Fishing Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay is an incredible fishery right on the doorstep of sunny Brisbane and increasingly is heavily fished by both professional and a growing number of clued in recreational fishermen. The incredible diversity and numbers of seasonal fish living in or passing through the bay offers a smorgasboard of fishing delights.

On the shell fish front delicious mud crabs and blue swimmers (sand crabs) are in abundance as are calamri squid and prawns. Fish species range from bread and butter species like whiting, bream, tailor and flathead to palegic speedsters such as mackerel and tuna to thugs such as cobia, yellowtail kingfish and gear stealing monster cod. Throw in some trophy size snapper, huge parrot and a variety of sharks and you have one of the worlds best captial city fisheries.

Bay Improvments

Cessation of gravel and sand dredging in the Brisbane River and coral mining of Mud Island appears to have improved fishing in this section of the bay and negated a number of negative factors arrising from habitat destruction for elite waterfront housing and the future extension to Brisbane airport through pristine breeding wetlands. Whilst this has alleviated some of the major tirbidity problems suffered by the bay, pollution, habitat loss and population growth will continue to stress this jewel in South East Queenslands crown.

The pretty expanses of Manly Boat Harbour (shown) are a delight above the water, however years of abuse in the form boat antifouling, overboard sewage disposal and rubbish dumping of all kinds has meant the sediment is toxic. Sample testing of the sediment years ago showed that if not for the organic matter the bottom it would be viable to mine the harbour for heavy minerals. Eat fish from here at your own risk. With such an incredible playground is it any wonder the number of registered vessels of all sizes is increasing exponentially.