Restoring Our WaterwaysCROAKER Newsletter DECEMBER XMAS 2015 Welcome Issue # 42 to the last issue for 2015. I am having trouble believing it’s just about Christmas and 2016 is just around the corner. 2015 has gone so fast, I guess because there has been so many great Environmental Events and activities going on around our waterways. The great thing about 2015 was all the new people I have met from other areas of the state and lots of new local community members and organization joining in with WSN & ROW. The most important things are lots of new Events for removing Carp out of our different Rivers, Creeks and waterways in the State and spreading the word that we need to remove as many Carp as we can so Native Fish can then take over the waterways where they once dominated. We had the launch of the WSN Carp Report at the Carp Conference in Wodonga and of course Kelvin and I couldn’t help but visit Tim McCurdy MP and show him the report on all the Carp that had been removed. Thanks to DELWP (Dept of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) for the 55,000 fingerlings and 500 juvenile to adult Macquarie Perch which were released early in the year and more will be released in 2016 around February and April so that will be something to look forward to next year. The Electro Fishing crews are also due to come up to the Ovens in February 2016 conducting their Native Fish Survey and removing a few Carp as well. There are a few exciting new projects being organized for 2016 so it should be a bigger and better future for Native Fish. I will be keeping you informed of all the 2016 projects on the WSN website www.wangarattasustainability.org Once they are organized and finalized just click on the Restoring Our Waterways tab as I will be putting some articles and information on the website from time to time during January 2016 or you can contact me I would sincerely like to thank you all for your support with the activities around our waterways and the ROW schools programs. A special mention to Gill Baker and Bronwyn Wiedemann for their work with Cathedral Collage students, Gayle South and Kate Cole with Wangaratta High Schools Community Leadership Challenge (CLC)over 2015 and look forward to their assistance again in 2016. Now what can I say and how can I say how much ROW appreciates the full time support from Kelvin Berry, Troy, Geoff and the rest of Kelvin’s band of fisherman volunteers. How lucky is WSN that I kidnapped Kelvin who is now a great ambassador of our waterways and helps spread the importance of looking after our waterways and Native Fish for the future. Kelvin is the number one Carp Remover in North East Victoria and if there are Carp somewhere he will find the right people to help remove them no matter where they are. .Enjoy your read Contents Pg. 2. WSN Carp Muster 2015 & Nature Day. Diane Farmer Pg. 3 Thanks to Carp Muster Sponsors, Opening of Co-ordinator, Splash Park WSN Restoring Our Waterways Pgs. 4 & 5 Carp Fish Out & Around the Traps PO Box 772 Report with Kelvin Berry Wangaratta Vic 3677 Pg. 5 Sydney Weir Project
[email protected] Pg. 6 Cod Season Opening 0439020448 Pg. 7 Merry Christmas & New Year, Events Pg. 8. Sponsors & Supporters Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter CARP MUSTER AND NATURE DAY 2015 Sunday 8th November Page 2 Nature Day: Part of the crowd and some of the displays. The Carp Muster was run over a two week period and prizes were awarded at the Community Nature Day event at Merriwa Park on Sunday 8th November. There were 40 people who registered on line and 65 carp were caught. Use of the Feral fish Scan website was also encouraged as this website maps the sighting of carp and assists us when we next undertake electrofishing to remove carp. The major prize winners are listed below, but we also had other fishing gear and vouchers which were given away to participants courtesy of our sponsors. The Nature Day event was the first of its type in Wangaratta and was well supported by many groups with a display and around 180 people attended. The free BBQ lunch was again well up to standard and this year staff from the local Bendigo Bank also lent a hand with catering. CARP MUSTER RESULTS Largest Fish Lachlan Snowdon 71cm 2nd Largest , Chris Nielsen 66cm 3rd Largest , Harry Skewes 61cm Kelvin Berry with three of the prize winners, Harry, Lachlan and Xavier Youngest Entrant catching carp, Xavier Pitt 37cm If you go fishing locally, use the Feral Fish Scan website to map where the carp are located. This will assist Wangaratta Sustainability Network with its program of carp removal. Details on the following website. There is also an App. http://www.feralscan.org.au/feralfishscan/ Kelvin showing how to fillet carp Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 3 Thanks to our Carp Muster Sponsors Turners Bait & Tackle: 2x $25 Vouchers & 3 Fishing rods Adventure Camping & Fishing: 1x $50 & 1x $25 Vouchers Blue Sky Outdoor Experts: 1 Fishing Rod Premium Fishing: 10 Lures Edwards Street Quality Meat’s: 2 x $25 vouchers Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Nature Day Program Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Network thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support and involvement in today’ s event. Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Network thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support Wangaratta Urban Landcare W angaratta Sustainability Network and involvement inGroup today’and s event. Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program Wangaratta Community Nature Day Program thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support and involvement in today’ s event. Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability NetworkNetwork the following local businesses andfor groups for their generous thank thethank following local businesses and groups their generous support support Wangaratta Community Nature Dayand Program involvement today’ s event. and involvement in today’in s event. Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and Wangaratta Sustainability for their Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Network Network thank the following local businesses and groups Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and Wangaratta angaratta Sustainability Network Wangaratta Wangaratta Urban Urban Landcare Landcare Group Group and and W W angaratta Sustainability Sustainability Network Network Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Network thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support thank thank the the following following local local businesses businesses and and groups groups for for their their generous generous support support thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous supportevent. generous support in the day’s successful and involvementand in and today’ s event.in and involvement intoday’ today’ event. and involvement involvement in today’ sssevent. event. involvement in today’ s event. Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group and W angaratta Sustainability Network thank the following local businesses and groups for their generous support and involvement in today’ s event. Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group V/31D52327-V5/48-15 OPENING OF MITCHELL AVENUE’S SPLASH PARK - Friday 20th November 2015 Well what can I say, lots of people attended and the children loved the excitement and the fun. Some of the parents have their doubts, as for me not going to say a word, time will tell? Enjoy some of the happy shots. Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 4 CARP FISH OUT Kennedy’s Point Lake Eildon - Sunday 29th November 2015 Kelvin travelled down to this Carp Fishing Competition put on by students from Mansfield Secondary School organised by Max Sampson. Kelvin presented some of the prizes from our sponsors. There were 12 Carp Caught. The Carp Fish Out was an on line competition and Kelvin told them all about Feral Fish Scan for future reference. It was a great day and a few more Carp were removed from other waterways. AROUND THE TRAPS One Mile Creek is starting to dry out in several places already and summer has only just started. Parrots Feather appeared again upstream of the Rowan Street Bridge but hopefully NECMA has sprayed it and it will die off soon. Still a lot of litter and rubbish is collecting and has been caught up in the reeds in several sections of the creek waiting for someone or a group to get in there and remove it. Good news about One Mile Creek, a meeting with an administrator and Council Manager late November has proven encouraging about something being done about stopping litter entering the creek at the White Street Bridge. A young engineer who is interested in the Environment has taken on the challenge to work out a way (that is not so expensive) as a Litter Trap but will still collect the litter before it enters the creek. So keep your fingers crossed that something will be installed in 2016. Good news about One Mile Creek. A meeting with a Council Administrator and Manager late November has proven positive with a litter trap to be installed at the White Street Bridge some time during 2016. A young engineer who is interested in the environment has taken up the challenge and is developing a cost effective Litter Trap to collect the litter before it enters One Mile Creek. OVENS AND KING RIVERS- well plenty of fish around and Carp will still be around in some areas that were not electro fished last Summer. Dr Scott Raymond and his crew from Arthur Ryle Institute will be back up in the area in February 2016 doing some work and hopefully a few more Carp will be removed (4 ton last time) also Lights, Camera and Action will be going on, more video stars! FISH REPORTS FROM KELVIN BERRY WSN-ROW Fishing Guru. The Carp traps are still being used in some waterways, this one was set in the Mulinmer Billabong and 10 Carp were removed. Contact Kelvin on 04077805670 Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 5 DEAD CARP FOUND IN MERRIWA PARK Some of the dead Carp that were found in one of the ponds in Merriwa Park - this is one fish kill we don’t mind hearing about. I guess it pays to go fishing in the ponds now and again to see if Carp are breeding in there. How did they get there in the first place? DEAD