Native fish return to Innisfail’s Warrina Lakes thanks to Australia’s largest Tilapia tournament

Australia’s largest Tilapia tournament seems to be working after native fish return to Innisfails Warrina Lakes.

The 2024 Tilapia tournament had over 400 people register for the competition and removed 276 invasive fish from Warrina Lakes.

Native fish are returning to Innisfails Warrina Lakes thanks in part to Australia’s largest Tilapia tournament.

The competition ran by the Cassowary Coast Regional Council wrapped up on Friday after hundreds of fishers competed for $6,000 worth of prizes over two and a half days.

Cassowary Coast Councilor Jeff Baines said for the first time in years the native fish seem to be making a comeback.

“Back in the day, it was all Tilapia,” Mr Baines said.

“But we’re having an effect, the native species are starting to get back in there and they’re out surviving the Tilapia.

“People have been catching some mud cod, they’ve been picking up some tarpon, there’s little rainbow gudgeons in the lake, which we haven’t had in the lake for a long, long time.”

This year’s competition was broken into three age categories and included prizes for most fish, longest fish as well as sportsman and family awards.

Some of the notable winners included Harvey McSwan who caught 33 fish over the tournament and William McLean who won the 5-years and under award for longest fish, a whopping 30.5cm Tilapia.

Young angler Harvey McSwan won Tilapia Tamer 2024 after catching 33 Fish over the two and a half day tournament.

Warrina Lakes is usually closed to fishing due to its immense bird and animal life, but a few days each year the area is opened to try and eradicate noxious Tilapia.

Mr Baines said Tilapia were destructive because they get into waterways and out compete native fish.

“They’re very, very good at what they do,” Mr Baines said.

“They’ll breed from smaller fish if you start getting all the big ones out they’ll just keep breeding from smaller sizes.

“They eat anything and everything they can get.”

Tilapia are voracious predators that out compete native species and can survive in extreme conditions. The pest are ‘mouth brooders’ that carry their young in the mouth making them an even greater biosecurity risk if they were to be moved or released. Picture: Tara Miko

This year proved to be one of the most successful years for the tournament (in some respects) after 276 Tilapia were caught, one of the lowest totals in the tournaments history.

Fellow Councillor and organiser Nicholas Pervan said the decreasing catches was a catch 22, but fishers still had a blast.

“It’s a bit of a bit of a draw card for the area and so something to do for the school holiday,” Mr Pervan said.

“I was down there Wednesday and Thursday and there were kids and grandparents everywhere.

“The kids being down there love it…there’s nothing better than seeing a smile on their face whether they’re catching anything or not they just love to be down there.”

Originally published as Native fish return to Innisfail’s Warrina Lakes thanks to Australia’s largest Tilapia tournament