Stanwell’s Corporate Sponsorship program has thrown its support behind a community effort to breed endangered Mary River Cod in the Cooyar Creek system, near Stanwell’s Tarong power stations and Meandu Mine.
Stanwell has joined forces with the Cooyar Amateur Fishing Club and Murgon’s Hanwood Fish Hatchery to fund the program for two years.
Stanwell’s Meandu Mine Acting Site Manager, Jacob Orbell, said this fish stocking activity differed from others Stanwell had previously sponsored in local waterways which traditionally focused on fish stocks for tourism and leisure purposes.
“The Cooyar Creek release program is part of an environmental plan to save the species from extinction, which will eventually have future benefits for the fishing community,” Mr Orbell said.
“The aim is to release fingerlings into the Cooyar and Yarraman Creek (depending on water levels) so that over time the species can increase in number and eventually move through the waterways into the Brisbane River catchment.
“The program even has the potential to reduce the numbers of some pest species such as tilapia and carp.
“We are proud to be part in this collaborative community partnership to save Mary River Cod from extinction.”
The program will need to run for up to five years to be successful in establishing breeding patterns to avoid the extinction of the species.
The Mary River Cod program is one of many stocking programs the Cooyar Amateur Fishing Club has participated in, with fundraising efforts in the past used to stock fish varieties including Yellowbelly, Bass and Silver Perch into local river and creek systems.