GOFISH-22
REVIEW 2019-2022
Trends in recreational fisher activity
Fishing activity by fishers recapturing tagged fish is being used as an indicative sample of the
fisher population based on the relatively random mixing of tagged fish with the untagged
population to get a sense of the impact of COVID-19, weather events and other external
influences on fisher activity in recreational fishing in Queensland. Activity by taggers is also used
to provide a comparison in some parameters to determine differences between the 2 groups.
As the impact of Covid-19 on recreational fishing has diminished other factors such as flooding,
droughts, climate, cost of fuel and technology change are likely to play a greater role in
influencing fisher activity. This element of Crystal Bowl will continue to evolve to provide insights
into trends in recreational fisher activity. This is one of the few opportunities to get real time
information at a low cost that can influence decision making by those that interact with our
fisheries resources.
There are 4 aspects of activity that are being monitored:
• Fisher effort - a change in the number of recaptures is likely a reflection of fishing effort
as recaptures are correlated to fishing effort.
• Fisher travel – a change in the distance travelled to go fishing reflects fisher activity and
that is measured by the distance from where the fisher lives to the recapture location as
a proxy for travel distance.
• Fisher days – what day of the week and month of the year when fishing occurs is a
measure of fisher activity influenced by a range of factors and is a measure of
opportunity.
• Fisher gender – the proportion of male and female in the fishing population is a
demographic measure that provides an insight into gender participation.
MONITORING LOCATIONS
Statewide (All of Queensland)
South East Queensland estuaries (Sunshine Coast - Gold Coast)
South East Queensland Impoundments (6 Bass impoundments)
Central Queensland impoundment (Lake Cania Bass)
Central Queensland estuaries (Fitzroy River – Curtis Island)
Central Queensland impoundment (Lake Awoonga Barramundi)
Hinchinbrook estuaries (Lucinda-Mission Beach)
Product of Infofish Australia
Supported by
Suntag
Initial funding by Fisheries
Research and Development
Corporation and Recfishing
Research
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
QUEENSLAND
STATEWIDE PERSPECTIVE
All of Queensland
Key observations
Flooding in many areas had a significant impact on
fishing this year. The flooding disrupted activity,
particularly in Bass impoundments where fishing
conditions were poor from Mar-Sep. Spilling of Bass
dams saw significant numbers of fish leaving the lakes.
This saw a shift in activity from impoundments to the
rivers below the dams.
Flooding also affected fishing in southern estuaries
and in the Fitzroy River in particular where fishing
conditions remained poor for much of the year.
However Bass that spilled from the lakes boosted
fishing in SEQ estuaries once the conditions settled
down.
Covid reduced numbers of interstate visiting fishers
however there has been a rebound with more visitors
recapturing fish than before Covid.
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 1685
2020 1475
2021 1305
2022 1240
22-21 -5%
22-19 -26%
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 1099
2020 964
2021 724
2022 813
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 70%
2020 69%
2021 58%
2022 68%
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHERS
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Interstate fishers
2019-2022
Fishers
2019 39
2020 26
2021 26
2022 50
Interstate fisher’s
origin
2019-2022
State
NSW 62%
VIC 27%
NT 4%
SA 2%
WA 2%
TAS 1%
OS 1%
Cumulative distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 147526
2020 110798
2021 163514
2022 159369
22-21 -3%
22-19 +8%
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 88
2020 79
2021 126
2022 130
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
Local (L)
Intrastate (QLD)
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
L QLD
2019 16 194
2020 16 188
2021 17 234
2022 19 217
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
Interstate
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
2019 393
2020 310
2021 507
2022 982
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 21% 20%
Sun 20% 20%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHERS
INTERSTATE FISHERS
NSW
62%
VIC
27%
NT
4% SA
2% WA
2%
TAS
2%
OS
1%
INTERSTATE FISHERS
NSW VIC NT SA WA TA S OS
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
180000
1-Jan 1-Feb1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
STATEWIDE CUMULATIVE DISTANCE ADDRESS TO
RECAPTURE 2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
2019 2020 2021 2022
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
0
50
100
150
200
250
2019 2020 2021 2022
KM
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
LOCAL INTR A STAT E
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Oct 13% 12%
Sep 10%
Feb 10%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
Female
2019 5%
2020 6%
2021 6%
2022 7%
Where fishers live (red stars) that recaptured fish
2019-2022
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
SOUTH EAST QLD
ESTUARIES
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
South East
Queensland
estuaries
Sunshine Coast
Brisbane
Gold Coast
SEQ estuaries grid
maps
Noosa River SC22
Maroochy River
SC21
Mooloolah River
SC20
Bribie PPB
Moreton Bay
MB01,MB02,MB03
Brisbane River
MB05
Coomera River
GC22
Nerang River GC23
Tweed River TWR
Key observations
Following flooding this year Bass spilled from most
impoundments and there was a shift in activity to
fishing below dams which intensfiied towards the end
of the year. This saw a significant boost in recaptures
in SEQ rivers and estauries.
