Barra in SE Qld

[Jim_Tait]

Hey what gives?? Have the thought police struck or am I just paranoid? What happened to the post I had contributed to this forum? Randall and co, you guys responded to it and now its gone.. was there too much kicking the barra in SE Qld bandwagon with some rational debate for Ausfish moderators to handle or did it just slip throughthe cracks???

Yours faithfully - Jim

[Fitzy]

Hey what gives?? Have the thought police struck or am I just paranoid? What happened to the post I had contributed to this forum? Randall and co, you guys responded to it and now its gone.. was there too much kicking the barra in SE Qld bandwagon with some rational debate for Ausfish moderators to handle or did it just slip throughthe cracks???

Yours faithfully - Jim

Not at all Jim,
I think the server had a glitch & it reverted back to the previous back-up. I've been away at Clarrie Hall Dam for a couple of days, but I think there was around 24 hours lost.

Please feel free to post again, your input is always welcome, be it right, wrong or other.
Only time any posts here get deleted is for comercial spamming, swearing or sladerous posts.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Jim_Tait]

Phew, thanks for that Fitzy, apologies for my paranoia but given the heat of some past debates you could understand why I may have thought the plug had been pulled on me!

The main points I made in the now missing post were:
1) Barra probably can be stocked in some smaller coastal impoundments without causing ecological catastrophe (in terms of impacts on vulnerable natives) but it is up to the proponents of barra stocking in SE Qld to identify where these sites are and demonstrate how risks could be managed – that would be likely to win officialdom over.
2) Larger rivers in SE Qld including the Mary, Brisbane, Albert, Logan and Cooma all do / did have a natural top order predator – it is the Eastern Cod (bass are right up there as well)– rehabilitation of breeding populations of this species is what we should be aiming for in the freshwater reaches of these river systems, through targeted habitat rehabilitation and stocking (I have undertaken habitat survey work in these catchments – and believe it is achievable) – and this goal should not be compromised by our short term desires to tangle with barra in the backyard.
3) Impoundments on our larger rivers including Big W and Somerset are not the place to stock barra, not even for a trial – these systems have fledgling eastern (Mary) cod populations and connected river reaches and tributary streams. Barra will access these areas especially in the warmer months and hammer the native perchyithids (cod and bass + other species) in these river habitats and the populations in the reservoir itself.
4) Holding a poll on this site about this topic and investing any substance in the findings is like surveying kids at a birthday party what they want to eat and then coming out with findings saying ice-cream is good for you!!

Freshwater fishers are addicted to barra - rightly so – they’re an impressive species (and one that I miss now living in Nthn NSW) but we should not be reckless in what we’ll do to get a fix!

Regards and tight lines – Jim

PS how was the fishing at Clarrie Hall? That’s only about a 20 minute drive over the hill from my place. I’d like to show you some “jungle bass’ in the upper Richmond if you are into walking a creek some time.

[dasher]

Thanks Jim, a top post mate. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif] So OK I can see they would be a prob in rivers, but would the same probs be evident in impoundments?? i.e. choice of co-inhabitants.

[Fitzy]

The fishing was pretty slow at Clarrie on the weekend. Some good shows on the sounder but everyone did it tough. Think the winner of the comp only caught 5 or 6 legal bass. Biggest for the come was 39 or 40cm. Nothing big but a pretty little lake just the same.
Would be good to see some of that country on the Richmod Jim. Could reciprocate with a mid-Brissy R trip for bass and maybe the odd other fish when you're up this way.
Some of that country below Clarrie (Doon Doon Ck/Upper Tweed) looks very nice. Was thinking of going back down there with a canoe for a paddle/flick come summer.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Fitzy]

A senior fisheries researcher told me that in his oppinion, any barra over 3kg going through the flood gates at Wivenhoe would surely be killed.
Not all that likely that any barra under that size would be overly intent upon going down stream.
Same fellow claims that barra wont be able ot breed in the Brisbane system.
All good news to me. (although I dont altogether agree)

If correct, a short term trial cant do any long term damage to the system, if they actually do any damage at all. That is why a trail is needed.

Jim, there's been nothing to report on the Mary's. Same old, same old, except the federal funding for the project got axed. Jerry Cook hatchery is now funded by local council donations, mainly Noosa Shire. And still only the one commercial hatchery (a part timer) is permitted to breed Mary's for sale for stocking. We have money to spend on Mary's & little or no supply. Rediculous really.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Randall]

Hi Jim...and thanks for your contributions. It is appreciated.
How paranoid are you!!!! I did`nt know the posts dissapeared until yesterday.

I would encourage you and Garry to get together for a lazy fish on a river somewhere, you both are passionate about this subject, and I have noticed, lately, much more open to each others opinions as well.

Its all good.

Randall.