COD FOUND AT LAKE EILDON The report on what killed them was that the Murray Cod were fighting over mating rights (must have been a shortage on his or her fish hey, Ha Ha Di’s comment). A TRIAL is to start in Lake Eildon for 12 months “No Closed Season” for Cod. The Cod in Lake Eildon is only .04% of cod that sporn, all other Cod are from the Stocking Program. Quote from Fisheries Victoria. Regards Kelvin Berry SYDNEY WEIR PROJECT North East Water owns, operates and maintains the Sydney Weir, located on the Ovens River near Sydney Beach in Wangaratta. The weir ensures that water levels in the Ovens River are high enough to allow for a reliable extraction of raw water at the Wangaratta Water Treatment Plant. North East Water will soon commence a project to modify the weir in early February 2016. These modifications will see the current structure converted to a rock-beached crested weir and will be more visually pleasing for locals and visitors alike and result in less debris getting caught at this location in the river. As a result, there will be some changed traffic conditions around the entrance to the Sydney Beach car park and modifications for bike path access. Locals may also notice some noise and dust coming from the weir during the work. The project is expected to be completed by May 2016 and once completed, North East Water will also replace the existing asphalt bike path leading from the car park to the weir with a new concrete path. We hope to minimise any impacts to the community during this period and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience. Please contact Project Manager Graham Bowers on 1300 361 633 or email
[email protected] for any questions about the project. DOWN BY THE WEIR Thursday10th December I was invited to meet with Graham Bowers and Misty Howard from North East Water at the Sydney Beach Weir on the Ovens River so Graham could explain to me about the upgrade that will be taking place in February 2016. I was excited as I have been complaining about the unsafe, eye sore Weir for at least 6 years. I am pleased that the design is environmentally friendly. I will leave you guessing as I think that is North East Water’s responsibility. Construction could cause a little inconvenience, but it will be worth it. Well that’s what I think. Hope I get an invitation to the grand opening. Regards, Di Farmer Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 6 Cod Season Opens for Eastern States Recreational fishers are gearing up for another strong Murray Cod season which opened on Tuesday, 1 December 2015, following the annual three-month breeding closure. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) senior fisheries manager, Cameron Westaway, said the native species is a prized catch throughout Australia's inland waters. "Murray Cod is one of Australia's largest freshwater fish, growing up to 1.8 metres and weighing more than 100 kilograms," Mr Westaway said. A prohibition on taking or attempting to take Murray Cod in NSW, Queensland and Victoria is in place annually between September and November to protect this important species during its breeding season, with South Australia's season opening a month later on New Year’s Day. Mr Westaway said recreational fishers also need to adhere to legal size limits and use catch and release best practices. "Fisheries officers will monitor inland waterways, to ensure fishers follow all recreational fishing rules. It is important that recreational fishers are fully aware of the fishing rules in relation to Murray Cod before dropping in a line." More information can be found on the NSW, Queensland and Victorian Fisheries websites. COD SEASON IS OPEN Do the right thing and obey the rules so Cod will be around for many years to come SIZE 55cm – 75 cm allowed catch, River 1, Lake 2 Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 7 MERRY CHRISTMAS and THANK YOU TO ALL OUR READERS HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL AND I HOPE 2016 COMES UP TRUMPS. There were lots of changes in 2015 that were sometimes a bit hard to cope with, but there will be big changes, all in our favor in 2016 I can feel it in my bones, so watch this space. EVENTS FEBRUARY 2016 THE NATIVE FISH CHALLENGE Yarrawonga 20 & 21st February 2016. Help collect data for NSW Fisheries. This competition is CATCH, MEASURE & RELEASE. You must be a member of a fishing club or Native Fish Australia to enter. The competition has been happening for 22 years! For further information contact: Tim Curmi 0417 419 765 or
[email protected] Restoring Our Waterways CROAKER Newsletter Page 8 Thank you to Diane Farmer and Sue Abotomey for putting this Croaker together, Tim McCurdy’s office and our sponsors and supporters. WSN INFORMATION Family/Household/Organisation – $10 per year Single – $5 per year Student – $2 per year For more information contact: Dr Rowan O’Hagan – Secretary PO Box 772 Wangaratta Vic 3676 12 Deakin Court Wangaratta VIC 3677 Phone (03) 5721 8231
[email protected] www.wangarattasustainability.org This Newsletter designed by the Volunteers at Community Skillsbank, Wangaratta. Under the umbrella of the Wangaratta Urban Landcare Group