Tilapia Takedown family fun day at North Mackay’s Gooseponds a success

Prams with toddlers and trolleys full of rods and buckets decorated North Mackay’s Gooseponds as families gathered to take down the exotic pest.

Whopping catches weren’t the only reason the September Tilapia Takedown was successful, despite reeling in two huge 40cm fish.

Reef Catchments hosted the fishing day to tackle the exotic pest tilapia which is known to compete with native species such as barramundi in the Gooseponds waterway.

Wheeling a trolley full of rods and buckets and prams with toddlers, the Turton and Heaslip families agreed it had been a fantastic morning.

“Georgia and Fiona both got one each,” Mr Turton said.

“Georgia managed to get the second biggest for the day.”

Samara Zirbel didn’t participate in the Tilapia Takedown, instead she had fun helping out in the Blue River Mackay Lions Club stall. Picture: Lillian Watkins

But unfortunately for the girls, they arrived a little too late to put their catches in for any prize.

Reef Catchments coast and biodiversity officer Kass Hayward said there were 320 tickets for the event, all of which sold out prior to the 8.30am kickoff.

Ms Hayward said 14 fish in total had been caught and recorded, with two whopping 40cm tilapia taking out the top spot.

“That’s the biggest we’ve caught here,” she said.

“We’ve had a few other 40cm tilapia in past years too.”

But Ms Hayward said the importance of the day was not the competition, but the awareness the experience of being close to the exotic pest brought for up-and-coming anglers.

“It’s about getting people to recognise what the fish look like,” Ms Hayward said.

“The main way these fish are spread is through people, accidentally and intentionally.”

Samara Zirbel with Blue River Mackay Lions Club INC Jason Barfield, Audrey Kenny and Josephine Barfield keeping people fed at the Reef Catchment Tilapia Takedown at North Mackay Gooseponds, September 2021. Picture: Lillian Watkins

She said one surprising way the population was increasing happened because some people were throwing their pet fish into the pond, rather than returning it to the pet store when they didn’t want it.