Nov 132015
 

After a couple of storm related postponements last Summer Brisbane City Council is giving it another go!

If you missed out last year BCC will open Forest Lake to fishing for one day on Saturday, November 21 so that we can remove some feral fish and spread the message about how much of a threat they are to our waterways and native fish species. There’s been a surprising amount of interest on facebook so we’d certainly appreciate any members who wanted to come along and help out. It’s a unique opportunity for the club to engage with a lot of people we normally wouldn’t get to meet. If you’d like to help with putting some of the gear together give Steve Baines a call on 0448890798. Continue reading »

Mar 152015
 

Brisbane River Field Trip, Saturday 28 March 2015

Facebook event here

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Meeting Location: The Colinton Memorial Park which is next to the Colinton BP Service Station on the D’Aguilar Hwy.

Departure Time: 9:00am. This is the time we will leave the meeting point. If you wish to have breakfast there the BP does a range of hot takeaway and cooked breakfast food. Please arrive before the departure time as we can’t and won’t wait. Please ensure you have enough fuel before we leave for the approximate 2 hour return trip from here.

Destination: We will fish tributaries of the Brisbane River and the Brisbane River proper above and below Wivenhoe Dam.

Three locations have been selected the first being near Linville, the second and third being Twin Bridges and Savages Crossing behind Fernvale. The sites have been chosen as previously prolific lungfish spawning habitats and the first being a good source of plants, the second and third still have not recovered to their former glory of luxurious Vallisnera, Hydrilla, Potomageton and Myriophyllum beds that lungfish once spawned in.

Tentative Itinerary

Please check back closer to the date for final details.

Location 1: Crossing 3 at Linville (9:45 – 10:45)
————Details to come…

Location 2: Twin Bridges (11:30 to 12:30pm)

Lunch at Fernvale Bakery (12:45 to 1:30pm)

Location 3: Savages Crossing (1:30pm to 2:30pm)

Fish likely to be encountered include:

  • M. duboulayi (Crimson Spotted Rainbowfish)
  • Craterocephalus sp. (Hardyheads)
  • Retropinna semoni (Smelt)
  • Mogurnda adspersa (Purple spotted gudgeon)
  • Hypseleotris compressa (Empire Gudgeon)
  • Hypseleotris galii (Firetail Gudgeon)
  • Glossamia aprion (Mouth Almighty)
  • Ambassis agassizii (Glass perchlet)
  • Amniataba percoides (Banded Grunter) – introduced from north Qld
  • Juvenile Tandanus tandanus (size limits apply)
  • Porocheilus rendahli (Rendahls Catfish)
  • Notesthes robusta (Bullrout) – beware of poisonous spines
  • Plus a range of other gudgeons, gobies below the dam, invertebrates and the odd feral or pest fish.

Although not legally targeted, there is a slim chance that some lucky dip netter might also find the elusive Lungfish juvenile. They are rarely seen in the wild but have been spawning at the first site in recent years. Obviously to be returned to the water immediately, after a few photographs.

The expected finishing/macrophyte collecting time is one hour per location.

Lunch: Venue is the amazingly good Fernvale pie shop where you can choose from a quick pastry, to a selection of backed goods, tea and coffee or cold drinks. Seating is either in the café, alfresco under the trees or the park over the road.

Bring: wading shoes, dip nets, folding bait traps (openings must be 5cm or less at widest point), bait or burley for the traps, buckets (with lids), a field tank for photography, an esky or styrofoam box to keep fish cool and calm, plastic bags for the fish, rubber bands, non- iodised salt (cooking salt, rock salt, etc), drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent, fish and plant identification books, and water test kits if you have them (hardness, total hardness, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, etc).

Macrophyte Transplanting Gear Small shovel or hand spade to dig up plants; gardening gloves to protect hands; plastic fish bags or old newspapers to wrap plants in; styrofoam box or esky to transport plants in.

Remember: ANGFA is a conservation society and an important part of each field trip is to survey and record the water conditions and what fish and plants we find. We are not there to take our bag limits of fish. Take only those specimens you plan on displaying or starting a captive bred colony. It is illegal to sell fish from the wild without a permit.

Size and bag limits and equipment regulations apply when fishing in fresh water in QLD. You can find the QLD bag and size limits here: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_2994.htm You can find the QLD fishing equipment regulations here: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_3023.htm

To nominate for the field trip or to get further information, please contact the Field Trip Coordinator: David Roberts, Mob: 0488 012 208, Email: david.t.roberts@seqwater.com.au

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Feb 102015
 

This meeting we’ll have two guest speakers who have traveled the state in search of creatures that swim. Both presentations will be an excellent lead up to the Forest Lake Pest Fishing Day on February 21.

Glynn Aland will give us a talk about the feral fish that are invading our waterways. Glynn has worked in a variety of roles with Fisheries Queensland and Seqwater and has conducted fish surveys all around the state.

Glynn Aland at Weary Bay

Gavin Brown will present some turtles from around Australia and take us on a tour of all sorts of turtle habitat. Gavin is a member of Australian Freshwater Turtles (AFT – a non-profit organisation) and has a wealth of experience with keeping turtles and observing them in the wild.

