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Subscriber only WHEN millions of fish were lost from the Somerset and Wivenhoe lakes during the 2011 floods, a group of dedicated fish stockers were heartbroken. Having regularly stocked both major catchments with a range of freshwater species since 1988, the volunteers could only watch as the valuable fish were washed over the Wivenhoe Dam wall. But rather than let the cruel setback diminish their enthusiasm, they continued their impressive work. Ten years later, long-serving Somerset and Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association (SWFSA) president Garry Fitzgerald remains as committed as ever to replenishing the vital dams. He leads an active committee still heavily focused on restocking, monitoring recreational fishing pressure and other community projects to revitalise two of Australia s leading freshwater habitats.
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AUTHORITIES are investigating after about 100 dead fish were discovered floating in a creek south of Ipswich.
Somerset and Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association president Garry Fitzgerald was alerted to the fish kill on Tuesday at the Churchbank Weir on Warrill Creek. Somerset and Wivenhoe Fish Stocking Association president Garry Fitzgerald was alerted to the fish kill on Tuesday.
“I didn’t see a single live fish in there. Everything aquatic was dead,” he said.
The mix of dead fish included Australian bass, mullet, eels, eel-tailed catfish, fork-tailed catfish, tilapia and possibly carp.
Mr Fitzgerald said a chemical drum next to the river raised suspicion of a chemical spill into the waterway, which flows into the Bremer River.
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A SEVERE thunderstorm warning is in place for Ipswich and surrounding areas, with the potential for damaging winds and heavy rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology radar shows a large band of storms crossing the region about 5pm.
Two separate cells are converging over Ipswich as they head east.
The Bureau has advised heavy falls have already been detected at Mulgowie, west of Rosewood, with 47mm recorded in the space of 30 minutes at 3.35pm.
The Bureau of Meteorology advised the thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar at 4.20pm near Boonah, Esk and surrounding areas.
The thunderstorms are moving towards the east to northeast and are forecast to affect Beaudesert, the area between Boonah and Beaudesert, Fernvale, southern Lake Wivenhoe, northern Lake Wivenhoe and Toogoolawah by 4:50pm and Ipswich, Amberley, Lake Manchester, Mount Nebo, the D’Aguilar Ranges and Somerset Dam by 5:20pm.
Despite recent rainfall Wide Bay Burnett is still currently drought-declared and without any major inflows soon, one regional dam is looking dire. As the storage level of Boondooma Dam is below 268.7m (approximately 70,000 megalitres or 34 per cent capacity), a Sunwater spokesperson said Stage 1 Critical Supply Arrangements are in place and releases for medium priority allocations have ceased. The current water level for Boondooma is 29.27 per cent. If conditions allow, some medium priority customers can continue to access water from water holes, the spokesperson said. Water can also be accessed from sand beds, providing the appropriate permits are in place from the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.