2015-11-10 - P&O Agenda - Item 7, Attach 1 - Historical Ecology of the Noosa Estuary Fisheries

Noosa Lakes. This percentage probably dropped in the later years of the Fish
Board: Monks (2000) states that as a result of declining catch after development
of the river mouth, many fishers turned to fishing the ocean beaches. However,
fishing on the ocean beaches was certainly a feature of the Noosa net fishery
prior to this, as reference to ocean beach hauls are recorded in Fisheries
Inspectors’ correspondence during the 1940s (Department of Harbours and
Marine 1940).

Prawn trawling

Today prawns are targeted in the Noosa River and Lakes by small beam trawls,
but this fishery did not develop until the late 1950s. Prior to this, prawns were
principally targeted for fresh bait and were caught using scissor and scoop nets.
In 1959 trials were conducted in which small beam trawlers were modified for
use within the shallow lake system, and in 1961 a combination of the depressed
market for mullet and a large run of school prawns (Metapenaeus macleayi) in
the lakes resulted in reports of over 400,000kg of prawns being trawled from the
Noosa system (Marine Department Report 1961). However, this number is not
reported in the Fish Board report for that year, this may be due to the prawns
being consigned to somewhere other than Tewantin.


While the numbers of boats working this fishery are not reported, Monks (2000)
recalled around 25 small boats working in Weyba Lake during the 1960s, and by
the 1980s around 20 prawn trawlers were reported to work seasonally in Lake
Cootharaba (Coles and Greenwood 1986). A 1978-79 survey showed that the
fishery consisted of multiple species, with the most abundant species being
juvenile eastern king prawn (Melicertus plebejus), greasyback (Metapenaeus
bennettae) and school prawns (Coles and Greenwood 1986). However, the
prawn catch from year to year within the lakes was not consistent. After the
large quantities of 1961, the 1962 catch dropped to just 45,000kg. This was
reversed in 1969, when a large run of school prawns occurred within the lakes
and trawlers (over 40 in number, Monks 2000) operating from Tewantin and
Boreen Point landed over 200,000kg (Queensland Department of Primary
Industries 1969).


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