Everyone who reads this blog will know that I have a drone, I intend to fly this machine over  rivers and creek in my area, this will be an invaluable asset in detection of good and bad habitat in areas where it is difficult to walk.

I believe technologies like this can help us protect and monitor these places better than we ever have before, there will be more tech to come in the future, better water testing and monitoring systems.

below are a selection of waterways that have fallen victim to this contraption.

The drone itself is only the base model but has a good camera.

 

The new dam will have water in the spring, I will put Blackfish in next year, probably fish I bred last year they will a good size by then.

[wpvideo eh3IaaZL]

Mumblin hidden wonder.

[wpvideo nSZLpt7H]

What can you say about beautiful Bullen Merri I have been spending time there all my life and I still find it stunning, great fishing, great scenery, the facilities are pretty good and the grounds are terrific a great picnic spot.

[wpvideo QfiBkauZ]

Skinners creek below is in the Otway forest in southwest Victoria. the creek used to hold large amounts of Blackfish but they have disappeared we don’t know why, one thing that stood out when filming this clip was the lack of copepods and other insect larvae, if we don’t have food for young fish we won’t have young fish.

[wpvideo 1QFPyEoz]

 

 

While I was checking the Simpson dam the other day I came across this dog, I don’t know how it climbed the rock.

The Simpson dam has according to the shire an algae bloom so I went to check it out the only thing I could see was Azolla fern which is native to Australia and indigenous to the region.

Rather than being a problem I think the Azolla will benefit the water by removing nutrient and heavy metals from the water column.

It would be wise to remove some of the fern so that more could grow and remove more nutrient from the water and lessen the likelihood of future algae outbreaks, if it is not removed it will simply die and release the stored nutrient back into the water thus ensuring ongoing blooms.

The good news is the Azolla can be used as fertilizer for plants and gardens and food for some farm animals.

UPDATE: for those of you that would like to know the water quality I took four readings.

Date: 13/5/17

sal- 151 ppm

p/h 8.3

temp 13* c

turb  the water was clear.

it was midday when test were taken.

it was clear coolish day.

 

notes:

Gambusia were present in large numbers.

there are two dams in the system only the top dam has azolla.

 

Things are quiet at the farm at the moment because Blackfish ( southern marbled cod ) do not handle well in the colder months if you handle them in the cold they can stress and die, if you need to move Blackfish in the warmer months at night is the best , keep them in the dark.

I have placed all the breeding boxes in place already so as not disturb the fish in the breeding season, I have collected food ( yabbies) to last the winter although the fish will not feed much from now until the water temp improves and daylight lengthens and they begin the breeding cycle.

Yabbies are the best food they live in the fishes environment and can be taken for food when the fish is ready this also allows the fish to hunt which is important as they are predators and want to hunt it helps to mimic their natural behaviour after all a happy fish is a good breeding fish. below is a breeding hollow that will serve as a substitute for the real thing. 

Here a series of photos of the new dam

From top to bottom.

1 the inlet gate to control inflows.

2 the shallow section in two parts.

3 these rocks provide habitat no matter the depth.

4 the deep section the water here will be colder and bigger older fish might prefer.

5 the already famous flat rock where contemplation will take place with a few ales.

 

 

Beautiful lake Mumblin

[wpvideo nSZLpt7H]

This lake has all but been forgotten by anglers it once held good Trout but has not been stocked since the seventies so no trout remain, Redfin are present but without some pathways it is very hard to get near the water not to mention the snakes.

 

 

Princetown:

This needs to be protected, if we lose this then we truly are mad.

[wpvideo 4eURW1vm]

No resort for this place .

 

 

 

 

 

The new dam is taking shape, I am thrilled the excavator driver was able to put the rocks where I wanted, they create wonderful habitat for fish, the rocks in the centre will protrude out of the water even when the dam is full they will act as a heat sink warming the water around them even after dark.

[wpvideo eh3IaaZL]

There is a lot more to do aeration, breeding boxes, grass on the bank etc.

when the dam was built one of the rocks that came out was cone-shaped with a flat top so I had it placed on the dam bank flat side up , I intend to build a shelter over it and a deck around it and it will make a great table.

 

The Curdies is a river in the southwest of Victoria  Australia here are some pics.

[wpvideo 7GoAJRR5]

These pictures where taken by my daughter Heather from the beautiful boat S A S H.

I am suggesting Southern Marbled Cod or S M C for short as a replacement name for these fish they are not black they are not slimy they adapt to there surroundings like many Aust animals do.

This fish is taking food out of my hands and I have only had it for a few weeks, it will play a role in next years breeding program.

It astounds me that after 200 hundred years of knowing of these fish so little is known about them, more work needs to be done and quickly before we lose them, to say they are hard to breed is an understatement, we can’t sex them yet, the temp range in the literature is wrong, what age do they breed and many more questions need answering.

On  the question of breeding that will be answered this year and I have some thoughts on sexing them, more on that later.

Enjoy the latest video shot in a tank on my fish farm

[wpvideo h7A4VIau]

 

A note to the wider fishing community including VRfish and other fishing bodies I HAVE SUCCESFULLY BRED THESE FISH WHERE MANY HAVE FAILED AND I HAVE HAD ZERO HELP FROM ANY OF YOU MY PHONE NUMBER IS 0407843998 IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT THESE INCREDIBLE FISH YOU WILL CALL ME .

They say that honey catches more flies than vinegar well I am all out of honey I am not sure what it takes to get some action or even a bit credit, things promised don’t happen or take so long that I will be an old man when I get them, phone calls are never returned promises not kept.

I am starting to wonder if the people in authority want these fish or are happy to have trout in all the rivers.

About ten years ago I put some cod in my main dam hoping some would survive, I had some cod boxes made of damaged wheelie bins I got from the council in Bendigo ( which I made for lake Eppalock) left over so I put them in the dam thinking they would be good habitat for these cod however the following year the dam all but dried up and I gave up on any fish surviving ,  recently while swimming with the dog in the dam I decided to pull one of the boxes and to my surprise there was a cod in the bottom and because the dam is about to dry up again I decided to move him to a cement tank where I can make sure he is safe. 

I think it is a bit small for its age especially given the dam is full of large yabbies and all sorts of insects fall on the water but its in beautiful condition.