Barra, barra everywhere

[shayned]

With the current fish kills going on, I'm starting to hear of dead barra popping up in the strangest places around Brisbane. Apparently DPI is collating the reports and I think it will make interesting reading when it's finished. Has anyone else heard of these?

[edleigh7]

No Shayne...where abouts around Brissy

Ed

[shayned]

One of the members on here got a photo of one from a local lake, Fitzy was going to put it up in SweetWater. Just heard of another one found not far from the roma st train station apparently went 80 cm.

[Fitzy]

Hi Shayne,
There were some 5 barra put into Roma St parklands accidentally when fish first went in there.
I know that 3 died a few weeks back in the cold snap. Got pics here of them. that leave 2 to go.

Yep, I've been getting consistent reports & pics of barra in SEQ. Logan R, Jumpinpin, Albert R, Coomera R, Caboolture R, Bribie Is, Pummincstone Passage & several marina/canal estates.

But apparently barra arent south of the Mary River and cannot survive that far south. A load of cods wallop IMHO.

Anyway, the accused members of MSG must be in working damn hard!!!

Fitz..

[B_E_N]

they found barra in the lagoons at sandgate a couple of years back when they cleaned all the animals out due to drought, also a few lungfish if i remember correctly

[Jim_Tait]

Fitzy,

The fact that many of these barra (at least in the freshwater) are showing up dead would tend to suggest that SE Qld is still out of their comfort zone in terms of suitable habitat. Nothing that a couple more years of climate change mightn't fix hey?
Anyway as I recall it the debate about barra in SE Qld was more about their potential predatory pressure impacts on existing bass fisheries and struggling recovering Mary / Brisbane River / SE Qld Cod populations rather than whether barra ever occurred in SE Qld or would survive in impoundments.
The fact that a swag of the barra kills are occurring in impoundments north of the ‘Brisbane line’ would still tend to suggest that they are still not a real viable / cost effective or efficient impoundment stocking proposal for SE Qld (south of the Mary) anyway regardless of potential ecological impacts.
Besides barra showing up in (temperature buffered) estuaries is hardly justification for stocking suitability in upper catchment impoundments. I know that barra kills due to low water temperatures are a natural phenomena in unusually cool years (I have even seen such events in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria) – but I still believe that the justification for stocking barra in SE Qld is weak – jeez you only have to drive several hours north (of Brisbane) these days so why push it??
If you really had to have them in SE Qld a lowland coastal impoundment, perhaps even a tidal barrage that lacked an existing bass fishery or vulnerable native species would be the best bet.

[black_sheep]

JC, you obviously know a bit about the subject. Interesting read and makes good sense although it would be nice to drive 1/2hr and catch barra rather than 2-3hrs. We have found good numbers of wild barra sth of the Mary River catchment but onlt at certain times of the year when they instinctively migrate to spawn but these areas have been producing barra for years/decades and is nothing new to the locals.

There are also rumors of barra becoming temperature tolerant or even a 'southern strain' of barra are evolving and it's all not just through global warming. When working on the Mary River Project a few years back, there were reports of barra in the Brissy River and most were targetted (with cod) for pig feed (dynamiting the river).

I have recently geard reports of them being in the Logan/Albert, Lake Kurwongbah, Maroochy River, Boondall wetlands.....

Would be nice to think that some are natural but I reckon most would be pets or released for experimental purposes.

[shayned]

Fitzy,

The fact that many of these barra (at least in the freshwater) are showing up dead would tend to suggest that SE Qld is still out of their comfort zone in terms of suitable habitat. Nothing that a couple more years of climate change mightn't fix hey?
Anyway as I recall it the debate about barra in SE Qld was more about their potential predatory pressure impacts on existing bass fisheries and struggling recovering Mary / Brisbane River / SE Qld Cod populations rather than whether barra ever occurred in SE Qld or would survive in impoundments.
The fact that a swag of the barra kills are occurring in impoundments north of the ‘Brisbane line’ would still tend to suggest that they are still not a real viable / cost effective or efficient impoundment stocking proposal for SE Qld (south of the Mary) anyway regardless of potential ecological impacts.
Besides barra showing up in (temperature buffered) estuaries is hardly justification for stocking suitability in upper catchment impoundments. I know that barra kills due to low water temperatures are a natural phenomena in unusually cool years (I have even seen such events in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria) – but I still believe that the justification for stocking barra in SE Qld is weak – jeez you only have to drive several hours north (of Brisbane) these days so why push it??
If you really had to have them in SE Qld a lowland coastal impoundment, perhaps even a tidal barrage that lacked an existing bass fishery or vulnerable native species would be the best bet.
Would that type of impoundment be something like NPD or Kurwongbah, or would it be more like the Tingalpa reservoir or Caboolture Lakes????