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 209
2020 184
2021 126
2022 254
22-21 +102%
22-19 +22%
Monthly recaptures
2021-2022
Most
2021
Nov 19
2022
Sep 50
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 165
2020 150
2021 119
2022 220
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-A ug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
RECAPTURES
CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES SEQ ESTUARIES
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OC T NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
SEQ ESTUARIES RECAPTURES 2021 V 2022
2021 2022
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHERS
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 93%
2020 90%
2021 96%
2022 90%
Cumulative distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 3565
2020 3501
2021 2056
2022 4917
22-21 +139%
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 27
2020 19
2021 17
2022 32
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
Local (L)
Intrastate (QLD)
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
L QLD
2019 15 81
2020 13 86
2021 14 110
2022 15 93
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 21% 20%
Sun 24% 18%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Oct 10% 11%
Aug 10%
Nov 11%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
Female
2019 6%
2020 4%
2021 2%
2022 4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
SEQ ESTUARIES CUMULATIVE DISTANCE
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2019 2020 2021 2022
KM
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2019 2020 2021 2022
KM
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
LOCAL INTR A STAT E
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY FISHED
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
MONTHLY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
Fisher activity
Fish tagged (red-
orange heat map) and
recaptured (dots)
2019-2022
Fisher activity
Fish tagged (red-
orange heatmap) and
where recapture
fishers live (red stars)
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
FITZROY RIVER
ESTUARY
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Fitzroy River and tidal
delta
Rockhampton to
Curtis Island
Fitzroy River
Casuarina Creek
Raglan Creek
Inkerman Creek
Connor Creek
Yellow Patch
Fitzroy River grid
maps
Fitzroy River FRR
Port Alma PAR
Curtis Island CIS
Key observations
Fishing in the Fitzroy this year was severely impacted
by almost continual river flow keeping the river fresh
and very dirty with floating debris making for very
difficult fishing conditions.
Tagging effort shifted outside the river to adjacent
creeks on the Capricorn coast and to creeks to the
south where there was strong recruitment of
Barramundi with large numbers being tagged.
