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

Figure 7. Catch of fish at Boreen Point, Lake Cootharaba ca. 1925. Source:
Courtesy of Picture Noosa/Noosa Library Service, Image No. M863036.


Recreational fishers caught many varieties of fish, but the most commonly
mentioned included whiting, flathead, bream, tailor and jewfish. During the
1920s and 30s weekly columns appeared in many newspapers, reporting catches
and fishing activities along the coast of southeast Queensland. In these early
years it was common for recreational fishers to catch as many fish as they could:


“A party of residents, numbering nine, put in the day last Sunday fishing on the
Noosa River in a motor boat […]. They were at it all day and only got 6 whiting, but
just at dark, when they were well fed up, the jewfish seemed to come in droves, and
up till 10 o'clock, when bait ran out, they landed 164 jewfish, one man bagging 38
jewies.” The Richmond River Herald, 3 Aug 1923.


“The fishing for the past few months has been splendid. Mr B Newman and his three
children caught 440 flathead in two days, a little over a week ago, and flathead,
tailor and whiting are still being caught in large numbers.” The Brisbane Courier,
30 Nov 1923.


Colin Monks (2000), a local resident of Noosa, described his personal
experiences of catching large numbers of fish when he was young, primarily


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