Noxious fish.

[rayke1938]

Just a few extracts from Qld Gov website.

Here is the current list.

Noxious fish

African tigerfish

Airbreathing or walking catfish

Bluegill

Candiru

Carp

Chinese weatherfish

Climbing perch

Electric eel

Gambusia

Grass carp

Largemouth bass

Nile perch (live)

Pike cichlids

Piranhas (subfamily Serrasalminae)

Snakeheads

South American tigerfish

Tiger catfish

Tilapia

Here is the additions to the banned list as from 1/8/2009.

Aba aba

African butter catfish

African lungfish

African pike

African pike-characin

Alligator or armoured gars

American (Mississippi) paddlefish/Chinese swordfish

Angler or squarehead catfish

Banded jewelfish

Bighead carp

Bowfin

Brook stickleback

Catla carp

Chameleon goby

Copper mahseer

Cornish jack

Electric catfish

*

Flatnose catfish

Forktail lates

fourspine stickleback

Freshwater minnow

Giant barb

Giant cichlid

Happys

Labeo

Mahseer

Marble goby

Ninespine stickleback

Pike and pickerels

Pike characin

pike killifish

Purpleface largemouth

Pygmy sunfish

Red swamp crayfish

Ripsaw/thorny catfish

Shiners

Silver carp

Snook

Southern redbelly dace

Stinging catfish

Ubangi shovelnose catfish

Valencia toothcarp

Wels catfish

Yellowfin goby

Tilapia - the cane toad of our waterways

[Newsletter] Newsletter

image of tilapia

Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), also known as the Mozambique mouth-brooder

With recent outbreaks of tilapia detected in the Wide Bay and Burnett area, it is timely to remind the fishing community to be vigilant in looking for these noxious fish in their local waterways and farm dams.

Fast facts:

* Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), also known as the Mozambique mouth-brooder, has been likened to the cane toad in its affect on native species.

* They quickly dominate a water body, outcompeting native fish for habitat and food.

* Its feeding and nesting habits degrade water quality.

* Tilapia can survive and breed in a wide variety of habitats, in both fresh and brackish water.

* They reproduce year round, and can hold eggs and larvae in the mouth, which can then survive even after the fish has been killed.

* Once established in a flowing river or creek, tilapia are almost impossible to eradicate.

* It is an offence to possess tilapia dead or alive, including as bait.

Tilapia are mainly spread by people moving them between waterways. If you catch one, do not release it, instead kill it humanely and dispose of it away from the water body.

QPIF needs your help to look for these fish in your local waterways and farm dams. If you find any, report it so management steps can be taken.

Report any sightings or catches of pest fish to QPIF on 13 25 23, our 24-hour Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 166 or by completing a pest fish report form.

It is still an offence to possess or catch fish declared noxious, such as tilapia. Noxious fish cannot be kept, hatched, reared or sold; nor can they be taken home for eating or any other purpose. Penalties of up to $200,000 apply for possessing noxious fish, dead or alive, in Queensland.

I was not aware that the list was so extensive and would not recognise some of them if I fell over them.

I was also not aware that it was illegal to fish for noxious fish.

The website has line drawings of all the fish but they did not come across on a simple cut and paste.

Cheers

Ray

[sehrguht]

if its illegal to fish for noxious fish then they dont stand half as much chance of controlling them.

I found tilapia in the stafford section of kedron brook a year or two ago and caught a few, got a positive id and then killed them, i reported it to DPI but never received any responses.

Sharp decline has been happening in that creek for a few years now, all the natives are pretty much wiped out and replaced by noxious livebearers.

[nadders]

its an offence to catch noxious fish?

i hope some hothead doesn't try and enforce that literally lol

[sehrguht]

what about the carp fishing competitions?

i went to one a few years back i presume they still happen.

i dont think that is illegal as a bycatch, but you have to destroy the fish if it is noxious and dispose of it properly

[rayke1938]

The rules are very confusing may have to write a letter to Mr Mulherrin the minister who knows nothing and cant understand anything.

Cheers

Ray

[tomca]

so the carp buster comps out in the western rivers are illegal by the sound of that! Only a beauracrat could recommend it be illegal to cull a species that it wants eradicated.

[Feral]

There is usually a permit issued for those sort of comps. Not to hard to get.

[Angus]

Yeah we got permission for the Tilapia Cull from the DPI for example.

That is an amazingfly long list Ray!

Do you think these indicate breeding populations? Or someone caught a one off fish tank release sort of thing?

Angus

[rayke1938]

I really dont know I just had a look at their website as I had heard that alligator gar was being added to the list and was amazed that list was so extensive.

On their website they only have line drawings of the fish so identification would be difficult for a normal person.

Cheers

Ray

[Gazza]

Never heard of it being illegal to target noxious species just not to have them in possession / kill and dispose of above high water mark etc is ok

It would be stupid not to encourage ppl to target them

Gaz

[jackman60]

yeah i would think they woul want as many people as possible catching and killing them

if i get one im gonna destroy it stupid pests

[Little Grey Men]

I didn't realise it was illegal to fish for ferals either. It would seem as though I've done a hell of a lot of illegal fishing over the years

Keep us posted Ray.

[Schmuck]

Angus wrote:

Yeah we got permission for the Tilapia Cull from the DPI for example.

That is an amazingfly long list Ray!

Do you think these indicate breeding populations? Or someone caught a one off fish tank release sort of thing?

Angus

Most of the fish on the list haven't established breeding populations, and it would be really unlikely that someone would have caught them (considering the price of some of these aquarium fish before they were deemed noxious). I think the criteria involves proposal of the species immediate threat to our waterways, and if they were seen to be a high risk then it got banned. Just having a look through the list, a lot of them are quite robust fish and either really prolific breeders or large carnivorous species.

[Gazza]

I had a look @ the dpi site and found this

If you catch a noxious fish, kill the fish as quickly and humanely as possible. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries advocates following ethical euthanasia protocols recommended by the 2001 ANZCCART publication – Euthanasia of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes. The most appropriate method may involve stunning the fish via a sharp blow to the back of the head followed by brain destruction. It is an offence to have noxious fish (such as carp and tilapia) in your possession, dead or alive (except dead Nile perch). You must therefore dispose of the fish as soon as practicable after killing. It is recommended that you do this by burying it a suitable distance from the waterway where it was caught or disposing it in a rubbish bin.

no mention of being illegal

Gaz

[Davo_Dinkum]

prob a case of say 1 thing in 1 spot and another thing in another spot and so on.