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News and Issues
 

IN THIS SECTION
Tilapia found in the Walsh River Catchment
Electric Ants Alert!
Wild Rivers
Freshwater Sawfish Research

News from Brooklyn
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SPECIAL FEATURE

Biofuels - Jatropha curcas
Presentations from Mt Molloy Meeting
13 March 2008
Peter Holden (DPI&F) & John Clarkson (QPWS)

TRaCK
Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge Update
Information and Updates
TRaCK in the Mitchell

Palmer River Forum
16 May 2008, Mareeba
Report with Presentations

Tilapia found in Walsh River Catchment
(Press Release - Tuesday 29th Jan 2008)

Photo of Tilapia pest fish Tilapia such as this specimen have been found in the Walsh River Catchment


During a DPI Fisheries periodic surveillance last week, Tilapia were discovered in Eureka Creek, a tributary of the Walsh River and in the Mitchell River Catchment. Seven juvenile Tilapia mariae were caught. Monitoring continues with electrofishing and netting in the creek and in the river both downstream and upstream of the discovery site.

“This is a nightmare for Mitchell River Watershed Management Group,” states Chairperson Hilary Kuhn. “We have worked very hard for over ten years on the establishment of regular surveillance, the installation of Tilapia exclusion  screens in the Mareeba Dimbulah Irrigation Area and education on Tilapia and its possible impacts. So to find a population in the catchment is very distressing news and should be a grave concern for recreational fishers and for the commercial Gulf fishery .”

Tilapia, a highly invasive African species and as much a threat in our waterways as rabbits on land, are a declared noxious fish species in Queensland and there are heavy fines of up to $150,000 for their possession. Tilapia were popular, both as an ornamental fish and in aquaculture, due to their resilience and rapid reproduction and growth rates. Tilapia rapidly degrade aquatic habitats, they can easily  out compete native species and their tolerance of salinity means that they can readily exit rivers through estuaries and travel in marine areas to enter other river systems.

“With Wet Season floods, Tilapia could easily be flushed down the Mitchell River to the Gulf,” continues Hilary Kuhn. “Then Tilapia could move from the Mitchell River estuaries to other catchments through coastal waters. This could be a march akin to the cane toad and Tilapia could eventually infest catchments all the way to Arnhem Land with huge impacts on the fishery.”

At present, monitoring in Eureka Creek and the Walsh River continues upstream and downstream of the infested site. With more anticipated Wet Season floods, MRWMG and DPI Fisheries are urgently distributing information to people in the area on Tilapia.

“It is difficult for people to identify  Tilapia,” states Deb Eastop MRWMG Coordinator. “Juveniles are particularly difficult to recognise and people should not transfer bait fish from places that are already infested with Tilapia. Infested areas include Tinaroo Dam and some coastal catchments around Cairns. Anglers may not realise that it is Tilapia in their bucket and accidently introduce them to Tilapia-free catchments, such as the Mitchell River. Anglers need to be vigilant. It is the only way that we can control the spread of Tilapia to the Mitchell River and Gulf catchments.

If anyone thinks that they have found Tilapia in a new area they should contact  the Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 017 116 or phone DPI&F on 13 25 23.”

For more information on Tilapia and for Press Inquiry, please contact Brynn Mathews, MRWMG Projects Officer on telephone: 07 4053 2856 or 0427 484 730 .


Tilapia Do’s and Don’ts:
Do:

  • Find out what Tilapia look like from information provided by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F))
  • Kill Tilapia in a humane way, disposing of the fish well away from the water (bury on the bank or wrap in plastic and bin)
  • Contact DPI&F of any Tilapia sightings on 13 25 23
  • Use bait native to the waterway
  • Report anyone suspected of moving or dumping pest fish to the Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 107 116
Don’t:
  • Do not use Tilapia as bait as they can release eggs from their mouths even after death
  • Do not move Tilapia between waterways
  • Do not stock aquariums, dams or ponds with pest fish – use native fish from the same catchment instead
  • Do not empty aquariums, dams or ponds into waterways either directly or indirectly via the sewer or stormwater drains.





 

We have moved! (see map below)
Our postal address remains the same,
but our phone and fax number has changed.


