17 replies to this topic

[Mr_docfish]

Found this in the Gosnells Comment News paper - Jan 29th 2013









I always said this would be the next noxious weed in WA - maybe the PCS can fund a Flyer/Poster for LFS and Pet Shops to advise about dumping...... These plants make good mulch - but bad for native waterways.

There is no funding from the WA government departments atm because of the up coming state election - maybe the PCS can be involved in the aquatic weeds/exotic fish program in conjunction with the Ag Dept and other river/waterway groups - maybe have a liaison officer from the committee to liaise with the other groups to form a larger pool of individuals to encourage more funding to help prevent the release of weeds and fish - saves eradication costs...

Just a thought....

[Arcturus]

That's bad news for our waterways and aquarists....

Luckily it seems to only be in the Liege St Wetlands, but now that it's there it will be very hard to remove altogether.

You really can't blame Fisheries/DEC for being such hard arses when stuff like this, braziliensis etc keeps happening

[bigjohnnofish]

one must be thankfull that it can be easily removed from waterways... at least it doesnt require wading into the water and battling to remove root systems from the river beds!!!

i have always said noxious weeds should be utilized to remove nitrates/phosphates from the river system... in a controlled section of the river.... to improve the rivers health

[Juls]

Sounds like a fairly recent release,

I found they die off to nothing over winter outside, but that might just be me.

Seeing as they only got a couple of wheat bags full seems like an addition/release less than 8 weeks ago.

Juls

[Anka]

How would it have got their? Release by a hobbyist? I can understand why people release fish into our waterways but I don't believe people would have that sort of emotional attachment to plants...

What is th safest way of disposing of plant cuttings and other plant debris? I've been putting them in our rubbish bin. Should I put them in a compost instead?

[Westie]

I can understand why people release fish into our waterways

I can't understand why people release fish

[Anka]

People don't want to keep them but they can't be bothered disposing of them appropriately. I understand it, but I don't condone it.

[sajica]

I can't understand why people release fish

Because they're both stupid and ignorant.

See, when people do stupid things like release fish, it makes it harder for the rest of us to have stuff we want and would like to have.

[bigjohnnofish]

i suspect someone was doing a waterchange and syphoning the tank water onto their garden and some frogbit got syphoned out and made its way into a drain that drains into the river... not rocket science...

[BIG-PETE]

i suspect someone was doing a waterchange and syphoning the tank water onto their garden and some frogbit got syphoned out and made its way into a drain that drains into the river... not rocket science...

the experts above think everyone is just stupid

[Kleinz]

If I had a pond of decent size here, it would have herons and ducks and the like in it in no time. I'm sure they would go another 50m for a feed. It'd be an easy thing for a bit of frogbit to end up on a bird's leg and thus back in the swamp they came from.

On the other hand... Free Frogbit!

[Mr_docfish]

It is feasable that water foul will transfer smaller floating plants like duck weed and azola, but considering the bulky nature of the frogbit, it is only a slim chance that it could happen.
The facts I can weasle out of the article, and knowing the basic design of these stormwater collection areas, the frogbit was collected from the first step of the collection area, which is designed to collect floating rubbish, oil spills, and floating weeds - preventing the spread of these unwanted products into other areas of the wetland and eventually the river.
The frogbit most probably ended up in the stormwater system (not due to a hobbyist - who dumps water or plants in a storm water system?) due to a careless petshop or similar - you will often see a hose dumping waterchange water accross the carpark....

I firmly beleive that education should start from the top - particularly the supermarket chains who are trying to become a dominant force in WA... Try to get the government bodies involved in an education package that can be sent out to all petshop/fish keeping establishments.
From there, customers can read this information (should be in more than one language)

[sajica]

Oliver in your professional opinion, What are the chances of diseases/ new strains surviving from a LFS/ LPS and infecting the wetland, and possibly contaminating water bodies (in this case Canning River)?

#no joke, # serious question

[Mr_docfish]

There are only a few things that could survive our stormwater system and spread to the river and become a pest of any issue.... It is a very slim chance that it would occur, but if it can be avoided, then it should be.... But then there are things in place to minimise any possible impact - like the man made Liege St wetlands...
If it is disease wise you are referring to, our quarantine system is so strict, that no disease of quarantine concern would get out there.
Migratory Water birds from SE Asia probably are a greater threat to introducing diseases...

I am more concerned that the government will add the frogbit to the list of noxious weeds - just another ideal plant for aquariums and ponds that will assist in breeding a number if fish taken away from us.

[sajica]

maybe the PCS can be involved in the aquatic weeds/exotic fish program in conjunction with the Ag Dept and other river/waterway groups - maybe have a liaison officer from the committee to liaise with the other groups to form a larger pool of individuals to encourage more funding to help prevent the release of weeds and fish - saves eradication costs...

Just a thought....

I think this is a combined clubs "problem"and a chance for all clubs to be seen to be proactive. It's in the interests of the clubs from a Public Relations and publicity point of view to get some more exposure. I definately think this is something that ANGFA WA needs to be more involved in, since this is directly related to ANGFA's core values of perservation, promoting environmentally sustainable development and encouraging people to think about our native waterways and the critters that inhabit them....
I'd still like to find some of the weird fish I've seen in the river caught and identified before everything in the river dies off

[Arcturus]

Good news....Julie will talking at our next ANGFA WA meeting

 

It's on next Monday...,please feel free to attend even if you're not a member

 

http://www.perthcich...showtopic=54906

 

-- Ben

[shayne]

hello from a newbie klienz i personaly would be very concerned about material from the canning system, i was given water lilies some years ago and i started finding leeches!!! after harrassing [wanting to choke] the giver he conceded they came from the canning river. also when i paddle there i notice lots of the little suckers on the bottom of my ski. water birds are a concern in the spread of things i chased a rufous night heron of my verandah last night

[bigjohnnofish]

water birds are responsible for transporting lots of things... like gambusia and shrimp.... perhaps they should cull all water birds to prevent this lol