Tourism bid for Ross Dam
Date published: 9 December 2016
An initiative that could pave the way for recreational fishing on the Ross Dam is underway in Townsville today.
Townsville City Council has partnered with the Townsville Barramundi Restocking Group to conduct an electrofishing survey of existing fish stocks in the dam.
Survey results will be used to determine existing population, abundance and species with a view to stocking the city’s dam and weirs for catch and release fishing once dam levels return.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said freshwater recreational sport fishing was a popular pastime at several dams across Queensland and represented a tourism drawcard for the region.
“Exploring opportunities to open the dam to commercial and recreational activities was a commitment I made during the election and this is the first step towards achieving that,” Cr Hill said.
“The Queensland Government recently valued the State’s Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme at $1 million a year with some 50,000 permits to fish at Queensland dams and weirs being snapped up by recreational anglers.
“This is an area we think Townsville is well suited for and something we are keen to explore with the Townsville Barramundi Restocking Group.”
Infrastructure Committee chairman and divisional councillor Mark Molachino said a grant of $15,000 had been made available to the group for the survey, with the balance to be spent on fingerlings for the Ross River weirs should the survey prove successful.
“The survey will help us determine what’s in the water, what predators there may be and then report back to inform what species we should put back in,” Cr Molachino said.
“What we do know is that fishing competitions held at dams in other areas attract big money and many competitors and we believe this could be a great tourism opportunity for Townsville.”
Townsville Barramundi Restocking Group President Terry McGeachin said with the current low water levels in the dam, now was the perfect time to conduct the survey.
“Depending on what we find in terms of predators and fodder fish, we’d be looking to stock the dam and weirs primarily with barramundi because that’s what people will come here to chase,” Mr McGeachin said.
