Fish bites: Are drones bad for fishing?

Under the planned rules, using drones would be banned for all fishing activities including rock fishing – a popular pastime in the state – and offshore.

The International Game Fish Association, which sets the global standards for what is acceptable when fishing for all manner of target species, determined in 2016 that the use of drones was allowed as long as the line can be released once the fish hooks up, as it does not give the angler an unfair advantage.

Using a drone for fishing in Australia is still something of a fringe activity that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which oversees private drone use in Australia, has given tacit approval to use in this way.

The authority even has a handy app that fishers can download to see if the area in which they want to fly their drone is not classed as a no-fly zone.

A NSW-based angler caught breaking catch limits twice in the space of 12 hours has copped a $2950 fine.

The man was first intercepted at Lake Illawarra South by NSW fisheries officers in possession of 256 cockles, in breach of a daily bag limit of 50 cockles, and a possession limit of just 20 cockles.

At the time, he was handed a pamphlet outlining NSW size and bag limits for saltwater species.

According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, fisheries officers patrolling Lake Illawarra caught up with the same man early the next day.

It said the man was found with 11 tarwhine – the daily bag limit is 10 – and a luderick, all of which were undersize.

Fisheries officers then searched the man’s vehicle and found a cast net, which is prohibited in NSW.

The man recently appeared before Port Kembla Local Court charged with a number of fish and gear-related fisheries offences. He was convicted and fined a total of $2950.

A number of annual fishing closures roll in from Sunday, May 1, 2022:

NSW kicks off its annual closure for Australian bass and estuary perch. Anglers are reminded that the annual zero bag limit for Australian bass and estuary perch will remain in place until 31 August, 2022.

In Tasmania, the recreational rock lobster season closes from Sunday 1 May for all rock lobster in the eastern region and females in the western region. The season for males in the western region remains open until August 31, 2022.

Victoria has added more than 10 million fish to the state’s waterways in the last year in its effort to encourage more of the state’s citizens to head outdoors.

The state is reinvesting around $35 million raised annually as part of a 2019 election promise to ensure every dollar handed to the government via fishing licences and other boating-related fees would go back into the sector.

The record restocking has included around 1 million Murray cod as part of the 8.1 million native Australian fish released, and 1.9 million trout and salmon.

The initiative has included reducing commercial netting in the Gippsland Lakes and removing it altogether from Port Phillip Bay, building a new fish hatchery and creating more fish habitats such as snags and artificial reefs.