Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Paul Dolan on July 13, 2011, 06:51:34 PM
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I got sent some pics today of the stillage pond below Lenthalls dam and the senseless waste of Barra that get trapped in there every time if over flows,
The water De-oxygenates and the food supply dries up along with bitterly cold conditions in shallow water the Barra don't have a chance,all that is needed is a channel dug and kept clear of weed so the fish can migrate down stream but that would take some money and some common sense and we all know local and state Governments don't know the meaning of that.
I see this act of not clearing the weeds to allow the fish to travel down stream as animal cruelty,it would be a horrible death for the poor barra.
In the past Wide Bay Water has given access to the pond to the Fraser Coast Fish Stocking Assoc to get some of the fish out but they have stopped access to this area for some reason and now the fish are just rotting in the water below and it appears there has been no effort by them to get the dead fish out which will in a short time destroy the water quality and more fish will die.
Here's a few pics
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G'Day Paul,
Pretty hard to come up with an adequate answer to that post mate. Nobody likes to see waste of any kind, particularly a recreational resource this Barra.
JD
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And ironically at another time of the year these AWOL fish would be protected by a closed season. Stocked fish, with public money into public water.... rec anglers should be allowed to go catch as many as they want before things like this happen...
Yep a waste.
fitz..
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Sure is a real waste, in 2007 we visited Lenthalls and seen the same waste when the water rolled over, there where hundred of stocked fish floating near the wall this was act of nature, but when they go over the wall surely someone should be allowed to step in and assist to save such waste of fish.
Ray
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Yes a waste indeed!!the thing that really pisses me off is that if they were cattle,cats or dogs someone would be held accountable for such cruelty but because they are fish and a money making organisation controls the situation nothing is done,I'd like to know why the Ranger out there isn't bringing it to the attention of the relevant authorities eg: fisheries or EPA or RSPCA!! I know I did when I was employed as a ranger out there!!!maybe the media needs to hear about it!!!!to get something done
2007 was a bad year on the lake but nothing could be done about it,the dam had just been cleared of all the scrub around the edges for the raising of the wall,the dam was at a all time low and sou west winds blew for weeks on end and the water temps got down to 12 deg and myself and the other ranger spent days on end for about a month picking up dead rotting barra so it didn't look bad to the public!!! but this is preventable with a bit of common sense and some money.
2008 saw the dam flow over in winter and thousands of adult bass died in the lower burrum river after their spawn run below no. 1 weir where they got trapped and it should have a fishway on it and there was money and a lot of it supplied to the governing body by the state govt to build one but it never happen and probably never will and the waste will continue and if the waste cannot be stopped maybe barra should be,I'd rather see none than all these dead ones.
Paul
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Paul has your stocking group applied for a salvage permit from DEEDI/DPI ?
cheers
Steve
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Steve, problem has always been permission to access the area. I dont know what the situation is know, but the bloke who was CEO of the water mob up there last time it happened was about as big a tosser as you can get.
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Paul
It is a shame & a waste yes - but Wide Bay water has been pro-active in supporting the stocking group & we have already tried one salvage attempt about a month ago - with only a few fish being able to be caught & transferred back to the dam. A lot of the fish are just too large to handle safely.
The best solution is to have a deeper channel excavated between the stilling basin & No1 weir .............
We will continue to push for this & will be meeting with Wide Bay water again in September.
Regards
Scott Mitchell
President Fraser Coast Fish Stocking Ass
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Scott yes I know Wide Bay Water has been helpfull in the past and as you would know I was a member of the stocking group for 7 years untill last year and was a ranger at the dam for 2 years and this is why I put this thread up because I know how they work and unless made to spend money they wont.
As you can see when you go out there all that is needed in the short term is get the weeds out of the way[make a channel through them and the fish can move down stream] and then they will survive,these barra need food and stability in water temps which they will get with deeper water but not where they are atm.
