Deformed Dorsal Fins not caused by Pros

[pink nipper]

Call for Comments - Have a read and look at the evidence -

Dr Landos,

I understand the missing dorsal fins in Australian black bream come from commercial fisherman. Here when the fish are juvenile they are accidentally caught in the commercial fishermen’s net and the pro fishermen just rip ‘em back out and throw ‘em back in. This process causes the fish to loose the top of their dorsal fins but they do seem to survive.

What you are discussing has similar appearance to what I discussed in the first paragraph.
I think a lot of local fishermen are blaming commercial fishermen for deformaties in dorsal fins
on bream and other fish that are actually being caused by chemicals.

Nipper.


DR MATTHEW LANDOS Phd - REPLY -

The clearly normal dorsal spines, would not look like that in response to a trauma, so this is the first clear proof that this theory about pros ripping them out,... is in fact bogus.
As the paper on saddleback shows v clearly related to pollutants.


Please photograph the next lot you get.
Need some good images, especially where you can compare normal to abnormal.

The science is out there on this condition- see attached, and pollution is the no. 1 suspected cause.

Like i say- tell every angler you know- the number 1 cause of fishery decline is pollution,... not fishermen, hence marine parks will not solve the problems of fishery decline.
Only a reduction in pollution can alter the outcome.

Have to head out for a fish soon with you Nipper

All the best

Dr Matt Landos BVSc(HonsI)MACVS
Director, Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd
PO Box 364, Lennox Head NSW 2478
Ph +61(0)437 492 863

Key words: Saddleback, Scale disorientation, Morphological abnormality, Dorsal fin

Synopsis

Stunted or missing dorsal spines or rays, sometimes accompanied by a depression in the dorsal profile, were found in 10 fish species in six families from North Biscayne Bay. The same morphological abnormality occurred in Haemulon sciurus, H. parrai, H. plumieri, Lagodon rhomboides, Archosargus rhomboidalis, Diplodus argenteus, Lutjanus griseus, Kyphosus sectatrix, Sphoeroides testudineus, and Lactrophyrys quadricornis.
Another morphological abnormality, scale disorientation, was found in six species: H. parrai, L. rhomboides, A. rhomboidalis, L. griseus, and Abudefdufsaxatilis. Pugheadedness, jaw deformities, and other abnormalities also were observed. The occurrence of similar deformities across such a spectrum of fishes from the same location suggests the deformity was induced by something in the environment common to all these species. Although there could be other explanations for the unusual cluster of abnormalities, it is suspected that the
same environmental contaminant or group of contaminants is adversely affecting a common developmental pathway of these fishes. Biscayne Bay is an urban estuary that receives agricultural, industrial, and residential
run off.

[pink nipper]

seen this on bream lately...

[Tide-n-Knots]

I've seen lots of bream like this in the Hawkesbury system for at least 15 years or so now.

[Scizz]

I asked Fizz what he thought being a river pro for most of his life and he recons they dont know what they are talking about,he said he has seen it a million times.
Maybe there are 2 causes of the missing fins but you have to back the poeple who are on the water every day ripping these fish out of nets.

[pink nipper]

Scrote,

I personally think there are now alot of deformaties from chemicals on bream that the pros
are still being blamed for. I hate to admit it but up some of my local cane drains every bream
I catch is deformed in some way and/or has red spot.

Interestingly these deformaties are now being recorded on bass, blackfish and whiting as well.

What I will endeavour to do is take as many photos of such fish as possible
and compare them.

What Fizz says must also hold true as someone like him who has spent as many years on
the Clarence fishing both as a pro and a reco would know better than most of us.

Nip.

[Prof]

Maybe it's a combination of both, the pro's rip the fish from the nets and cause some injury ...allowing the chemicals or the bacteria into the site allowing for further deformities to take place ?