[lifestyle]

I can vouch for the one(barra) in lake kurwongbah. Someones pet or prvate experiment. Either way not a good idea put fish in lakes irresponsibly. Found two dead talapia in the dams at north lakes estate on monday. The bloody things are everywhere.

[Fitzy]

I can vouch for the one(barra) in lake kurwongbah. Someones pet or prvate experiment. Either way not a good idea put fish in lakes irresponsibly. Found two dead talapia in the dams at north lakes estate on monday. The bloody things are everywhere.

Yep, posted pics of tilapia & one of the Kurwongbah barra here
http://sweetwaterfishing.com.au/Chat/YaBB.pl?num=1185711557

I wasnt aware of the north lakes tilapia. There is a form on DPI&F website you can fill in to inform them of noxious fish sightings.

We got DPI&F to hit a pond at Ipswich with Rotenone a couple of years back to wipe of the tilapia. We then reintroduced native bait fish populations, shrimp etc.
There was some consideration of hitting Forrest Lake to knock off the tilapia there too, however the presence of a few eels there put the kybosh in it. REcon it could be a similar situation at north lakes. Eels would get into there for sure..... :-/

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Fitzy]

Would that type of impoundment be something like NPD or Kurwongbah, or would it be more like the Tingalpa reservoir or Caboolture Lakes????

Unfortunately Shayne, IMHO it is the shallow lakes where the barra would do it the toughest in SEQ. Waster water temp changes etc

Noting that I was surprized to see the Kurwongbah barra, they obviously must have been alive in there at some stage. Never know, someone could have let it/them go a week before....

Cheers,

Fitz..

[Fitzy]

Fitzy,

The fact that many of these barra (at least in the freshwater) are showing up dead would tend to suggest that SE Qld is still out of their comfort zone in terms of suitable habitat. Nothing that a couple more years of climate change mightn't fix hey?
Anyway as I recall it the debate about barra in SE Qld was more about their potential predatory pressure impacts on existing bass fisheries and struggling recovering Mary / Brisbane River / SE Qld Cod populations rather than whether barra ever occurred in SE Qld or would survive in impoundments.
The fact that a swag of the barra kills are occurring in impoundments north of the ‘Brisbane line’ would still tend to suggest that they are still not a real viable / cost effective or efficient impoundment stocking proposal for SE Qld (south of the Mary) anyway regardless of potential ecological impacts.
Besides barra showing up in (temperature buffered) estuaries is hardly justification for stocking suitability in upper catchment impoundments. I know that barra kills due to low water temperatures are a natural phenomena in unusually cool years (I have even seen such events in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria) – but I still believe that the justification for stocking barra in SE Qld is weak – jeez you only have to drive several hours north (of Brisbane) these days so why push it??
If you really had to have them in SE Qld a lowland coastal impoundment, perhaps even a tidal barrage that lacked an existing bass fishery or vulnerable native species would be the best bet.

As always Jim, you knowlege & experience is evident.

You know my direction however,,, if we wanted to save our Brissy cod, we would never have built these dirty great dams. From my experience, the cod just arent doing well in the lakes. We stock as many as we can get & still dont know (often doubt) if we're yet to get any recruitment in the lakes, let alone the rivers where we've re-established them.

We will never destroy the big lakes so I'm supportive of using this "once dead" water for recreational fishing purposes. I've long supported a serious barra trial in SEQ, & if it fails, so be it. If some expert oppinion is correct, barra wont survive going over the wall at Wivenhoe, nor survive in the river below.
If this is the case, why not try them I recon. The potential gain outweighs the potential problem & if a problem ever does occur, stop stocking them & they'll die out cause they cannot breed.


Thanks Jim. ;)

Fitz..

[rayken1938]

There is a post and photo in Brisbane Fishing on line of a dead barra found in the upper reaches if the brisbane River.
Ray