On the last rescue I was involved in with the stocking group I walked one barra down stream from where it was electro fished and it was knee deep but thick with weeds and the fish cannot get through so if those weeds were removed they could travel downstream but a channel would be much better but that wont happen.
DEEDI say that it has nothing to do with them :o I cant work that one out as it is the enviorenment and there are living creatures involved so they should be doing something so if they don't give a rats ar$e the controlling body can do what they like.
Wide Bay Water and the Ranger were contacted by the chronicle and were told there were no dead Barra in the stillage basin area obviously a lie!!! these fish are a Australian fishing icon and deserve better than what they are getting.
A small excavator could get down in there and clear a pathway without a great expense and the fish would survive maybe they should take a leaf out of the Gladstone Area Water Board Book and do something positive for the fishery[use the money they give for fingerlings to clear a path]better to have less alive fish than plenty of dead ones.
Maybe I'm wrong but I actually care about the fish's well-being and not just being able catching them all the time.
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I am just curious :) Where does that stream / Creek go too ? and wouldn`t the water be rather polluted with that amount of Dead Fish rotting in it ????
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Wrenchman it runs into the Burrum river and yes the water quality will suffer badly making it ever harder for the remaining fish to survive!!but apparently that doesn't matter their only fish.
Here's a article Nat Bromhead did in the local paper the Chronicle where he is now the fishing editor after giving away guiding here in Hervey Bay which is a smart move considering the way the QLD Govt looks after our fisheries.
If anyone would like to have their say to the water board or to the paper contacts are news paper mbedit@frasercoastchronicle.com.au or Wide Bay Water 1300808888
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Wide Bay Water Corporation, is this the managing organisation?
A quick search on their website shows they operate under the Queensland Local Government Owned Corporations Act.
A quick search of that website shows that there is a surprising lack of policies and guidelines (that I could see) that would cover a situation even remotely like this one. It also shows that Government owned corporations are exemmpt from a number of 'Acts'
The Current Chair of the Corporation is Leith Boully a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists who are an independent group of Australian scientists concerned with advancing solutions to secure the long term health of Australia's land, water and biodiversity.
I wonder if she is aware, or was aware prior to the press coverage. Mightn't hurt to ask the question.
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Wide Bay Water Corporation, is this the managing organisation?
A quick search on their website shows they operate under the Queensland Local Government Owned Corporations Act.
A quick search of that website shows that there is a surprising lack of policies and guidelines (that I could see) that would cover a situation even remotely like this one. It also shows that Government owned corporations are exemmpt from a number of 'Acts'
The Current Chair of the Corporation is Leith Boully a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists who are an independent group of Australian scientists concerned with advancing solutions to secure the long term health of Australia's land, water and biodiversity.
I wonder if she is aware, or was aware prior to the press coverage. Mightn't hurt to ask the question.
Thanks for the reply Dick,good detective work on that one :thumbsup yes mate Wide Bay Water is the managing Corp the dam was owned by the Hervey Bay City Clowncil but they formed the WBW Corp and it is now a separate business.
I have met Leith once in the BCF store I work in a couple of days a week when I sold her a pair of boots and we discussed Lenthalls and surrounding waterways breifly and she seemed like a really nice Lady so I will try to contact her on Monday and see if something can be done before it is too late.
Scott might like to do it from the Stocking Assoc side as I'm no longer a member,but I don't think you need to be a member of a stocking Assoc to have thoughts on how a fishery is managed.
I have a Stocked Impoundment Permit so that makes me a stakeholder in the fishery,I contacted the RSPCA today and they are going to look into it as well.
Hopefully something positive can come from it for the good of the fish for the future but I wont hold my breath.
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Hopefully something positive can come from it for the good of the fish for the future but I wont hold my breath.
A resolution that involves collaboration between a Government organisation and a community group for the next event is good path to go down. Could be a bit of environmental cash flowing around for that sort of project unless the reconstruction has pilfered most of those sources.