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 232
2020 141
2021 166
2022 72
22-21 -57%
22-19 -69%
Monthly recaptures
2021-2022
Most
2021
Oct 35
2022
Feb 19
Recaptures and river
flows
2019-2022
0
50
100
150
200
250
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
NUMBER OF RECAPTURES
CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES FITZROY RIVER
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
MONTHLY RECAPTURES
2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
1400000
1600000
1800000
Jan-19
Mar-19
May-19
Jul-19
Sep-19
Nov-19
Jan-20
Mar-20
May-20
Jul-20
Sep-20
Nov-20
Jan-21
Mar-21
May-21
Jul-21
Sep-21
Nov-21
Jan-22
Mar-22
May-22
Jul-22
Sep-22
Nov-22
Jan-23
RECAPTRUES
FLOW (ML)
FITZROY RIVER FLOWS AND RECAPTURES
FLOW(ML) RECAPTURES
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 159
2020 111
2021 123
2022 51
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 69%
2020 79%
2021 74%
2022 73%
Intrastate fishers
(Qld)
Interstate fishers
(Oth)
2019-2022
Qld Oth
2019 27% 3%
2020 20% 1%
2021 23% 3%
2022 16% 11%
Cumulative distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 34620
2020 14379
2021 26844
2022 15903
22-21 -41%
Distance (km) address
or postcode to
recapture location
2019-2022
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
Local (L)
Intrastate (QLD)
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
L QLD
2019 21 330
2020 25 344
2021 33 408
2022 30 285
0
50
100
150
200
250
2019 2020 2021 2022
FISHERS
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
INTR A STAT E IN TER STAT E
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-A pr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-A ug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
FITZROY RIVER CUMULATIVE DISTANCE
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
DISTANCE ADDRESS TO RECAPTURE LOCATION (KM)
2019-2022
2019
2020
2021
2022
2019
2020
2021
2022
LOCAL
ELSEWHERE
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
LOCAL INTR A STAT E
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 20% 17%
Sun 17% 15%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Oct 15% 21%
Sep 14%
Feb 14%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
Female
2019 3%
2020 3%
2021 3%
2022 8%
Tagged fish (red-orange heatmap) and recaptures (dots)
2019-2022
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
MONTH ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Recapture fishers
addresses (red stars)
2019-2022
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Recapture fisher’s
addresses (red stars)
2019-2022
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
HINCHINBROOK
ESTUARIES
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Hinchinbrook
estuaries
Hinchinbrook
Channel creeks
Lucinda-Cardwell
Murray River
Tully River
Mission Beach
creeks
Hinchinbrook grid
maps
Grid maps
Ingham IGH
Hinchinbrook
Channel HCC
Hinchinbook Island
HIC
Murray River KR01
Tully TLL
Mission Beach MBT
Key observations
Hinchinbrook tagging and recaptures are strongly
influenced by the wet season from Dec-Mar when
fishing is mostly undertaken by locals. From winter to
Nov there is an influx of fishers from SEQ and
interstate. While the numbers fo fish tagged and
recaptured each year are low there is a pattern that is
repeated each year.
Cardwell rainfall and
fish tagged
2019-2022
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 15
2020 27
2021 23
2022 23
22-21 0%
22-19 +53%
Recaptures by month
2021-2022
Most
2021 Nov 7
2022 Sep 5
Cumulative
recaptures
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Category
Local 27
Intrastate 51
Interstate 7
0
50
100
150
200
250
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Jan-19
Mar-19
May-19
Jul-19
Sep-19
Nov-19
Jan-20
Mar-20
May-20
Jul-20
Sep-20
Nov-20
Jan-21
Mar-21
May-21
Jul-21
Sep-21
Nov-21
Jan-22
Mar-22
May-22
Jul-22
Sep-22
Nov-22
FISH TAGGED
RAINFALL (MM)
CARDWELL RAINFALL AND FISH TAGGED
RAINFALL TA GS
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
HINCHINBROOK CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AU G SE P OCT NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
HINCHINBROOK RECAPTURES
2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
2019-2022
RECAPTURES
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Cumulative
recaptures
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Category
Local 32%
Intrastate 60%
Interstate 8%
Cumulative distance
(km) where recapture
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 7464
2020 9813
2021 13648
2022 11673
Average distance (km)
where recapture
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
Local 21
Intrastate 588
Interstate 1710
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 21% 20%
Sun 16%
Mon 19%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sep 24% 15%
Oct 23% 19%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
2019-2022
Female 11%
Male 89%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
1-Jan 1-Feb1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
HINCHINBROOK CUMULATIVE DISTANCE
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
RECAPTURE FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
MONTHLY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
Tagged fish (red-
orange heatmap) and
recaptures (dots)
2019-2022
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Where recapture
fishers live (red stars)
Overall
2019-2022
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Where recapture
fishers live (red stars)
Cairns-Townsville
2019-2022
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
SOUTH EAST QLD
FRESHWATER
IMPOUNDMENTS
SEQ impoundments
stocked with
Australian Bass
Golden Perch
Key observations
The impact of significant overtopping from the
floods and spilling of fish from the lakes resulted
in a reduction in effort and recaptures. Fish
spilling from the lakes resulted in a shift in activity
to below the dams (see SEQ estuaries).
