Fish bites: Vic snapper fisher turns $315 fine into $1600 hip-pocket hit
Garmin ups fish hunt; coral fish spawnA Victorian man who ventured into South Australian waters to fish for snapper earlier this year has been hit with more than $1500 in fines after fighting the state’s new seasonal closure in court.
South Australia has taken drastic action to protect its dwindling snapper stocks by introducing statewide closures that run from November to february each year.
The SA Department of Primary Industries and Industry said the 38-year-old man from just across the border in Mumbannar was seen taking snapper from Jones Bay, near Cape Douglas, in February.
The man was initially issued with a $315 on-the-spot fine, but elected to take the matter to court where he was slapped with $1685 in fines and costs, and convicted of taking snapper in contravention of the seasonal closure.
South Australia has introduced a three-year total ban on snapper fishing for the Spencer Gulf, West Coast and Gulf St Vincent waters, which last year ran from November 1 until January 31.
Controlled snapper fishing is permitted in south east waters during the non-spawning period between February and October each year.
Snapper in the state can only be caught during the open season as part of a ballot system that limits the number of snapper that recreational fishers can take each year.
The department said it would finalise its snapper management arrangements for next year “in the coming weeks”.
Garmin expands 1000kHz transducer range
Marine electronic group Garmin has introduced two new transducers to its range that enhance the scanning capabilities of Garmin fishfinders.
The new GT56 and GT36 transducers help to provide the “clearest and highest-resolution” sonar images, Garmin said.
“They [the GT56 and GT 36] offer UHD ClearVu and SideVu scanning sonar, so anglers can see stunningly clear images of structure and fish below and off to the sides of their boat,” it said.
“What’s more, Garmin’s UHD SideVu sonar now has 20 per cent greater range at 1000kHz, so anglers can scan waters further and in greater detail than ever.”
This is on top of the standard 455kHz and 800kHz scanning frequencies.
Garmin said the new transducers were compatible with its GPSMAP 8400xsv and 8600xsv series, the new GPSMAP 7x3, 9x3 and 12x3 “sv” chartplotters, as well as the ECHOMAP Ultra series and the ECHOMAP UHD “sv” chartplotters
Queensland’s coral reef fin fish off the menu
The second of Queensland’s two closed seasons for coral reef fin fish has started this week and will remain closed until November 17.
The closure coincides with the new moon when key coral fish species including emperors, cods, groupers, coral trout and snapper gather in large numbers to spawn.
Studies show October and November are the most effective months for closures to protect coral reef fin fish.
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