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

‘Outside’ fishing




Figure 10. Catch of snapper brought ashore at Tewantin jetty ca. 1935. Source:
Courtesy of Heritage Library, Sunshine Coast Council.


During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sport of ‘outside’ fishing, fishing
on the open ocean on the local reefs, greatly increased in popularity. Snapper
(Pagrus auratus) or ‘schnapper’ as it was referred to then, was one of the
principal fish caught during these excursions (Welsby 1905). While the majority
of charter fishing excursions took place out of Brisbane, ‘schnappering’ was
popular along the coast, and trips across the mouth of the Noosa River to fish for
snapper are recorded prior to the turn of the century:


“The second schnapper excursion of the season (writes a Tewantin correspondent)
took place on Wednesday outside Noosa Heads, when a party of three, including a
Brisbane gentleman had excellent sport, bagging between 130 and 140 splendid
fish in a few hours. The pleasure of the excursion was enhanced owing to the party
being able to leave Tewantin about daylight and return before 5 o'clock in the
afternoon. As a matter of fact, they were only absent under eleven hours.” The
Brisbane Courier, 9 Jun 1899.



                                                                                    38