AUSTRALIASaturday, August 30, 2014
Illegal fishing and a voracious black market for Gladstone's best species could be driving the decline of local fish stocks.
And if there's no fish, there's no fishing - so local fishers are worried.
Amateur fisherman of 30 years experience, Charles Hartridge, said Gladstone region fishers have observed the decline of key species.
"We all collect a lot of data, and over the years you can see the decline in the number of red throat emperor that are caught," he said.
"Fish stocks have gone down considerably but no changes have happened."
The highly prized deep-sea fish is a local favourite and is also exported, but because local knowledge doesn't match statewide trends, its population is deemed sustainable by the fisheries authority.
Source: The Observer