Barra Bonanza Fishing Comp Kicks Off Amidst Port Hinchinbrook Access Woes
The 20th annual Barra Bonanza fishing competition has kicked off in Cardwell, with over 350 anglers participating in the record-breaking event. However, access to Port Hinchinbrook remains limited due to ongoing issues with the channel.
Over 350 anglers have flocked to Cardwell this weekend for the 20th annual Barra Bonanza, a catch-and-release fishing event that has drawn record numbers of participants, including the most female entrants in the competition's history.
Most of the boats launched from Port Hinchinbrook before 6am on Friday, but access to the marina remains limited due to the ongoing issues with the channel, which has been choked by mud and silt since Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast in 2011.
Cardwell Sportfishing Club president Greb Abbs said organisers had to carefully plan the event around the tidal access to the port. "There's two things that we look for: the best time to go fishing, which is around the moon, and how it coincides with the tide," he said. "We set the tournament up so that it's for the fishermen to have the best opportunity to catch fish and for the best opportunity to get in and out."
The limited access to the port has significant implications for the local community, with fishing club vice-president Jeff Snell saying that dredging the port would be a game changer for the town. "[It is] the best thing that could happen around here," he said. "The whole place was just bloody pumping before [Cyclone Yasi] and now it's going to bring that back again."
However, environmental concerns have been raised about the proposed dredging, with retired engineer and local environmentalist John Mewing expressing fears about the potential harm to waterways and marine life. "The difficulty that I had in getting hold of the information that I now have appears to me that the government wanted to keep a lot of these submissions secret," he said.
The event, which was founded 20 years ago by ex-club president Chris Stoter and local business owner Mick Volp, has become a major tourist drawcard for the region. Mr Stoter said it had been amazing to watch the event grow, saying "I'm pretty chuffed. I get emotional when you walk in there and you see all [the] people," he said.