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I called the RSPCA on Saturday re; the dead fish and fish still land locked fish, they confirmed that fish are covered under the ill treatment of anamils act and they will be meeting with a rep from Wide Bay Water tomorrow at the dam to try and work out something to help the fish that remain trapped.
Not saying all is fixed but at least a Govt body is now involved so something may get done hopefully.
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Well done Paul, finally a govt. body is taking notice. I can't believe it took these measures though. Hopefully your persistance will pay off. Let us know how you get on in regards to the meeting between both parties. :youbeauty
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OK, I'll play the devil's advocate here. What if Wide Bay Water investigate the almost annual losses of Barramundi in Lenthall's due to either cold weather, or water releases and they decide that they cannot control either, but to look good in the general public's eyes when it comes to dying fish, they decide that these fish shouldn't be stocked? It could be an outcome that DEEDI re-evaluate the limits of stocking the species. There are times when good intentions can back fire.
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OK, I'll play the devil's advocate here. What if Wide Bay Water investigate the almost annual losses of Barramundi in Lenthall's due to either cold weather, or water releases and they decide that they cannot control either, but to look good in the general public's eyes when it comes to dying fish, they decide that these fish shouldn't be stocked? It could be an outcome that DEEDI re-evaluate the limits of stocking the species. There are times when good intentions can back fire.
Yeh Dale it's a possability that's for sure but as I said in the original post that Common sense be used,
The Burrum river has a natural population of barra so no problem there with stocking and all that is needed is a deeper chanel of about 80-100 meters and there wont be a problem it's the only thing stopping them have access to miles of river with deeper water,
The tourism factor has to be taken into account with good impoundment barra fishing as another drawcard for this region and it's needed! whales are only here 4 months per year.
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Mate, to promote Lenthall's as a serious Barra destination, they need to build a road in to it that the average person can negotiate with a boat in tow. The goat track that exists now doesn't cut it. As someone who has had a reasonable amount of training in Risk Assessment as far as business sustainability is concerned, if I was with Wide Bay Water I know what I would have to recommend as a solution.
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Wide Bay Water are in the business of water, while they've done a great job on the facilities (and should be applauded for it), it would become a nightmare for them if the patronage increased significantly, the status quo is a win win for them. They get the kudos for having the great facilities but the visitor numbers are low because of the road, hence the budget doesn't blow out on cleaning dunnies & emtpying bins. They get to say "it's not our road" & there's the plausable deniability............
cheers,
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Here's a article Nat Bromhead did in the local paper the Chronicle where he is now the fishing editor after giving away guiding here in Hervey Bay which is a smart move considering the way the QLD Govt looks after our fisheries.
Paul, I know its not exactly a great time there, but I reckon I have to pull you on that one, in the main the relevant Qld Govt staff does a pretty good job with our fisheries and dams in my opinion. Wide Bay water, no, SEQ Water? Certainly better than Wide Bay Water, could improve some more, albeit they are miles ahead of where they were.
I hope you get some traction with this, people know my opinion of Wide Bay Water, its not currently improving!
In my opinion the SEQ water take over of the South east Dams has had more pluses for fisho's than minus's. Perhaps someone might be able to convince Anna Bligher that a Sunwater take over in the Wide Bay area might be a good idea!
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In my opinion WBW do have a lot to learn about planning issues and compliance.
They appear to have too large string of bureaucratic process with no one prepared to make a decision so they just pass the buck along the line.
They have had issues with trapped fish in that pond previously so you would think that they would have a process in place so that they can react quickly.
It took them around 2 years to get the toilet and amenities block for the camp ground up and running.
They had more excuses than greenbottle .
The actual staff and the current ranger have been very good to deal with. Paul was also good as the ranger but wont comment on the bloke after Paul.
The road in would be the local councils or Dept Transports responsibility.
