Trevally headed to Kinchant Dam Mackay in new trial

Anglers could soon have a new prize sportfish to lure with a $1.4m trial to introduce trevally at a North Queensland dam. Find out when to set your line.

Heidi Petith

@HeidiPetith

2 min read

August 6, 2024 - 5:00AM

A nice golden trevally caught in the Cairns Trinity Inlet on a live bait with Fish Tales Charters. Picture: Darryl Wilson

Anglers could soon have a new prize sportfish to lure with a $1.4m trial to introduce trevally at a North Queensland dam.

Researchers at the Bribie Island Research Centre have collected bigeye and giant trevally broodstock from the wild to breed with the hopes of releasing stock into Kinchant Dam.

The dam, about 40 minutes’ drive west of Mackay, is already a popular recreational fishing spot with its drawcard of large barramundi more than a metre long with one prize barra weighing 41kg.

Like the barramundi, the trevally can live but not reproduce in freshwater, requiring them to be manually introduced as fingerlings into dams where they seek shelter among the reeds and artificial structures until they are large enough to catch and keep.

Mackay Regional Council deputy mayor Belinda Hassan said domestic and international anglers visiting Mackay had since 2015 injected about $18.6m each year into the region’s economy.

“To be able to lay claim to the only fishing impoundment with a stocked population of trevally gives our region an exciting point of difference to help draw tourist anglers,” Cr Hassan said.

“Council is proud to invest in initiatives and programs, like this stocking trial, that build on this economic benefit and drive further tourism.”

Dean Silvester with a barramundi caught at Kinchant Dam.

The trial, which also received funding from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, hopes to boost recreational fishing and tourism by diversifying the catch on offer.

“Currently, large tropical coastal dams are dominated by stocked barramundi,” a DAF spokeswoman said.

“While successful, barramundi pose a predation risk to other species like sooty grunter.

“Trevally, however, have shown potential to thrive in freshwater environments, with prior trials demonstrating their health and growth.”

A relaxed Sean Scott sits on the banks of Kinchant Dam, one of the many camping and caravan spots of the Mackay region. Photo: Mackay Tourism.

The spokeswoman said freshwater bigeye and giant trevally, like mangrove jack, were regularly found in Queensland’s tropical rivers and billabongs.

She said the project would monitor the trevallies’ growth, diets, survival, impact on barramundi and prey populations, and angler “satisfaction”.

“Trevally cannot breed in dams, allowing easy population control through adjusted stocking levels,” she said.

“This trial offers Mackay locals the chance to target a world-renowned game fish inland, potentially creating a unique fishery and attracting visiting anglers.

“If successful, the project could introduce trevally to large impoundments within 50km of the coast, primarily north of Bundaberg.

“The first stocking (at Kinchant) is planned for the end of the coming summer, contingent on spawning and rearing success.

“Conservative numbers will be stocked to minimise ecosystem impact, with continuous monitoring. DAF plans to train local hatcheries on fingerling production if the trial proves successful.”