Former fishermen tell of declining catches

Updated February 11, 2013 11:52:05

Retired fishermen have told Environment Tasmania that today's catches are nothing like the overflowing nets of the past.

Ten former fishermen were interviewed for the organisation's new film project, Stories of the Sea.

Bob Drysdale, a former commercial fisherman, says while visitors are lured to the island state with the promise of abundant low-priced seafood, it is nothing like it used to be.

"A new fisherman goes out on a boat to catch fish nowadays he sees it as it is," he said.

"If he knew the way it was 20 years ago he'd be saying 'something's happened here and its got to stop'." 

Recreational fisher Phyllis Elliot remembers when fishing on the beach with a net would haul a massive feast.

"I've known the time when we've had too many fish in the net that we couldn't pull it in it was too heavy. We've had to empty some of the fish out of the net before we could pull it up on the beach," she said.

While fishermen today often get five or six crayfish to a pot, retired commercial fisherman Vern Cuthbertson says he used to pull in 70.

"We'd move to another ground if we didn't get 40 score, 80 dozen in a day "

Diver and underwater photographer Mick Barron wants today's young people to realise how different the undersea world is becoming.

"At the moment they have no idea," he said.

"At the moment they think its normal to see a fish, two fish swimming around say in Fortescue Bay, jump off the beach there and say, 'oh I saw a parrot fish'.

"But going back 25 years you'd have boar fish, you'd have cod, you'd have many dozens of parrot fish swimming around."

He says the massive improvement in the gear recreational fishermen use means they can now five times as many fish.

Rebecca Hubbard from Environment Tasmania directed the film and she wants other people to share their sea stories.

"We'll be using the Stories From The Sea project more as a form of engagement and education with the community and that, of course, includes politicians," she said.

"But we really want to open it up for other people to share their stories and their experiences then to share that with the broader community and the younger generations so people can really fully understand why we need to protect our marine environment and fisheries as well."

Topics: rural, fishing-aquaculture, environment, australia

First posted February 11, 2013 11:13:56