NEW PHONE NUMBER: 07 4053 2856
NEW FAX NUMBER: 07 4053 2942

We are still co-located with CYPDA and the Cape York Fire Project, you can find us at:
4/275 McCormack Street, Manunda, Qld 4870.
There is parking on the street at the front of the building
, so if you are in town, drop in for a cuppa!


Click on image for larger view
Office location - CLICK TO ENLARGE



 

Electric ants alert!
A serious new pest in Queensland.
Electric ant warning poster

Yvonne Perron from the Electric Ant Control Centre at the Department of Primary Industries gave a presentation on Electric ants at the November MRWMG General Meeting in Mt Molloy. Smithfield and Kewarra Beach, in Cairns, are the main areas of infestation but it is important that all people in the region keep an eye out for this serious new pest and avoid practices that may cause a spread of the ants.

How You Can Help
Be on the lookout!
Electric Ants:

  • Are tiny, about 1.5mm long
  • Are a coppery colour all over
  • Are usually slow moving
  • Are social - they like to be with each other, often in heaps
  • Do not have nests – electric ants establish colonies anywhere and have been found under stones, in garden waste, leaf mould, soil, trees, swimming pools and water courses, and may be in wall cavities, clothing, bedding or camping gear
  • Can be found in wet or dry conditions
  • Like water- they may ’jump’ into swimming pools and water bodies and form a ‘raft’.

    If you see suspicious ants at anytime, call Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries (DPI&F) on 13 25 23 so a sample can be collected and identified.

    Eradication activities being conducted in the Cairns region

    The Queensland Government is undertaking a range of activities to combat electric ants, including:

    • surveillance and treatment
    • sample identification
    • movement controls to stop the spread of electric ants
    • engaging the community
    • research and development of new treatment methods.

    Sample identification
    The Electric Ant Control Centre staff identify samples of ants collected during surveillance activities and by members of the community, to assist in defining the extent of this infestation. If you would like to be mailed a ‘Sample Kit’ to collect suspicious ants please call DPI&F on 13 25 23.

    Community Talks
    The Community Engagement Officer is available to present information about the ants to Community groups, these presentations provide an opportunity to view a sample of the ants, ask any questions, understand the ant problem and how they can help. Please call Yvonne Perron on 4044 1663 to book a presentation for your group.

    The Electric ant warning sheet can be viewed and printed here (will open in a new window) or by clicking on the image above.

    Supplies of the warning sheet and posters are available by contacting:
    Yvonne Perron
    Community Engagement Officer
    Electric Ant Control Centre
    Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries

    21 Redden Street
    PO Box 652, Cairns, Qld 4870

    Telephone: 07 4044 1663
    Mobile: 0421 692 174 Fax: 07 4035 4834
    Email: yvonne.perron@dpi.qld.gov.au

 

 

Wild Rivers
In October 2005 the Queensland Government passed the Wild Rivers Act and there are currently 6 rivers nominated for declaration as a Wild River - Staaten, Morning Inlet, Gregory, Settlement, Hinchinbrook Island and Fraser Island. Natural Resources Mines and Water have released a revised Wild Rivers Draft Code, this document describes in detail what and how resource use activities will be assessed in the area of a declared Wild River. The Government sought public comment (submissions) on both the nominations and the Codes of Practice. It was really important for community to have their say on these matters. There was a substantial community effort in response to the nominations and the codes of practice.

NRMW staff gave a presentation to the Mitchell River meeting in January 2006 and a copy of this presentation is available for you to view: PDF File View                                          

For further information on the Act, Policy declarations and more, go to www.nrm.qld.gov.au/wildrivers

* WILD RIVERS UPDATE *
The first 6 rivers were declared in February 2007, and there is a moratorium on 13 rivers of the Cape York Peninsula. The moratorium applies to taking or interfering with water in streams, sub-artesian aquifers and overland flow.

 

 

Freshwater Sawfish Research
A Masters thesis study was undertaken on this remarkable creature Pristis microdon also known as Freshwater sawfish, Leichardt's sawfish or the Smalltooth sawfish. The Mitchell River appears to hold reasonable numbers of these animals. The dwarf and green sawfish are found more towards the mouth of the river in the estuarine section. The research looked at the biology and ecology of sawfishes within QLD. Part of the study involved a tag/release program operating in the Mitchell River. Research so far shows that the freshwater sawfish has a marine component to its life cycle. Mature animals come into the mouths of the rivers to drop their pups during the wet season and then juvenile to sub adult sawfish then venture upstream with the receding floodwaters.

