AS the Tinaroo Dam’s capacity quickly pushed towards 100%, the Tableland Fish Stock Society deployed their fish barrier net last Wednesday between Barrabadeen Point and the headland at the Tinaroo Township.
The purpose of the net is to protect the sooty grunter and barramundi currently residing in the Tinaroo Dam – as the fish stocked in the dam will naturally attempt to follow the flowing water over the spillway.
Tablelands Fish Stock Society Secretary Ann Leighton said the net was provided by the Queensland Government and Department of Primary Industries after a flood event in 1991 caused a major loss of 50% of the stocked barramundi.
“The net was first deployed in 1997 and was commissioned by the Hon. Tom Gilmore MP on April 9, 1997,” she said.
“It has been deployed and recovered approximately eight times since then, the last of which being in March, 2012.”
Mrs Leighton said the net will be removed once the water level drops and is unlikely to overflow.
“At this stage the net is likely to be in place for three to four months,” she said.
“We will wait until the wet season is over and will make a decision to remove it once the imminent threat of the dam going over is no longer a concern.”
Mrs Leighton said the net was installed courtesy of Uninet Cairns.
“Uninet Cairns have the necessary specialised equipment to install and recover the net for the Tableland Fish Stocking Society,” she said. “The net is a very sizeable one – it is 750m long and reaches a depth of between 35-40 metres, and is 800m upstream of the spillway.”
Mrs Leighton asked that the general public, fishing and boating fraternity keep a 30m buffer from the net, while adhering to the six-knot speed limit within the buffer.
“If you must cross, look for the signed crossing areas on the northern and southern ends of the net as keels can damage the ropes,” she said.
Caption: The fish barrier net was installed at Tinaroo Dam last week.
