Opera House Net Swap over program

[yellow door 1]

"Platypus Coffins" will soon be banned in all Victorian waters - you can swap them for more environmentally friendly nets.

Heres a list of participating stores

https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-...t-swap-program

https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-...y-fishing-gear

[yellow door 1]

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[Eastbrimin]

Great work i think.. I have personally pulled opera house nets from dams and creeks with dead platypus, and heaps of dead turtles.
And the new design looks just as good for thew yabbies

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by Eastbrimin

Great work i think.. I have personally pulled opera house nets from dams and creeks with dead platypus, and heaps of dead turtles.
And the new design looks just as good for thew yabbies

Yeah up at my Uncles vineyard, he noticed the Platypus in creek fed dam went missing - turns out seasonal workers were sneaking opera house nets in - Completely wiped them out.

[yellow door 1]

......http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-1...river/10221950

[mazman]

Found a few opera house nets in a small river I've seen platypus in before whilst trout fishing. Removed them from the water and converted them to open top nets while I was at it.

Working in a store that sold opera house nets it always amazed me that people still bought them even after being informed of the damage they can do. Really hope that having a suitable alternative will change that.

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by mazman

Found a few opera house nets in a small river I've seen platypus in before whilst trout fishing. Removed them from the water and converted them to open top nets while I was at it.

Working in a store that sold opera house nets it always amazed me that people still bought them even after being informed of the damage they can do. Really hope that having a suitable alternative will change that.

Yeah there are some yabby stocked, farm dams, along way from creeks or rivers that are never going to have platypus in them. I spose thats why its used to be legal.

And there had been attempts to change the design to make them more eco friendly such as 50mm entrance rings. But these would only kept larger stuff like turtles and mature platypus out.

But I bet those nets didnt sell as well as the ones with wider mouths to catch the huge crustaceans

[mr perch]

Originally Posted by Eastbrimin

Great work i think.. I have personally pulled opera house nets from dams and creeks with dead platypus, and heaps of dead turtles.
And the new design looks just as good for thew yabbies

I've used the new ones a fair bit and they most definitely don't catch as many yabbies ... They are good news for the platypus though

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by mr perch

I've used the new ones a fair bit and they most definitely don't catch as many yabbies ... They are good news for the platypus though

How long have you had the new ones?

[mr perch]

Originally Posted by yellow door 1

How long have you had the new ones?

Nearly 12 months and used 6 new ones and 6 old ones side by side ... the old operas out yabbied the new ones 10 to 1

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by mr perch

Nearly 12 months and used 6 new ones and 6 old ones side by side ... the old operas out yabbied the new ones 10 to 1

Ahhh - thats no good - Ahh well looks like the new nets will be good for Platypuses and Yabbies

[Ratbags]

I picked up 3 of the new nets on Friday, they are such a simple & sensible design, it’s taken a few years to get them in & the operas out. Best thing is they’re free to swap over

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by Ratbags

I Ickes up 3 of the new nets on Friday, they are such a simple & sensible design, it’s taken a few years to get them in & the operas out. Best thing is they’re free to swap over

Yeah depending on your style of fishing, the new nets could actually out fish the opera house nets under certain circumstances.

If you leave them in over night, the Operas would win - but if you were checking them every 15 mins, I'm assuming the open style would come into their own.

From the underwater go pro footage I've watched of Crab cage nets - the crabs often take a long time to find the entrance - where as with open style nets they are on the bait in an instant - so if you're a netter that cant sit still and always wants to check the nets - the new nets could prove more effective.

Just need a go pro to monitor how long it takes for yabbies to find the bait in you favourite water way - then find out how long they will sit on the bait before leaving - I wonder if the new nets would help weed out the little fellas as well - ie The bigger yabbies come in and scare the little fellas out - as opposed to an opera house net when everything stays trapped

I've got a clear shallow spot where I can run some tests with a stop watch - might give it a crack one balmy night.

Drop a chop in - see how long it takes them to come over - then check periodically to see how many yabbies are on the bait and see if the big fellas push the little blokes out

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by mr perch

Nearly 12 months and used 6 new ones and 6 old ones side by side ... the old operas out yabbied the new ones 10 to 1

I was trying to work out a scenario where the new nets would win and it occurred to me, that how often you checked the nets might be important.

In your side by side tests - how long were you letting the nets soak before checking and what times of day?

I'm also thinking about the impact eels, cormorants, fish, turtles, platypus and water rats might have on the success of open nets. Because in certain waters - depending on the amount of day time and night time predators - an open net would just be like a picnic basket for opportunistic predators

[mr perch]

Originally Posted by yellow door 1

I was trying to work out a scenario where the new nets would win and it occurred to me, that how often you checked the nets might be important.

In your side by side tests - how long were you letting the nets soak before checking and what times of day?

I'm also thinking about the impact eels, cormorants, fish, turtles, platypus and water rats might have on the success of open nets. Because in certain waters - depending on the amount of day time and night time predators - an open net would just be like a picnic basket for opportunistic predators

I nearly always leave them in overnight but on the occasions when they were checked early the results were still the same, predators are not an issue as the results never varied in any of the waters i tried .. with shags and turtles or without