Dear Editor, Prawning season is on again in Coila Lake and it seems with timely opening it is a bumper season but as usual this event seems to bring out the worst of human nature. It seems a lot of locals always have a lot to say regarding the Professional fishers hitting the lake but from what I see the Pros all seem to stay within the confines of their licenses and do a reasonable job although I would personally like to see some control put in place to keep the out of shire professionals coming here and cashing in which is of absolutely no benefit to local economy. But once again it’s the recreational fisherfolk that are the problem with their selfish greedy attitude. As soon as the prawns are on it seems that all rational thinking goes out the window. These people boast publicly about the 50 ..80…100s of kilos they took and quite often tell you how they are going back for more and it absolutely defies logic. I ask the simple bloody question..WHY? The prawns they caught were for sale on Facebook and it was common knowledge that if you went to this house or that or see so and so at the club you'll get what you want. People buying them are just as big a problem. In addition to that the fact that all this crap is morally wrong it is also against the law to catch and sell without appropriate licenses. And you people buying them don’t know when they were caught,how they were cooked and where they’ve been stored. And once again the marine life dragged out and left was very evident and a disgrace. On one visit to the foreshore I found about 20 kilos of cooked prawns just thrown in the grass and discarded. I know that fisheries have limited resources but when this is on surely its in everyone's interest to put all they can into policing it and send a clear message that its not going to be tolerated. I would like to see definite times for fishing introduced so the prawn stock has a chance to grow as well as ensuring size and bag limits strongly enforced. A lot of us have fond memories of going scoop netting with our parents and getting just a feed but the way so many of you locals are acting I don’t believe it is sustainable and all you're doing is taking those memories away from future generations with your out of control greed. Call me what you like but there is one fact and that is if you are one of these people with a freezer full of Coila prawns you should really think about the consequences of your actions on this beautiful waterway… Pete Ward
