Category: Fishing Industry


The octopus have not killed anyone lately – which is a wonder. It was almost an annual event years ago.  A common resident of Sydney Harbour these tiny octopus will kill a man with their bite.  The ‘victim’ dies quickly.  It is obviously very unwise to handle a live Blue Ring octopus.

The rings glow bright blue on the legs as a series of tiny disc-shaped circles rather than rings around the entire leg.

A science-themed story is contained in our FATHOM magazine No.3

http://fathomoz.com/archives/1101


Vic Ley was filmed by me  spearing this Black Cod in 1969 at Fish Rock, South West Rocks – now a sanctuary. The sequence appeared in my first film Aquarius – People and Wildlife of the Sea but was dropped from later editions.  Today it should be of interest to environmentalists.  Vic Ley remembers how prolific marine life use to be at this now famous scuba location.  New South Wales mid north coast.
Brian Davies was a professional fisherman, surfer and free diver who lived is a cabin at Seal Rocks, New South Wales.  His father was a local pioneer professional fisherman – a true man of the sea as was Brian.  Brian took a job in Japan which involved working with toxic chemicals.  A few years later, back in Australia his liver packed up and Brian passed away – just a short time after his father.

The young fellow takes a Rock Blackfish ashore for his father, Geoff ‘Boots’ Towner, our long term friend.

Conditions for ‘rock hopping’ are not ideal, as the picture illustrates.  A strong NE sea breeze has made the water choppy.

Early morning’s are a better bet for calm conditions although during bthe summer, the NE breeze starts early too.

Ron Taylor speared fish in the Capricorn and Bunker Group off the Queensland coast using Wally Muller’s Riversong as a mother ship. (Below) Ron Taylor and a Cook Island snapper at Tweed Heads in 1964

ABALONE: SYDNEY HARBOUR

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Abalone collected from low-tide rock pools by local resident A J “Tony” Flook

Just beyond the rocks in the background is where a fatal shark attack occurred many years ago. The north entrance to Port Jackson (Sydney Harbor) is in the far left background.

ABALONE IN THE NEWS
The (Australian) Victorian Abalone Divers Association (VADA) wants the State Government to prevent poachers from spreading an abalone virus along the south west coast.
The Association’s Vincent Gannon says poachers have been close to areas where \\ganglioneuritis\\ (the abalone virus) has been found.
The State Government has banned the collection of abalone along a 13-kilometer stretch of coast near Cape Otway to help stop the virus spreading further east
..

FLATHEAD

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The mouth is a slightly different shape, perhaps this is a tropical version of the species we call Flathead in Australia.

RED BREAM or SQUIRE,SNAPPER

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Almost the same in appearance to the New Zealand snapper – which is similar to the Australian version but not identical (to the best of my knowledge). Young snapper are Red Bream which then become Squire when a little bigger. The adult is what we call a Snapper (or Schnapper on some menu’s). In southern Australia it is the ‘A’ grade table fish.

The common name Snapper is used everywhere and for many species, mostly from the tropics.

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