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    • By Plectropomus
      Fishing reefs up north we get a wide variety of small "bycatch" species, as well as undersized "targets" like coral trout and red emperor. Many are "blown", and few can "self-vent" (red emperor are notable for this ability). Much research has been done, with venting trials and cameras in cages, but not a huge amount of campaigning for public awareness exists in Qld at least.
      The NT Fisheries has posted a video showing hollow-gutted, feeble, golden snapper (in a cage) on the seabed after venting at the surface using a hollow needle. Their policy discourages catch and release of golden snapper and black jewfish for this reason, and they have no size limit on these fish...just a bag limit. In contrast, WA has legal minimum lengths and fishing stores there stock release weights for undersized dhufish and snapper. It is interesting to note that NSW research found that some small snapper recovered even when the swim-bladder was vented by poking a hole in the inverted stomach poking out the mouth.
      I had been using a venting needle made from a large gauge hypodermic needle, but it is a b...... to use properly, and the fish will be negatively buoyant when they reach the seabed.
      The Qld Fisheries advice is to poke the needle through the side of the fish up front, but it often blocks with skin or tissue. It is also easy to bend a needle on a big, leathery cod. The divers in the Coral Reef Aquarium Fishery carefully use a hypodermic needle behind the vent of the fish, with the fish in a bin of water (to squeeze the air out). You can see bubbles when you do this. They do fish as small as damsels (less than 10cm). 
      Some of the "flower pots" we catch are in the bommie cod family that can live for 45 years, or in the attractive wrasse family, so it is necessary to handle them well. When they "blow", with stomach poking out the mouth, they go stiff with tonic immobility and cannot swim. So spearing them back in does not work in deeper water. The worse the barotrauma the worse the "blow". 
      I have had recent success with DIY release weights. Basically an inverted, weighted hook of bent stainless TIG welding rod with a loop bent in the gape. You poke the longer, blunt end of the hook through the gill opening and out the mouth of the fish, then shoot it back down on a handline or clipped onto the swivel on your rig.
      The fish either recovers at depth and dashes off the hook, or you can just tug it back out. This way the fish gets back down into reef shelter fast and has its original  buoyancy intact.
      The only downside I have had is the fish sliding off before I get it in the water, so a longer hook worked better. That might be an issue with fish that keep thrashing when "blown". You'd probably need a besser block to get a groper back down!
      I reckon release of snapper affected by barotrauma will become an issue in deeper SA reefs, now they are off-limits for 3 years, so weights such as these could be worth carrying in deeper areas where "ruggers" are prevalent. Perhaps some sort of clip could be designed too??




    • By bjorn2fish
      Just a reminder that the SA snapper fishing closure starts today!
       
      A little info is included below from the PIRSA website and also info regarding the special closures which continue on from the 15th of December.
       
       
      In early 2011, PIRSA commenced a review of Snapper management arrangements in response to concerns about the future sustainability of the fishery as a result of increasing commercial fishing effort, and a concentration of targeted fishing activity on breeding aggregations by all fishing sectors – commercial, recreational and charter.
       
      A number of changes have been implemented through the review process to control the level of commercial impact on Snapper stocks and provide great protection to Snapper spawning aggregations. These include:
      A 15-day extension to seasonal Snapper fishing closure, which commenced for the commercial sector in 2012 and will apply to charter and recreational fishers from 2013. The annual state wide closure now applies from midday 1 November to midday 15 December annually.
      A commercial daily commercial catch limit of 500 kg was introduced across all South Australian waters, to control the level of commercial impact on Snapper stocks.
      Commercial fishers were also restricted to using 200 hooks on set lines (longlines) – reduced from 400 hooks – when operating in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent to assist in constraining Snapper catches to the 500 kg daily limit and minimising discarding of excess Snapper.

      In 2013, Snapper spawning spatial closures were introduced for the 2013/13 summer. The closures encompass five key breeding areas – four sites in Spencer Gulf and one site in Gulf St Vincent – the spatial closures will applied from midday 15 December 2013 to midday 31 January 2014. During this time all fishing sectors were prohibited from possessing, fishing for and taking Snapper within the four kilometre radius of each spatial closure area. These spatial closures are currently being reviewed for 2014/15 summer.
       
      More information about the Snapper spatial closure
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