Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Important – any sooty grunter caught in the Mary River MUST be destroyed, no matter the size. Same applies to any sooty grunter caught in any southeast Queensland waterways.
This announcement comes on the back of sooty grunter potentially being caught and released into waterways that are NOT their natural environment. This causes an imbalance in the system and impacts on the native fish in that waterway.
Any sooty grunter taken in the Mary River Catchment are deemed to be a non-indigenous fisheries resource and must not be returned to the water after they have been removed, including as bait.
Unlike tilapia and carp – which are subject to movement controls under the Biosecurity Act – fishers are free to keep and eat sooty grunter in this catchment. Fishers should dispatch of the fish in a humane and responsible manner.
If not being eaten, the fish should be dispatched in a humane and responsible manner.
The Mary River is home to a number of threatened species. These rules are in place to protect iconic species such as Mary River cod, Australian lungfish and Mary River turtles from unnatural predation and competition from other species.
This would also apply to barred grunter – in the Mary only, it is considered indigenous north of the Gregory.
