ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

They were small by anyone’s reckoning.
Should be still wearing nappies said Mick.
And to think we import ’em and sell ’em.
It’s enough to make a man sick.

They don’t rock and roll ‘till they’re almost three.
And I reckon they’re nowhere near that.
What kind of a system allows you to keep ’em?
And sell ’em? Can’t understand that.

We belong to a global fraternity
with sons, daughters, grand kids who wish,
that when they inherit the waters,
there’ll still be a reason to fish.

So I guess that the moral of this little verse
is don’t just go wandering past.
If you think someone’s making a rort of the rules,
Walk around the counter and give ‘em a good kick up the khyber

That reminds me of something I heard on the radio the other day Wazza regarding the size of Murray Cod that can be caught and kept. I can't remember the figures but it was longer in one state than the other (ie NSW and Victoria) and of course any fish caught on the Victorian bank of the Murray river are considered to have been caught in NSW. The problem is when people catch fish in one state where the legal size is smaller and then go across the border and get checked. The fishery man suggested that they take a photo of themselves with their fish to prove they caught it in that state. I can just imagine fisher folk with undersized fish all lining up at the sign outside the pub on the small fish side for photos to prove that's the state they caught it in.

Never gonna happen

Oh dear incitement to violence

Book 'im Danno!

Every fisherman or woman should look after the fish stocks. You only take what you need.

Bob

I've seen people sitting on the groynes in Freo and putting all their undersized fish through a mincer - a bit hard to measure then.
I believe they use them for making fish sauces and such like.

Cheers Terry

I'm sure that the majority of serious recreational fisherman abide by the bag and size limits. Perhaps a few holiday fishermen/women might take the occasional undersize fish, but seeing these in a refrigerated cabinet with a price ticket makes a mockery of the legislation.
Wazza

I don't like fish soups or sauces Terry.

Fish Soup

There’s a Taiwanese Aussie. A cobber of Mick’s
who cooks like you wouldn’t believe.
We’ve shared with his family a number of times
and the tucker’s so good we’re the last ones to leave.

When we’re fishing and we get a bag full of bream,
or snapper, or flathead, or jew.
Mick says “Better keep a few extra,
‘cause I promised me mate one or two.

And don’t throw your heads away Wazza.
He loves ’em I’ll give you the scoop.
With bacon and onion and chilli and wine
he creates this amazing fish soup.”

“Good luck to him Mick.” I quickly reply.
As you know - I’m a fish eating fool.
I love sandies and muddies and Moreton Bay Bugs,
but fish soup? That just isn’t cool.

Do you know how they make fish sauce, maybe you don't want to know.

I was fishing today and saw a young bloke throwing a cast net continuously and most of what he was catching got gobbled up by the gulls.


I love people who say " we used to catch heaps of fish here now there are none " DUH. I wonder why.

Bob