Terms of use

1. About Catch Signal

Catch Signal (catchsignal.com.au) is a free, non-commercial website run from Queensland, Australia. In these terms, "we" and "us" mean the person who runs it, and "you" means anyone using the site. Our privacy policy explains how we handle personal information.

2. Forecasts are predictions

• Weather, wind and sea forecasts come from computer models and can be wrong, especially several days ahead. We show how much the models agree, but agreement is not certainty.
• Day ratings and best times are our own opinion, calculated from those forecasts, the tides, the season and local knowledge. They don't promise that fish will bite.
• Tide times and heights are astronomical predictions. Actual water levels vary with air pressure, wind and storm surge. Until Maritime Safety Queensland publishes a year's official predictions, the tides shown for that year are our own estimates and are marked "estimated".
• Nothing on this site is for navigation. Use official nautical charts and Maritime Safety Queensland information for that.
• "Go", "Marginal" and "No-go" are rough guides based on wind, waves and storms. A "Go" is not a statement that conditions are safe for you, your boat or your experience.
• "Conditions now" advice, such as stay, move or head in by a certain time, is a model-based guide, not a guarantee. It is worked out from forecasts and the nearest tide gauge, whose readings can be an hour old, not from what is happening where you are, and a "head in by" time is an estimate. If it looks unsafe where you are, trust your eyes and head in. In an emergency call 000 (or 112 from a mobile), or use VHF channel 16.
• Marine park zones shown on the site are a guide only. Our zone boundaries are simplified and your phone's location can be inaccurate, so a green-zone warning, or the lack of one, can be wrong. Check the official zoning maps or the Marine Parks app before you fish.
• Fishing rules (sizes, bag limits and closed seasons) are short summaries, dated when we last checked them. Rules change: check the official Queensland rules or the Qld Fishing 2.0 app.

Where our information comes from is listed on Sources & disclaimers.

3. Your account

• You can use the forecasts without an account. To comment, post catch reports or keep trip logs, sign in with Google or Facebook.
• You need to be at least 13 years old to sign in.
• One account per person. Don't sign in as someone else or pretend to be someone you're not.
• You're responsible for what's posted from your account, so keep your Google or Facebook account secure.
• You can delete your account at any time from your profile. See deleting your data.

4. Community rules

Comments and catch reports are public. Keep them useful and friendly. Don't post anything that:

• abuses, harasses, threatens or bullies anyone, or attacks people for who they are;
• is spam, advertising, or promotes a business, product, charter, affiliate link or fundraiser;
• shows or encourages illegal fishing, such as keeping undersized, over-limit or closed-season fish, or fishing in green zones;
• shares someone else's personal information, photos or private details without their permission;
• you know is false or misleading, including made-up catch reports;
• is obscene, sexually explicit or unlawful, or infringes someone else's copyright;
• tries to break, overload or misuse the site, including automated posting or scraping.

Sharing a spot is fine, but think before you share a spot you were shown by someone else.

5. What you post

You keep ownership of what you post. By posting it, you let us store and display it on Catch Signal, for as long as it stays up, so other people can read it. When you delete a post or your account, we remove it from the site (see the privacy policy for backups). Only post things you have the right to share.

6. Moderation

• We may remove any post, and suspend or delete any account, that breaks these rules or that we reasonably think harms the site or its users. We'll usually do this without notice.
• We don't check posts before they appear and we don't endorse what users say. Fishing tips from other users are their opinion.
• To report a post or ask about a moderation decision, email hello@catchsignal.com.au with a link to the post.

7. A free, non-commercial site

Catch Signal is free, has no ads and doesn't sell anything. We may change, pause or stop any part of the site at any time, for example if a data source changes its terms. The forecasts rely on outside data services that can be unavailable from time to time.

8. No warranty, and limits on liability

The site and everything on it is provided "as is". To the extent the law allows, we make no promise that it is accurate, complete, current, available or fit for any particular purpose, and we are not liable for any loss, damage, injury, cost or expense arising from your use of, or reliance on, the site or anything posted on it.

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other law that can't lawfully be excluded.

9. Other websites

We link to official forecasts, rules and other sites we think are useful. We don't control them and aren't responsible for their content. Being linked doesn't mean they endorse us, or we them.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We'll change the date at the top, and for significant changes we'll put a notice on the site first. If you keep using Catch Signal after a change, the new terms apply.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of Queensland, Australia, and the courts of Queensland have jurisdiction over any dispute about them.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@catchsignal.com.au. Privacy questions: privacy@catchsignal.com.au.