Rare Fraser Island Broad-shelled Turtle, from one of Gavin's expeditions.

The drinks stand and the shop will be open for books and aquarium supplies, and there’ll be an auction where members can sell fish, plants, and other aquarium related items. Guests are welcome to come and have a look, you can join up on the night if you’re interested.

ANGFA Qld Meetings are held on the second Friday of every other month (even numbers) at the Bar Jai Community Hall, Clayfield, starting 7:30 pm.

Oct 062014
 

Original story at The Guardian

Spiny damselfish study suggests it would take at least several generations for fish to start coping with climate change.
Spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Photo: Flickr/creative commons.

Spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Photo: Flickr/creative commons.

Rising carbon dioxide levels in oceans adversely change the behaviour of fish through generations, raising the possibility that marine species may never fully adapt to their changed environment, research has found.

The study, published in Nature Climate Change, found that elevated CO2 levels affected fish regardless of whether their parents had also experienced the same environment.

Spiny damselfish were kept in water with different CO2 levels for several months. One level was consistent with the world taking rapid action to cut carbon emissions, while the other was a “business as usual” scenario, in which the current trend in rising emissions would equate to a 3C warming of the oceans by the end of the century.

The offspring of the damselfish were then also kept in these differing conditions, with researchers finding that juveniles of fish from the high CO2 water were no better than their parents in adapting to the conditions. Continue reading »

Oct 062014
 

Original story at PSNews online

A 2,000 kilometre project to help native fish species travel up the River Murray is to take out man-made obstacles along the river system.
Macquaria ambigua: Golden Perch or Yellowbelly.

Macquaria ambigua: Golden Perch or Yellowbelly.

The $70 million Sea to Hume fishway program near Waikerie in South Australia’s Riverland includes 17 fishways designed to help native fish species navigate major weirs and barrages.

The Minister for Water and the River Murray, Ian Hunter said the new fishways would help to increase the population and distribution of more than 25 species of native fish such as Murray cod and golden perch.

“While locks, weirs and barrages play an important role, mainly in the navigation of boats through different sections of the river, they restrict the natural movement of some native fish,” Mr Hunter said. Continue reading »

Sep 162014
 

Original story at ABC News

Three-quarters of the trash found off Australian beaches is plastic, a new study says, warning that the rubbish is entangling and being swallowed by wildlife.
Litter impacts wildlife through entanglement and ingestion, with 43 per cent of seabirds from study discovered with plastic in their gut.

Litter impacts wildlife through entanglement and ingestion, with 43 per cent of seabirds from study discovered with plastic in their gut.

Researchers surveyed the vast Australian coastline at intervals of about 100 kilometres, compiling the world’s largest collection of marine debris data, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said.

“We found about three-quarters of the rubbish along the coast is plastic,” CSIRO scientist Denise Hardesty said.

“Most is from Australian sources, not the high seas, with debris concentrated near cities.”

The report, part of a three-year marine debris research and education program developed by Earthwatch Australia with CSIRO and energy group Shell, found there were two main drivers of the pollution – littering and illegal dumping.

Rubbish found included glass and plastic bottles, cans, bags, balloons, pieces of rubber, metal and fibreglass, as well as fishing gear and other items lost or discarded in or near the sea.

The report said this marine debris not only posed a navigation hazard but could smother coral reefs, transport invasive species, harm tourism and kill and injure wildlife.

It warned that litter impacted wildlife through entanglement and ingestion, but also indirectly via the chemicals it introduced into marine ecosystems.

Smaller turtle species in particular ingested the debris, possibly because soft, clear plastic resembled its natural prey jellyfish. Continue reading »

Sep 112014
 

Original story by Chrissy Arthur, ABC News

A thriving population of a small endangered fish has been discovered on a drought-affected outback Queensland cattle station.
Edgbaston goby eggs with their dad. Photo: Dr Adam Kerezsy

Edgbaston goby eggs with their dad. Photo: Dr Adam Kerezsy

The Edgbaston goby (Chlamydogobius squamigenus) was only known to live in natural artesian springs on Edgbaston Reserve near Aramac, north-east of Longreach.

But fish have now been discovered in a man-made artesian bore drain 40 kilometres away at the Ravenswood Station at Aramac.

Freshwater ecologist Dr Adam Kerezsy stumbled across the rarity when surveying local waters.

The fish do not swim very well, so Dr Kerezsy believed they arrived in a flood.

“It is endangered for a reason, and that’s because it has got such a limited range,” he said.

“It is just really handy to know that you’ve got a viable population here, as well as up there, because eventually you want to get all these things off an endangered list.  Continue reading »

Aug 292014
 

Original story by Renee Cluff, ABC News

A species of turtle native to the tip of Queensland’s Cape York, the Jardine River turtle, has been officially sighted for the first time in 25 years.
Jardine River Turtle or painted turtle found in Cape York. Indigenous rangers and scientists have trapped 24 Jardine River turtles, which were last documented in 1989. Photo: Rick Gardiner

Jardine River Turtle or painted turtle found in Cape York. Indigenous rangers and scientists have trapped 24 Jardine River turtles, which were last documented in 1989. Photo: Rick Gardiner

It was thought the turtle may have been extinct, even though Indigenous locals had unofficially reported some sightings.