Apart from it being closed to flooding I have never had a problem with the road . It can be greasy in the wet and very rough in the dry( Particularly after its been raining and the local Queen Street cowboys come out to play in their fourbies in the wet and cut it up) but if you treat the road and your car and trailer with respect you will have no problems. Just realize its a normal dirt country road and take it slow.
I only have a hilux 2wd ute and previous to that had a kia rio.
Cheers
Ray
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The road is a good as you treat it, we have taken a Motorhome in there.yes it was rough but you drive to too the road condition and you'll have no problems.
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I got a call from Amanda the lady that represented the RSPCA today after she met with Wide Bay Water,she has read the topic on here and reminded me that RSPCA are not a Government body.
She said it went quite well and WBW are going to get the rotting fish out to improve the water quality and try to clear a path in the weeds so the fish can migrate down stream :thumbsup
She did mention they suggested looking at the stocking of Barra in there and I knew that would happen and if they stop it then so be it,not point in stocking fish that are going to die it's a waste of money and time but if they dig a channel there wouldn't be a problem and the barra could be stocked as they could move down stream in the event of floods that happen nearly every year out there.
A smart Council that wants tourists would work in with WBW and come up with a plan that could benifit the fish in the event of a flood and the region financially through tourism.
If not the Stocking group can apply for a permit to stock the lower Burrum river each year from funds raised other than Sips money.
In the end if the fish don't have to starve or freeze to death it will be a good thing.
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Whilst it appears that a temporary resolution has occurred a long term solution needs to be planned and acted on or else it will only happen again in the future.
Paul just how much excavation would be needed to either drain the pool or provide deep water access to the Burrum?
I do not think that WBW will do anything more unless they are persuaded by the big stick of public opinion and political pressure.
Who is the local member and what party do they belong to and is there an aspiring member for the coming election?
A few letters never go astray.
Kudos to Paul for raising the matter.
Cheers
Ray
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Whilst it appears that a temporary resolution has occurred a long term solution needs to be planned and acted on or else it will only happen again in the future.
Paul just how much excavation would be needed to either drain the pool or provide deep water access to the Burrum?
I do not think that WBW will do anything more unless they are persuaded by the big stick of public opinion and political pressure.
Who is the local member and what party do they belong to and is there an aspiring member for the coming election?
A few letters never go astray.
Kudos to Paul for raising the matter.
Cheers
Ray
Ray there would be approximately 50- 100 meters at most that would require a channel of some type dug or at least clearing of weeds to allow fish to move up and down stream.
LNP Ted Sorrensen is the sitting member after the people of this area kicked the last labour boffin out in the last election,I've contacted the LNP member over other fishing related incidences in Hervey bay but no gain there either!! pollies are pollies and if it doesn't directly credit or benifit them it's a waste of time I have learnt from dealing with them.
I've been writing letters to the Qld Government about netting in a marine park for years and nothing is done and nothing will be done until we have a change of Government in this state and even then it may not change.
Maybe this will be the end of stocking of barra in Lenthalls,I hope I'm wrong but I did work for WBW for 2 years and got a glimps of how things work with them and like other things they've done they'll take the easy inexpensive option.
I initiated the re-stocking of Barra out there when I joined the stocking group back in 03 they had stopped stocking them!! I though it would work but maybe I was wrong and don't mind admitting it,
I asked quite a few people to join so the votes would go they way of barra stocking! and it did, so if it's stopped because I did something about the dying fish then that's fine with me,I saw and picked up hundreds of dead fish in the 07 fish kill as a part of my job and have seen it happen ever since! so it's pretty simple fix the problem or don't stock them.
I have seen a few dead bass but no where near the number of Barra there is even a dead catty floating around out there so the water quality musn't be to good.
What is really needed is the fishway to be built on the No 1 weir which WBW has been given a $h!t load of money to start the project but still after 3 years they haven't done anything but talk about it and that's not good enough!!! part of the deal for the approval for the raising of the dam wall was to build the fishway.
Paul