NEWS DESK
Anglers caught in fisheries net A TRAWING expedition by fisheries officers on land and sea netted 144 anglers breaking such rules as catching too many fish, using too many lines and keeping undersized catches. Despite the number of anglers booked, Fisheries Victoria says its Operation Billit found “the vast majority” of anglers in Western Port and Port Phillip “are doing so legally”. The operation was targeting snapper anglers but caught one angler with too many calamari and another with abalone. “We inspected 2100 recreational anglers on the water and at the boat ramps, we detected a total of 144 offenders were detected,” Fisheries Victoria’s Bob Hutton said. “This was not a covert operation and was widely publicised before it started, so there is no real excuse for those 144 anglers not knowing, or deliberately flouting, fishing regulations. “One man will be going to court for allegedly exceeding the catch limit of southern calamari and another will face abalone related charges.” Altogether 39 infringement notices were issued, two relating to exceeding the catch limit of snapper. Those fish were seized and the anglers fined $455 each. Other offences detected included taking other species below minimum size, which also generated a $455 fine, using more than four lines in marine waters and fishing without a licence. “All of these rules are outlined in the Recreational Fishing Guide, which is available free from most good tackle stores or by downloading the free ‘Vic Fishing’ app for smartphones,” Mr Hutton said. Anyone who sees or suspects illegal fishing can call the 24-hour reporting line 13 3474.
New boat boost to water safety Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au THE launching of the Volunteer Marine Rescue’s latest vessel, Darbyshire III, at Mornington on Sunday last week, is a boost to water safety and a tragic reminder of how the service came about. The Noosa Cat 3000, a nine-metre, state-of-theart vessel, was officially launched by Sue Darbyshire, the widow of the man who gave the boat its name. Paul Darbyshire drowned within sight of the shore in 1980, prompting a public push for better safety measures for bay users. So moved and upset were Mornington police – two were among those watching the drama from the clifftop - that they organised a public meeting at Mornington Racecourse in June of that year with 120 residents attending. “We can never forget why our rescue service was formed, and do everything possible to ensure nobody else loses their life in the bays,” VMR president Tim Warner said. Darbyshire III was built in Queensland to the strictest of survey standards and VMR’s requirements. This means it wasn’t cheap: the cost to buy and equip it was $363,000 – made possible with 80 per cent coming from the state government’s Boating Safety and Facilities Program. The boat joins VMR’s fleet of three Noosa Cats servicing Port Phillip and Western Port bays and out into Bass Strait. Under the direction of the Victorian Water Police, VMR Mornington has carried out thousands of rescues. Over the past four years, VMR Mornington and
Hastings carried out 14 per cent of the state’s marine rescues. “That’s 700 times our pagers have been activated. We do not have the data to substantiate the previous 32 years, but if we use the same formula, we have assisted more than 7000 boaters in distress in our 36-year history,” Mr Warner said. “Typically, a rescue took us an average of over an hour to locate a vessel. Now, with most vessels
having a GPS unit, we are generally alongside within 10-15 minutes of launching.” In 2006 through a series of events, VMR took over Westernport Marine Rescue, and now has another modern vessel, the Alwyn Tamo, and a crew in Hastings to service Western Port Bay and Bass Strait,” Mr Warner said “They are often called on to conduct searches along with water police out into Bass Strait in
LETTERS Firefighting heroes I would just like to say a big thank you to the Crib Point CFA and also to all the other CFAs which sent trucks to help us out this week. I saw trucks from as far away as Edithvale, Berwick and Tooradin. These people are just amazing the way they get stuck into the fires and all of them volunteers. I went to the meeting in Bittern on Monday night to update us on the situation and needless to say there were a few people who complained. I would like to know if they volunteer to help people in any way, I seriously doubt that they do. But back to the point of this letter, yesterday I went with my two and a half year old grandson to the Crib Point CFA to give them some sandwiches. I went to Coles in Hastings to purchase some sandwich fillings and thought I would ask if they could help in any way. Well, a couple of minutes later I had a couple of slabs of bottled water, some packets of sausages and 12 loaves of bread to help out. And to top it off the lady who I asked about help gave me $20 out of her own purse towards the fillings, thank you Della. And then, after three hours making sandwiches, Toby and I got in the car and off we went. I am used to Toby dressing up as Batman in his mask and cape and didn't think any more about him being in his “disguise”. When we got to the Crib Point CFA all the people there made such a fuss about Batman arriving with sandwiches, they even took a photo of him, he was so happy, just beaming. These people, and there were many of them there, had lots to do and worry about but they made Batman feel very welcome and I thank them very much for this. My grandchildren call the firemen their “fire heroes” and I think lots of the residents in Crib Point feel the same. A very big thank you to you fire heroes. June Coster, Crib Point
Beach behaviour There is nothing unusual about shire hall beach this year. Neil Gilbert (“Changes at beach”, Letters 19/1/16) asks what has caused this rocky change. Shire Hall Beach has simply returned to how it always used to be.
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Western Port News 26 January 2016
The rocky edge along the waterline was exactly how it was in the 1960s and 70s. This is just cyclical wave and weather work. No scandal, nothing to do with recent pier works. I can still recall locals picking out a sandy path through the rocks and my grandmother entering the water in her "swimming shoes" - a more stylish version of current day Crocs. Kate Philip, Mornington
Coal exported Rupert Steiner was not handing out how to vote cards for Clive Palmer (“Changing sides”, Letters 12/1/16). I stood next to him. Regarding the truth of coal exports the writer, Barrie Macmillan, should base argument on the facts, not conjecture. The COAL-ition was not transparent about the intentions regarding coal exports over the midterm. Plans were certainly being made. In the same way as Clive Palmer has massive coal rights but has not extracted a tonne, the plans for container exports of upgraded lignite (brown coal) are there. Both projects just have more hurdles to jump. In an interview on ABC radio the day before the election that changed the government the Gippsland resources and infrastructure group said it was their intention to export coal briquettes to China. VicRoads had advised the company on road capacity to Hastings and $25 million was given to Shanghai electric to produce upgraded coal that could be exported in containers. Having failed to meet its first milestone, the Andrew's government has just cancelled the funding. In case you think upgraded coal cannot be exported in containers, it already is. They are called heat heads. They are made from carbonised brown coal from the Latrobe Valley and are transported in containers through the Port of Melbourne. Can we please have proper and reasonable discussion without the vernacular more common in pub brawls. Sue King, Somers
Australia ‘on track’ I respond to letters from Rupert Steiner (“Trading the answer”) and Kelvin Stingel (“Misdirected