Freshwater Sawfish

The Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA) chose the plight of the declining Freshwater sawfish as the theme for Seaweek 2008. As part of the weeks activities MESA released an on-line story titled "The Adventures of Sonya the Freshwater Sawfish". Click here if you want to read this story.


   

TRaCK - Information & Updates
TRaCK logo
http://www.track.gov.au

What is TRaCK?
TRaCK was established in 2007 as a research hub under the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Programme – the Australian Government’s commitment to world-class public good environmental research.

It brings together more than 50 of Australia’s leading researchers from social, cultural, environmental and economic disciplines to focus their expertise on the rivers and coasts in the both the wet and dry tropics stretching from Cape York across to Broome.

While not directly developing policy, TRaCK is providing independent, objective research to support decision makers and inform public debate in northern Australia.

What is the scope of TRaCK?
The Mitchell is one of several catchments in Northern Australia in which TRaCK researchers are focussing their attention. As noted by Hilary Kuhn (chairperson Mitchell River Watershed Management Group Inc), “The Mitchell River has the largest annual flow of all tropical rivers in the country and is one of our most ecologically diverse aquatic systems. Yet there are few comprehensive biological and ecological studies of the catchment to date. Without the science, it is difficult for us to manage the catchment sustainably.”

To build our knowledge and capacity to manage the Mitchell, TRaCK researchers are working  with all levels of government, regional NRM bodies, Indigenous communities, agriculture, fishing, tourism and mining industries, local land owners and other researchers to conduct field work and build on the existing knowledge about tropical rivers.

This work is being carried out in the following seven research themes:

Values and assets
Building an understanding of the range of values the Mitchell River system has to different people and how these can be better incorporated in decision making.

Classifying tropical rivers
Classifying river systems across northern Australia based on features such as flow patterns. This will help us understand what makes rivers such as the Mitchell similar or different to other rivers and underpin consistent policy development and regional planning.

Water, carbon, sediment and nutrients
Developing tools to predict how changes in land use and climate will affect the source, amounts and movement of water, carbon, sediment and nutrients in the Mitchell.

Food webs and biodiversity
Investigating the sources of energy (carbon) and nutrients that drive ecosystems and how they are transferred through food webs plus patterns of aquatic biodiversity and what determines these patterns.

Sustainable enterprises
Identifying enterprises for remote and regional communities based on sustainable and culturally appropriate use of riverine and coastal resources.

Evaluating scenarios
Bringing together the information and tools developed in the other themes to explore the social, cultural, environmental and economic implications of change in the Mitchell.

Communicating and integrating
Synthesising knowledge from the different themes and tailoring it to local communities, catchment and regional bodies, and government.

TRaCK will respond to these research themes through 21 specific projects. At least six of these projects are planning to do on-ground data collection (including meetings and workshops) in the Mitchell during 2008. Other projects will start their work in the Mitchell in following years. Yet other projects will include the Mitchell in a broader-scale, regional perspective. These projects will primarily be desktop exercises using existing information including remotely sensed data.

An information sheet is being produced to provide a brief description of projects likely to be on the ground collecting data in the Mitchell during 2008. It will be followed by more detailed fact sheets on each project.

MRWMG TRaCK discussions
Creek-side discussion at the initial TRaCK meeting at Karma Waters, July 2007. ......................................................................................................

Palmer River Forum - May 16 2008, Mareeba

This forum was made possible by funding from the Cape York Peninsula Landcare Program and was well attended by almost 60 miners, graziers, Traditional Owners and other interested residents of the Mitchell River catchment. Speakers told the audience about a range of topics including best practice in road construction and maintenance for miners, stream management and diversion for mining, sediment budgets for the Palmer River, the Traditional Owner perspective on Native Title and Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), an overview of the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) project, controlling weed spread on vehicles and machinery, EPA management of small mining and the impact of historic mine sites in the Nevada City area of California (an area with a very similar mining history to Irvinebank/Herberton).

The forum then identified ten issues of concern and split into three groups to discuss them. The outputs of this discussion set a number of key issues to be addressed by a future working party that will develop a set of best practice guidelines for alluvial mining.

This portable weed hygiene trailer for cleaning equipment in the field attracted a lot of interest.