Gold Coast council launches Operation Stonefish to remove deadly fish from Evandale lake
SEA WORLD divers have had no luck in their mission to find a potentially deadly stonefish in Evandale Lake at Bundall. The lake is expected to reopen.
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SEA WORLD divers have had no luck in their mission to find a potentially deadly stonefish in Evandale Lake at Bundall.
Sea World director of marine sciences Trevor Long said divers completed two sweeps of the lake but were unable to locate the venomous fish.
The fish was captured on camera by a member of the public prompting the lake to be closed on Tuesday afternoon when experts identified the fish as a stonefish.
The popular swimming hole has remained closed since Tuesday afternoon.
One keen swimmer was preparing to hop in the water despite warning signs asking people not to swim.
An orange barricade is also in place around the water hole.
The man said he was not worried about the stonefish.
The Gold Coast City Council hopes to reopen the lake within the next 24 hours.
E ARLIER: SEA World divers have entered Evandale Lake to begin searching for the potentially deadly stonefish found in the lake.
Three divers will scour the lake as a part of Operation Stonefish to remove the fish.
Sea World says they will rehome the fish in the Nerang River but Mayor Tom Tate wants to “kill it dead”.
It is not clear how long it will take to find the stonefish or if it will be found at all.
The popular Bundall swimming lake was closed on Tuesday when a member of the public captured footage of the highly venomous fish.
“From the vision we have seen he is an adult,” Sea World director of marine sciences Trevor Long said.
“There could be others in there.”
Mr Long said the stonefish most likely entered the lake through the drainage system as small larvae and had lived in the lake its entire life.
Stonefish have 13 spines which are filled with potentially deadly venom.
A sting from the fish is excruciatingly painful and causes muscular paralysis, breathing difficulties and sometimes heart failure, according to the Queensland Museum website.
Divers will scour the rock walls of the lake but Mr Long is not certain the stonefish will be found.
“We will try but stonefish just by their physical nature are very camouflaged,” he said.
“It’s a very big lake.”
The divers will also conduct a marine survey to determine what other wildlife make the water body home.
A shark sighting at Evandale Lake in 2011 closed the popular swimming hole but council did not find any trace of it.
The lake is not the only waterway to have the deadly fish swimming around.
“It’s not surprising at all,” Mr Long said.
“Stonefish are all through our canals as well.”
Mr Long said the stonefish live naturally in the Nerang River and despite Mayor Tate’s comments, if captured the Evandale Lake fish would be rehomed in the river.
He said the fish can often go undetected as they are quite “shy” creatures.
Cr Tate said council had immediately notified Sea World when they received the footage.
“We will leave no stone unturned,” he said.
“We will kill him dead.”