Fish Shops

[Bear]

I've been doing a bit of looking around after a phone call I received from a concerned fisho last week.

Can someone tell me is shops are able to stock what is considered undersize fish for rec fishos.

Many thanks,

[panger]

I get peeved off when I go past fish shops too. Not only are they undersized, most of the time they are in crap condition. I wouldn't buy most fish from the fish shop because they aren't fresh.

Anyway, I'm not certain but I think those undersized fish get in under the pro's allowable by-catch.

[bubba]

Allowable by-catch is exactly how they get around the limits.

Bloody rediculous!!!

[Bear]

I think having fish under 200mm is just not on.

[Geoff R]

I think you'll find that the fish you have seen at the fish monger or in the deli section at your supermarket are FARMED.
I am pretty sure that if a fish is farmed you can produce it and sell it at any size.
At least I hope that's the situation

[panger]

That's true for a few species like barramundi and murray cod but others are definitely wild eg bream grow to slow to be viable farm species but you see undersized fish at the shop.

That is only half true Panger.
Bream do grow slow, but many farmers are still breeding them for farming purposes.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if the fish at the markets were undersize and fom nets though!

Dave

[scott]

dont most farmers who breed bream sell them as fingerlings, it isnt cost viable to raise them for too long

i was under the impression that mostly fast growing fish were farmed

if u havent already been to the freo aquaculture place, near the south mole, it is very cool and worthwhile....

Yeah thats true Scott. My dad works for calm and said that many southern regional farmers are building dams to breed bream in. Due to the high salinity, this is a very viable option for farmers. The professional fish farms (like Ocean Farm) have however stopped breeding bream for the fish market as you said!
For the Regional farmers, it is just another way to combat salinity!

Dave

[bubba]

My comments werent related to specific fish like Bream, but an overall.
Things like Bara, some Snapper, Bream and other "farmed" fish are certainly not counted in size limits.
Other things such as Nor-West Snapper, Emperor, Mullet etc etc are not farmed but there is still an "allowable" bycatch of small fish. These are generally classified as "Pan Sized"
We need an aquacultured society like Indonesia and Japan

[panger]

Out of interest what are the regional farmers do with their fish? Who would be buying fingerlings?

I'm not entirely sure what the Regional Farmers do witht heir bream. Its up to them. They can sell the fish to markets when they are big enough, breed them for fingerlings, make their dams open for impound fishing, etc.
I'm not sure. I'd say a lot would be doing it as an investment for retirement, and also to make use of the saline land which is otherwise useless!
Fingerlings are bought by the Govt for restocking purposes, and also by aquarists (like myself) who have them in their Aquariums.

[panger]

Just following the regional farmers opening their dams to impoundment fishing I wonder how bass would do in the salty water. They breed in salt after all, they'll grow faster (hopefully in salt), pull harder and take a wider variety of lures. Then you could have a WA bass tournament as well

I'm pretty sure Bass are also being bred in the dams, so it looks like we're in luck!!!

Dave