Queensland anglers no longer required to remove fins

by Fisheries Queensland on 15 Nov 2011 Recreational anglers will no longer be required to remove the pectoral fin from coral reef fin fish and Spanish mackerel under changes to Queensland fishing rules.

Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace said the requirement for recreational fishers to remove the pectoral fin had been designed to prevent illegal marketing of coral reef fin fish and Spanish mackerel.

'By requiring recreational fishers to remove the pectoral fin, we were seeking to identify people selling the whole fish without a commercial licence,' he said.

'Illegal or black marketing is a significant threat to the economic viability of the commercial fishing industry, and it is imperative we continue to target such activity.

'However we found the rule to remove the pectoral fin did not help prevent illegal marketing and by removing it we reduce the regulatory burden on recreational fishers.'

More at www.fisheries.qld.gov.au.