23 June 2003
Theresa Creek Dam a future barramundi drawcard
ENTHUSIASM is running high amongst members of the Clermont Fish Stocking Group who are well on the way to creating a viable barramundi recreational fishing resource in Theresa Creek Dam.
Department of Primary Industries Queensland Fisheries Service senior extension officer Peter Long teamed up with 11 Clermont Fish Stocking Group members on June 12 to conduct a netting survey in the 250-hectare impoundment.
Mr Long said the group members had initialled introduced 14,000 barramundi into the dam on December 14, 2002 and had now placed hatchery orders for a further 50,000 fingerlings for the 2003-04 summer season.
“The principal purpose of this month’s survey was not just to check progress of the barramundi population but to assess the survival of three late 2002 introductions of bony bream, a native fish species that provides the ideal food source for barramundi,” Mr Long said.
Preliminary surveys of Theresa Creek Dam revealed there were no bony bream in the impoundment but there was a significant population immediately downstream of the dam wall. DPI subsequently provided a permit to enable members to capture and transfer hundreds of bony bream into the dam.
“From the nine nets set over a three hour period, the recent survey caught 114 bony bream ranging in size from 70mm up to 250mm which indicates the fish are breeding successfully.
“Despite the onset of the cooler weather, we scored a bonus by netting an 1105 gram 420mm barramundi, a remarkable growth rate considering the fish was just seven months old. These stocked barramundi should grow to the legal length of 58cm by December this year. The survey also recorded 11 jewfish and seven spangled perch,” Mr Long said.
The Clermont Fish Stocking Group was only founded in February 2002 but with the support of the Belyando Shire Council, Blair Athol Coal and the wider community, group members had raised more than $20,000 in cash and contributions.
Group secretary Paul Wilson said the members had worked to extend the length of the boat ramp, expanded the picnic area and barbeque facilities and used rock fill to develop a casting platform for anglers.
After reaching a critically low water level in January this year, timely February rains filled the dam which remained near capacity at just 1metre below the spillway.
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Further information: Peter Long, senior extension officer, Rockhampton
Ph 07 4936 0253 Mobile 0428 799 574
Media Officer: Russ Boadle. Ph: +61 7 4936 0320, Mob: 0418 789939
Department of Primary Industries Media Unit
Central Region Office, PO Box 6014, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Qld 4702. Fax: +61 7 4936 0317
DPI Call Centre 8am-6pm weekdays on local call 13 25 23
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Originally Posted by big_george
