Fish Responsibly

Over the years of beach fishing in my local area I have gradually simplified things to a minimalist state. In WA we use a burley blob (float) to attract the fish.  Flotation is necessary as we often fish over reefs. Over the years I have gone from using pollard mixed with fish oil and maybe a few drops of aniseed to dry bread crumbs mixed with a little olive or canola oil and a few drops of aniseed.  I graduated from there to bread crumbs with a few drops of olive or canola oil to bind and preserve the bread crumbs.  A bucket of this burley lasts for weeks without deteriorating. The bread crumbs was the least messy I could find.  I reduced additives to be environmentally responsible and to take out any risk of attracting sharks to nearby swimming beaches. I never clean fish at the beach as I don't want to put fishy remains into the ocean. One of my favourite beaches is also a beach for walking dogs free of leads.  I had a small raised table that carried my...

Nice quiet afternoon, wind okay, no seaweed.  I'm off after my dozen herring (bag limit).  Hope I don't catch any Southern Gharfish as it will be a banned bycatch that I will try to return with minimum trauma to the ocean. Still worried that they will be harmed as I try to return them.  Scales come off when handled and they often swallow the hook and have to be put down to retrieve the hook. I'm not throwing dead fish back into the water as there is a nearby swimming beach.  I will have to throw them in the bin as I leave the beach. Please support a raise of ban to 6 per fisher.  Still think this will allow stocks to replenish and stop returning harmed Gharfish to the ocean. I should add that I would rather eat Gharfish than herring.  I have worked out a way to fillet them that leaves a nice splayed fillet with no bones. I don't use the bottle rolling method.  Just need a sharp thin bladed filleting knife. Best to fillet after the have been gutte...