It is with great dismay that I'm seeing these literal hordes of "recreational" fishers literally overrunning Nth Qld.
Every second vehicle is towing a dinghy with fishing rods protruding. The drastically reduced fish life on the reef is a very depressing sight yet "recreational" fishing is pushed on every TV Channel several times a week. Barbed hooks are still allowed ?? Are our authorities really so disengaged ? Are people really so disengaged ? Recreational shooting which helps keep down the numbers of feral animals is frowned upon yet the killing of marine life is promoted on TV ?
Isn't it time for a very serious mentality check ?

Indyvidual,

Thank you for raising this topic for discussion.
And your concern is understandable. Most of us
Aussies love our seafood. And I guess we just take it
for granted. Not stopping to think about the damage that
could be happening.

The health of both of our commercial and recreational
fishing industries rely on healthy, well-managed fisheries
resources. This not only means the health of the fish species
upon which the industries depend but also on the health
of the fish habitats and or our freshwater and maritime
environments in general - good management is vital.

You've rightly pointed out the fact that the enormous
popularity of recreational fishing can contribute to both over
fishing and the destruction of vital fish habitat.

However anglers can help preserve fish
populations and fish habitats by taking care not to damage
the environment, by understanding and complying with
fishing regulations, by bag and size limits and by taking no
more than they need and quickly returning fish back into the
water.

The trick is to get them to comply.

I'm not an expert on this subject but applicable hefty fines
for any transgressions might help.

The various commonwealth and state fisheries agencies need
to have stronger control and use their powers to stop the
damage being done - or the day may well come when we won't
have the pleasure of enjoying our seafood on our diner tables.

66% of the seafood eaten by Australians is imported.
The industry is worth around 3.5 billion dollars and employs just under 20,000 people.
Fish sources are healthy and 85% sustainable.

Hundreds of foreign boats take fish from Australian waters without being caught, Australian governments preferring to pick on their own recreational anglers, families and kids, rather than developing the balls to deal with foreigners and protect Australia's waters.

The industry is well managed, 7 new species of fish have been discovered this year.

It all depends where you get your information, but anything politicians and dystopian bureaucrats say has to be viewed with suspicion.

I don't f fish, but the people who do, for fun and food, should be left alone.

Indyvidual,

I agree. You’ve highlighted a massive double-standard there.

Just imagine the outcry there would be if people used a big barbed hook to reel in feral (let alone native) land animals in similar proportions!

I guess the visibility and cuddliness that fish lack compared to land animals makes us feel like it’s okay.

Totally agree with you Indy, you have highlighted something that is a problem. In NSW there is that nut job political party The Shooters, Hooters and Fishers Party (whatever there current name is) who advocate for total destruction of wild life by their hoons and goons supporters! No joy for what you want when the LNP wins office here in Qld next month.

My point is, what is so "recreational" in catching fish & disrupting the breeding cycles ? For fun ??
Yes, officially there are size & bag limits & protected species but reality as witnessed by myself showed that more fish are badly injured & killed than are being brought back as shown in trophy photos. The reason for this are barbed hooks & size limits & plain human greed. There are people who use several lines at the same time & I'd like to have it explained how watching three or four lines whilst holding a rod is "recreational ?
Fish a centimetre shorter than the size limit have their throats ripped out by the barbed hooks & "released" whilst already more dead than alive with no chance to survive & breed.
Why on earth the Environmentalists & Greens & animal lovers don't argue for a ban on barbed hooks is beyond me. GBRMPA & Fisheries seem to not show any leadership in this either.
Believe me when I tell you that fish stocks on the reef are seriously low. Even protected reefs lack fish life in comparison to what we saw 40 years ago. Pollution obviously plays a part in that also. Mass tourism in the 80's & 90's saw the imact of sun screen lotion on the reef & that resulted in the drop in visitors to the reef.
Simply banning barbed hooks would almost instantly improve marine life ! Recreational fishers could simply squeeze the barb with pliers & that alone would save thousands of fish ! Stop importing barbed hooks !