SEQ impoundments
grid maps
Grid maps
Somerset LS01
Wivenhoe LWH
Moogerah LMH
Maroon LMM
Advancetown ADV
Borumba LBY
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 158
2020 170
2021 225
2022 135
22-21 -40%
Recaptures by month
2021-2022
Most
2021 May 33
2022 Nov 21
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 60
2020 75
2021 115
2022 86
0
50
100
150
200
250
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
RECAPTURES
CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES SEQ IMPOUNDMENTS
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AU G SE P OCT NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
SEQ IMPOUNDMENT RECAPTURES 2021 V 2022
2021 2022
0
50
100
150
200
250
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURES
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 40%
2020 47%
2021 53%
2022 64%
Cumulative distance
(km) address or
postcode to recapture
location
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 10779
2020 10615
2021 16305
2022 11227
22-21 -31%
Average distance (km)
where recapture
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
2019 95
2020 67
2021 76
2022 85
Average distance
where fishers live to
recapture location
(travel proxy)
Local (L)
Intrastate (QLD)
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
L QLD
2019 29 81
2020 26 86
2021 23 104
2022 20 68
Distance (km) where
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 20% 23%
Sun 15% 24%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Oct 12% 12%
Dec 12%
Sep 13%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
SEQ BASS IMPOUNDMENTS CUMULATIVE
DISTANCE 2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2019 2020 2021 2022
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2019 2020 2021 2022
FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
LOCAL INTR A STAT E
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
DISTANCE ADDRESS TO RECAPTURE
2019-2022 (KM)
2019
2020
2021
2022
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
MONTHLY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
2019-2022
Female 8%
Male 92%
Tagged fish in impoundments (red-orange heatmaps) and where
recapture fishers live (red stars)
2019-20221
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
20192-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
CENTRAL QLD
FRESHWATER
IMPOUNDMENT
Lake Cania
Impoundment near
Monto
stocked with Bass and
Golden Perch
Lake Cania
Lake Cania grid maps
Lake Cania LCG
Key observations
Unlike impoundments further south Cania did not spill
this year. However with many of its fishers coming
from areas affected by flooding activity and
recaptures were subdued particularly until after
winter. As a result recaptures were down.
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 16
2020 36
2021 56
2022 23
22-21 -59%
Recaptures by month
2019-2022
Most
2021 Oct 12
2022 Aug 5
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Intrastate
2019 11
2020 25
2021 55
2022 13
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES CANIA 2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AU G SE P OCT NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
RECAPTURES 2021 V 2022
2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2019 2020 2021 2022
NUMBER OF FISHERS
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Category
Local 8%
Intrastate 86%
2021 6%
Cumulative distance
(km) address or
postcode to recapture
location
2019-2022
Distance (km) where
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Average distance (km)
where recapture
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
Local 35
Intrastate 262
Interstate 1027
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Sat 30% 27%
Sun 17% 29%
Fri 17%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Mar 32%
Oct 18% 16%
Aug 14%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
2019-2022
Female 16%
Male 84%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
CANIA CUMULATIVE DISTANCE 2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
DISTANCE ADDRESS TO RECAPTURE LOCATION (KM)
2019
2020
2021
2022
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
RECAPTURE FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE (KM)
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
FISHER ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
Tagged fish (red-
orange heatmap) and
recaptures (dots)
2019-2022
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Where recapture
fishers live (red stars)
2019-2022
MEASURE
ACTUAL
GRAPH
CENTRAL QLD
FRESHWATER
IMPOUNDMENT
Lake Awoonga
Impoundment near
Gladstone
stocked with
Barramundi
Lake Awoonga
Lake Awoonga grid
map
Lake Awoonga
GLA
Key observations
Activity in Awoonga was subdued this year with
flooding impacting on southern fishers followed by a
normal quiet period over winter with only a modest
recovery towards the end of the year.