But Apudthama rangers and scientists from Origin Energy have trapped 24 Jardine River turtles, which were last documented in 1989.

Peta Standley from the Cape York Natural Resource Management Board said the turtles were found this week in two locations.

“They’re a range of sizes and a range of sexes as well, so now the next thing is trying to get some tracking devices on them and work out where they’re actually going to, because they think they’re nesting at the moment,” she said.

Indigenous head ranger Warren Strevens, who was involved in the rediscovery of the rare turtles in the region, said the reptiles were also known as painted turtles.

“They’re striking to look at,” he said.

“They’re a slender turtle, on the side of their heads, especially around the cheek area they’ve got a bright yellow stripe.

“Then as you go under the throat and down the neck, they’ve got a red stripe there, and all over their chest plate is a crimson red that’s almost fluorescent.

“There’s no doubt they’re a cute animal.”

He said the finds were especially significant for local Aboriginal people.

“They’re definitely sacred to one of the clan groups here,” he said.

“They’ve got a storyline about that turtle as well, so there’s a lot of significance in this find for the local region.”

He said the finds were especially significant for local Aboriginal people.

“They’re definitely sacred to one of the clan groups here,” he said.

“They’ve got a storyline about that turtle as well, so there’s a lot of significance in this find for the local region.”

Aug 232014
 

Original story by Charlotte King, ABC News

A small native fish with a low community profile is finally getting a name for itself in the Murray Darling Basin.
Koorlong Primary School students Ebony and Charlise were involved in some of the ideas that went into the book, aimed at increasing the profile of the Murray Hardyhead Photo: Charlotte King - ABC Local

Koorlong Primary School students Ebony and Charlise were involved in some of the ideas that went into the book, aimed at increasing the profile of the Murray Hardyhead Photo: Charlotte King – ABC Local

The Murray Hardyhead is a shiny, small-bodied fish with large silvery eyes.

“They only grow to about 10cm in size, and they were found locally and up and down the Murrumbidgee historically,” says Michelle Kavanagh, the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre’s communication advisor.

“But they’ve become much more rare, to the point where they’ve been threatened with extinction.”

The fish prefer to live around the edges of lakes, in wetlands and backwaters; but recently the Murray Hardyhead has had a tough time staying alive.

As wetlands dried up with the millennium drought and salinity in remaining waters increased, whole populations of the fish have become extinct in much of Victoria and NSW.

“We got to the stage where they were only found in six or seven isolated wetlands – that was it,” says Ms Kavanagh.

“There was a couple of handfuls of populations left in the basin.”

Drawing in the community

As many of the remaining populations were in waterways around Mildura, including Cardross Lakes, Koorlong Lake and Lake Hawthorn, the MDFRC went about drawing those communities into a project to help conserve the fish.

The best way to do this, says Ms Kavanagh, was through the local primary schools.

“They’re small schools in a rural environment, and these are small wetlands, or small fish in an isolated environment,” she says.

“So we were able to make that connection, and start talking about the habitat the fish requires and what decisions and actions communities can make so that the fish has a chance.”

Ms Kavanagh says that unlike the Murray Cod, the community profile of the Murray Hardyhead is pretty low.

“They’re not iconic, they’re not big and easy to identify; they’re not targeted by anglers.”

“[But] when you’re involved in ecology their relevance in the food web becomes really obvious – they are fish food for bigger fish, and they also have close relationships with water plants and water bugs.”

So she decided the best way to get the community interested was through the creation of a children’s book:Hi! My name is Murray: Murray Hardyhead.

“We write these reports, we put the information on our website, and it’s not particularly engaging for the general community,” says Ms Kavanagh.

“Targeting primary schools we felt that through the students we’d be reaching families as well.”

A real life example

The book was created over a term alongside school activities to help students understand conservation, native fish and threatened species in the Basin.

Students were asked to reflect on what they were learning by putting together artwork that ultimately inspired the book’s design and text.

The principal at Koorlong Primary School, Stuart Pain, says the students embraced the project.

“We thought we’d make it a whole-school activity and went down and did some fish sampling and checked the quality of the water,” he says.

“[Between] 80-90 per cent of the kids did not know they had Koorlong Lake out the back of the school – or they had fish in them.”

“It was a real life example,” says Mr Pain.

He says next week the school will revisit the Koorlong Lake to check on their efforts to repopulate the area with Murray Hardyhead fishlings.

“So hopefully, they’ve survived,” says Mr Pain.

Twelve-year-old Ebony Douglass says even though the Murray Hardyhead is a little fish, it deserves to be conserved.

“It was a big project for just a small little fish,” she says.

“[But] anything that’s endangered is important to help keep alive.”

The book has now been distributed to other schools where the Murray Hardyhead lives and across selected primary schools and libraries around Australia.