[harryhoy]

Post removed at the request of the Member

[Jim_Tait]

Harry,
certainly agree about leaving Somerset alone, it has some good tributaries including the Stanley River which has some exceptional habitat (& tributaries) capable of supporting cod breeding if we can get the numbers to a stage where they can successfully find enough of each other. It does have a fairly substantial fish passage barrier at Woodford (smaller ones also elsewhere within teh catchment) which fish get past in big floods but probably not too often (needs a verticle slot ladder on it) - But Wivenhoe is also connected to some good quality habitat tribuitaries (ie Byron Ck) and the main (upper) Brisbane River channel itself is not totally beyond repair (in terms of being able to serve cod breeding) - we dont need barra in our big river impoundments - impoundments are connected to rivers & native fish communities!

Apparently the Qld Government was asking lately what fishers would like SIP funds spent on if not fingerlings (Sunshine Connection - Warren Steptoe Column in MF) - how about boosting Mary Cod fingerling production? Just a thought.

Regards - Jim

[Fitzy]

Hi Harry,
On what do you base your assumptions that the bass fishery @ Somerset will be "gone forever" in barra are stocked? There are already a few bass/barra mixed fisheries & to date there no indications that bass & barra are interfering with each other. If you got to Monduran, the two species are found in different locations within the lake.
Best time of year for bass is winter, best time for barra is summer. Kind of gets the best out of both seasons.
While we're on it, it is the decision of the relevant stocking group as to what species (of the permitted ones) are stocked in what numbers each year. eg we could decide to stock no bass at all. It all comes down to a show of hands within a committee.
If you wish some input into how, what, where & when I suggest you need to be a member of the relevant stocking group (Somerset & Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Assn Inc in this case) to have any say.
AS president I'd welcome you & anyone else to join & attend meetings to have a say in your own fishing future.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Cloud_9]

why not stock both not shore if the mary's eat the catties though.
its such a big waterway how on earth are they going to monitor the barra population????
electronic tags?? too exy isn't it.through a couple hundred thousand fingerlings in they'd disapear into the unknown, it'd be like catching the odd 1 in the noosa river system.
a pointless exercise.
ether stock them or dont

Cheers Cloud 9

[Fitzy]

Hi Harry,
On what do you base your assumptions that the bass fishery @ Somerset will be "gone forever" in barra are stocked? There are already a few bass/barra mixed fisheries & to date there no indications that bass & barra are interfering with each other. If you got to Monduran, the two species are found in different locations within the lake.
While we're on it, it is the decision of the relevant stocking group as to what species (of the permitted ones) are stocked in what numbers each year. eg we could decide to stock no bass at all. It all comes down to a show of hands within a committee.
If you wish some input into how, what, where & when I suggest you need to be a member of the relevant stocking group (Somerset & Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Assn Inc in this case) to have any say.
AS president I'd welcome you & anyone else to join & attend meetings to have a say in your own fishing future.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

Jim, as previously mentioned, getting any numbers of Mary River cod just isnt happening & by the looks of it (even after Dr Jackson said there would be action) there's not likely to be. With Dredgie calling the shots on aquaculture & his well known attitude towards fish stocking I'd say we've got buckleys of any improvement in supply. Then again pigs just might fly too.

You mentioned the fish communities within the Wivenhoe & Somerset catchments. Agree on the cod in the Stanley however I'm dubious as to whether any cod eggs could survive the high silt levels, the dads would be working overtime on them. I certainly hope I'm wrong!
The upper brisbane is anothe case. Very little suitable cod country exists in the brisso however the water quality is usually better. Shade & structure are at a premium & weeds have choked most of the upper catchment solid. (see pic of river near Linville. It's like that just about right up from Harlin.

I'd say that putting 4km of rock & concrete across the Brissy river kind of changed the rivers fish communities forever. Add a multitude of introduced pest (that enjoy more protection than natives seem to) & we have a pretty poor situation.
Factor in the almost non-existant Mary Cod supply & angler demand, there's definately scope for some work with barra there. And BTW, if it comes down to barra Vs MRC, you might not like the outcome. It's only a show of hands & some paperwork to have MRCs gone from the catchment for good. Our 1st & foremost resposibility is to the anglers who pay their SIPs etc. Green issues/conservation are a luxury, certainly not a requirement.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[philip_thomson]

i don't spend time doing any fresh water fishing but i have always been interested in barras. i reckon if we could have them stocked down here then it would be great to be able to travel 1-2 hrs to catch barras. however i agree that it could damage the fresh water species already there. although what fish would people rather catch, eat etc barras or bass?

philip

[harryhoy]

Fitzy - sent you a pm. If anyone else is interested in this post, check this site. Take note of Point 4 in Objective 2.

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/far/9227.html

[Paul]

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