FCFSA Lake Lenthall barramundi release

[Big_unit]

Credit must also go to Justin Nye ( FCFSA Treasurer ) who co-wrote this article with me.

On Saturday 15th December the Fraser Coast Fish Stocking Association Inc members and guests gathered at Wide Bay Water Corporations Lake Lenthall recreational grounds at 7.00am to prepare for the 9.00am arrival of 12000 50mm barramundi fingerlings which had been trucked nearly 1000 kilometres from Queenslands far north town of Bowen. The fingerlings were born & bred in the Good Fortune Bay Fisheries Bowen hatchery facility under the experienced & watchful eye of Nursery Manager Clint Jeavons. The fingerlings were graded and assessed on the morning prior to release to ensure the conformation traits, physical appearance & general health criteria met the required high standards for survival in an often demanding environment.

12 boats lined up, loaded up & head off all over the dam with a very precious cargo, the first three boats back did an extra load each. Johnson Pump donated 10 livewell aeration units with the new venturi system. All stockers commented on just how effective the Johnson pumps were at keeping the fingerlings alive, ZERO fatalities were recorded. That in itself speaks volumes about the value of these awesome little aeration units with the venturi air hose set up which has been specifically designed to sustain fish life in live wells and stocking tubs. The fact that we lost not even one fingerling is an absolute credit to Johnson Pump - an SPX Process Equipment Operation and the forward thinking people behind its evolution as what I believe to be the premier aeration unit available on the Australian market. Thank you to the good people at Johnson Pump, there is no doubt in my mind why their slogan is " A PUMP FOR EVERY BOAT ".

Members and guests travelled from the local areas and as far away as Tin Can Bay and the Brisbane suburbs. The 15 conservation minded volunteers all donated their spare time to ensure that Lake Lenthall's reputation as a premier freshwater fishery remains as just that. The members of the FCFSA all have an undertaking to ensure that angling and fishing based tourism is promoted responsibly in the Hervey Bay region, many members enjoy all that the great outdoors lifestyle has to offer and see it as their own way of giving back to the fishery environment through the restocking program. The FCFSA is funded primarily through the Queensland Governments Stocked Impoundment scheme. Additional funding is often provided by local business operators who see the value of having such an awesome fishery operating in the region which in turn generates income for the local economy through tourist dollars which are spent right throughout the region.

Wide Bay Water Corporation has created and built an awesome venue which includes sealed roads, walking / riding tracks, picnic tables, shaded rotundas, a two lane boat ramp, car parks, a viewing platform over the spillway, toilets and almost everything has disabled access. In the near future it is planned to have a fishing platform built on the Lakes foreshore. There is an abundance of wildlife which inhabits the area with over 100 species of birds residing around the Lake including the rare Black Breasted Button Quail, Whistling Kites, Osprey, Musk Ducks and Brolga's regularly being sighted. Activities available include fishing, canoeing, bush walking, bird watching, picnicing, swimming and boating although boater's should check Wide Bay Water Corporations website for the current boating restrictions and access times.

The days success was made possible by not only the committee but the various other organizations and businesses that contributed to the association by either helping fund the stocking, or by providing assistance with donations of various goods to ensure the health of the fish all the way to the stocking destinations. Major thanks to Great Outdoor Publications for their generous donations and also to Johnson Pumps for their outstanding contribution of supplying all the livewell aeration pumps used to transport the fingerlings within the vessels. These pumps were unreal with nil fatalities of fish recorded for the entire stocking. Also many thanks to all the members and volunteers, without them these stockings wouldn't be possible. Some of the associations long term members are quoted as saying that this stocking was the best they had seen, being topped off with a casual sausage sizzle, cold soft drink and a friendly yarn discussing future stockings in the months to come.

[Big_unit]

15000 Australian bass fingerlings going Lake Lenthall this weekend, Saturday 19th of January, 2008.

Truck arrives at 9.00am.

Cheers
James

[crab man]

Great work guys and girls