By JOLENE OGLE
NOOSA Council has backed a local floating restaurant’s right to ban fishing in its surrounds for safety reasons.
Some anglers are outraged at being told where to fish after Noosa Boathouse placed a sign outside their restaurant banning fishing and netting.
In a letter to Noosa Today, local resident Gary Norris said the sign “popped up about a month ago” on the foreshore outside the Boathouse restaurant.
Mr Norris said he was concerned his right to go fishing was “being eroded.”
“You simply cannot take away a person’s right to go fishing where they choose along the Noosa River,” he wrote.
Noosa Boathouse lease owner Peter Thynne said the sign was put up to keep diners and anglers safe.
Mr Thynne said people had previously cast nets and fishing lines in the deep water surrounding the floating restaurant and this posed a danger to both the diners standing on the deck and the anglers who might fall into the deep water.
Mr Thynne said part of the lease for the restaurant was to keep the waterways surrounding the floating vessel clear, with the sand in the area dredged to ensure the restaurant floated.
A Noosa Council spokesperson said council officers accepted the “floating restaurant proprietor installed” the signs in response to safety concerns regarding the depth of the water and hazards associated with fishing occurring close to restaurant patrons.
“We have asked that the signs remain inside the restaurant’s lease area,” the spokesperson said.
