As communities across the country fight it out to attract their share of the ‘grey dollar’, a serious barra battle could be brewing along the Queensland coast.
Since commercial netting was removed from the Fitzroy River in 2015, Rockhampton has become a mecca for recreational barramundi fishing and it has developed a reputation as being Australia’s new ‘barramundi capital’.
And the benefits that brings has not gone unnoticed elsewhere.
Momentum is growing in Queensland’s Cassowary Coast, which includes towns such as Innisfail, Cardwell, and Mission Beach, to have a tilt at the title.
The Cairns Post reports that Cassowary Coast River2Reef Fishing Association has been in discussion with local government and the Department of Fisheries to roll out strategies to boost fish numbers in local waterways.
Association president and biologist Mark Anderson said the overarching goal is to lure more visitors to the region.
“Rockhampton is known as the barramundi capital of Australia and it’s been great for their economy,” he said. “We want to see the same here.”
The first part of the strategy for 2021 is to seek funding to release 5000 25cm barramundi into the region’s rivers and estuaries as part of the annual fish restocking program.
“We have our suppliers all lined up, and we’re ready to lodge our submission,” Mr Anderson said. “This will enhance our barramundi biomass, and any not caught will enter the breeding biomass.”
The Cairns Post reports that the second strategy will be to deploy two modern fish attracting devices – which feature four buoys placed in a diamond configuration, spanning the size of a baseball field. These would used at Meaburn Rock and in the no- trawl area between the north and south Barnard Islands.
The third ploy is to tag six barramundi and release them in local waterways, with a prize of $1000 for each caught during the barramundi season from February 1 to October 31.
“There’s been research that says at least three will be caught, and the research says they generally do stay within the region.”
Hmmmm, sounds fishy to me!
It won’t work until netting is banned
Why pay for the professional to have their product to be supplied free of charge to them