to cut a channel through the ocean bar. No changes have been made to the constructed channel since it was built in 1868-1888. Bream populations started to fall in the 1980s and have continued to there present stable level. Bream bred very well in the lakes in the 1960s 1970s, when Victoria's population was less than half its current amount. As we grew in population we took more water and screwed the breeding of bream in the Lake.


The commercial fishers long ago realised that bream were getting scarce in the Lakes and being intelligent clever resourceful business people they change to suit the situation. As I said before they mostly catch Prawn Taylor Carp and EUROPEAN SHORE CRAB. Once the fishos are gone these will be more plentiful. The crabs along with swans destroy the sea grass. There is now almost no seagrass left.

I expect that over the next few decades the Lakes system will become a salt water estuary and slowly more and more salt water species will enter. I hope that something might find the European shore crabs tasty. Perhaps gummies will like them.

I for one do not expect to catch bream in the Lakes except on rare occasions when the rivers flood. Without the 10 commercials I think the lakes system will continue to go down hill in terms of bream fishing.
If you want to catch fish in the Lakes think in terms of Taylor, whiting etc as there are good numbers at certain times of the year, also maybe you should start to catch crabs too.
I have not had a donuts in the Lake in the last three months.
Last edited by re-tyred on Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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