Cumulative
recaptures
2019-2022
Recaptures
2019 51
2020 34
2021 48
2022 14
22-21 -71%
Recaptures by month
2019-2022
Most
2021 Oct 12
2022 Sep 4
2022 Oct 4
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 36
2020 17
2021 22
2022 5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
CUMULATIVE RECAPTURES AWOONGA
2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AU G SE P OCT NOV DEC
RECAPTURES
AWOONGA RECAPTURES 2021 V 2022
2021 2022
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2019 2020 2021 2022
FISHERS
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
Recapture fisher’s
category
Local
Intrastate
Interstate
2019-2022
Local
2019 72%
2020 50%
2021 52%
2022 50%
Cumulative distance
(km) where fishers
live to recapture
location
2019-2022
Distance (km)
2019 5203
2020 9171
2021 9216
2022 2616
22-21 -72%
Average distance (km)
where recapture
fishers live to
recapture location
2019-2022
Av distance (km)
Local 23
Intrastate 349
Interstate 1955
Weekday fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Tue 16%
Fri 16% 17%
Sat 16%
Sun 20%
Month fished
Taggers and recapture
fishers
2019-2022
Most
Tag Recap
Mar 15%
Oct 21%
Nov 17%
Recapture fisher’s (ex
taggers) gender
2019-2022
2019-2022
Female 3%
Male 97%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019 2020 2021 2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S CATEGORY
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
1-Jan 1-Feb1-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec
KM
AWOONGA CUMULATIVE DISTANCE 2019-2022
2019 2020 2021 2022
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
LOCAL INTR A STAT E INTE R STAT E
DISTNACE (KM)
RECAPTURE FISHER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
MON TUE WED TH U FRI SAT SUN
WEEKDAY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SE P OCT NOV DEC
MONTHLY ACTIVITY
TA GGER S RECAPTURE FISHERS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2019-2022
RECAPTURE FISHER'S GENDER
MALE FEMALE
Tagged fish (red-
orange heatmap) and
recaptures (dots)
2019-2022
Where fishers live
that recaptured fish
Tagged (red-orange
heat map)
Where recapture
fishers live (red stars)
2019-2022
Data sources
Data used in the GOFISH-22 Crystal Bowl are:
• Tag and recapture records for Queensland from Infofish Suntag database from
http://crystalbowl.infofishaustralia.com.au/infofish/f_infofish.htm
• Postcodes from Australia Post website at https://auspost.com.au/postcode
• Fitzroy River flow from https://water-monitoring.information.qld.gov.au/
• Cardwell rainfall from http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW4027.latest.shtml
• Dam levels for Cania from Sunwater https://www.sunwater.com.au/water-
data/historical-dam-capacity/
• Dam levels for SEQ Bass impoundments from SEQwater at
https://www.seqwater.com.au/historic-dam-levels
Data analysis
• Distance from where fishers live and where they went fishing is based on straight line
distance between the map grid centroid or estimated GPS where the fish was recaptured
and their residential address, or town or suburb or centroid of their postcode, whichever
is provided and calculated using Google Earth.
• Fishers were categorised as local being less than 1hr travel from where they lived to the
recapture location (less than 50km), intrastate being from anywhere else in Queensland,
and interstate being from outside Queensland.