#OperationStonefish: Nets to be placed in Evandale lake to catch stonefish
THE elusive and potentially deadly stonefish living it up in one of the Gold Coast’s most popular lakes continues to evade capture. Now council has another plan to finally remove it and reopen the lake.
Beaches & Fishing
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NETS are set to be deployed in Evandale Lake next week to capture the elusive but potentially deadly stonefish.
Professional teams will set the nets through the lake to capture the highly venomous fish which evaded capture by Sea World divers last week.
“All species netted will be identified and potentially dangerous marine animals will be removed,” Surfers Paradise councillor Gary Baildon said.
The netting by a professional team is expected to take seven days.
The lake will remain closed.
It comes as council considered draining the lake in an effort to flush out the fish in the Bundall swimming hole.
The Gold Coast City Council closed the lake last Tuesday afternoon when the highly venomous fish was spotted.
But SeaWorld divers were unable to find the fish in the up to 7m deep lake which has remained closed.
The council has been exploring options, including draining the lake, to find the stonefish and also complete repairs ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.
Repairs needed to be undertaken at the lake include fixing draining pipes to upgrade the mesh on the water entrance and exit, removing algae and replenishing sand.
Divers found a large amount of algae in the deeper part of the lake which the council is looking to remove.
The algae is not considered a health concern.