Hey guys,

Was up at forest hill shops before and went to have a look at the seafood shop near the asian grocery store behind the foodcourt.. while looking around my jaw dropped at a pile of silver trevally sitting there, all about 18-20cm. The legal (recreational) size is 23cm.

Now tell me, do commercial fishermen have different size limits to rec fishers? Obviously they shouldn't have bag limits like ours, but why give any single group a minimum size limit, if others are free to take whatever they want?

And if they are the same, then shame on the wholesaler and the retailer for selling undersize fish. Also saw a kingfish that didn't quite look 60cm, but it's size was harder to judge...

Hi Tom,
yes from what I can recall the commercial sizes of fish species are quite different to our Recreational Fisho's catch sizes.

I know it's weird, but its just the way it is.
One point in their favour is when they drag up the nets or lines, what sizes are one them is out of their control and the fish are dead anyway. What's the point of throwing tons of smaller fish back if their dead...
I know its such a waste but not much we can do about it.

cheers
tacklenut

Btw~ the legal size for trevally is 20cm, it got lowered after commercial fishos had a whinge.

PSF - I am pretty show it went back to 21cm

Interesting that there is different size limits for commercial fishers.I guess it does make sense with them using different methods to fish making ir harder to release what would be undersized for us unharmed.

I couldn't help but notice all the Bream I saw in an local fishmongers cabinet the other day were well below legal recreation size,like 20-25cm.

I dont buy this. As someone whom has worked (only briefly) within the pro fishing industry I am firmly of the belief that release of fish this size is NOT a problem for the pro's. That can be easilly accomplished through use of correct net size. I believe this issue of pro's taking fish that would be considered undersize for rec fishos comes down to pure greed. Plain & simple.

Also, whilst pros continue to take these fish then you'll also find others willing to (illegaly) take undersize fish because they simply wont stomach the 'one law for them & another for us'.
The only way to get around this is to have uniform size limits for rec fishos & pro's alike. If taking fish under a certain size is not good consevation of the species then that's it, end of story. Good conservation does not mean it's ok for the species if pro's do it.
Bill.

Woah there nelly, I wasn't stating any facts,or saying I agree with it, you will notice I said "I GUESS it makes sense", just making a comment...

I in no way support the taking of undersize fish by anyone...

If they were yellowfin bream from the northern states the rec limit is something like 22 or 24cm, it cracks me up watching ABT when they have a bag of five fish which barely weighs 800 grams!

That doesn't surprise me, I've seen 9-10cm flathead at safeways before.