Another day on the Fitzroy

[Douglas]

Salt water cocaine.

Black Jew swim bladders also known as fish maw.

Fetching around $400 per kg at the moment (a lot more than the jewie itself).

Commercial line and net catch of black jew in Qld for the 20 years to 2015 averaged 3 tonnes per year.( QFish query)

In 2016 it jumped to 11 tonnes.

In 2017 to 30 tonnes.

Even bigger year expected in 2018.

Now they're being caught solely for swim bladders. Wash your mouth out with soap for suggesting that to pro fishermen. Its only coincidence that the commercial take has increased 10 fold in 3 years as the trade in swim bladders has increased 10 fold in the same number of years. Pure coincidence.

NT has had the problem a bit longer and now has a pro line fishing quota of 140 tonnes. Also has tags to identify swim bladders and black jew numbers.

Dumping of whole black jew has been discovered (gutted of course) in the NT.

NT has a real black market problem. Qld heading the same way.

Fisheries slumbers on.

Last week a 4.8m tinnie with 27 black jew on board with an average weight of 17 kg came into Rosslyn Bay boat harbour at night. Straight past the DPI Boating Patrol office (they keep gentlemen's hours) and ramp/jetty to the carpark. Loaded up and away.

Black jew are selling at about $22 kg while Black Jew swim bladders are about $400 kg "on the black".

Be observant in your part of the piscatorial world.