Edward Kolety Fishing Challenge organiser Andrew Jefferies said the initiative has always had the aim of restoring catfish populations to become self-sustaining through the recreational threatened species program.
“They would then once again be available to the locals as a food and recreational species,” he said.
It is a long-term initiative between the Edward-Wakool Angling Association, Deniliquin Kolety Lagoons Landcare Group, Joint Indigenous Group, NSW DPI Fisheries, Murray Local Land Services, Recreational Fishing Trust, Western Murray Land Improvement Group, Ozfish and many other local and district groups.
“There has been possibly thousands of volunteer hours that have gone into the program a decade in the making,” he continued.
“We’ve also formed some fantastic partnerships that have provided the financial backing and resources we have needed to get to this stage.
“Funding is getting increasingly harder to secure as a lot of the assistance we received over the last 10 years were one off grants,” Mr Jefferies said.
The groups need continuity with the program, with large numbers of catfish being released into the system to restore populations so they become self-sustaining.
Mr Jefferies has put the call out for corporate support to ensure the long-term success of the catfish breeding program.
“We are really looking for a significant corporate or business sponsor that is willing to partner with us for the next five to ten years,” he said.
“We are looking for a company that shares our vision, our goals, and can see the bigger picture of what we are trying to achieve.
“Companies that the community see as having a connection with and care about our local waterways, our environment and restoring our native fish stocks.
“We know this would make them proud to say they helped make a difference,” he continued.
“If we were able to lock in a large sponsor or sponsors, their contribution would solely be used to purchase breeding size fish for release at various rivers and wetlands across the district.”
If anyone would like more details or are interested in becoming a sponsor they can contact Mr Jefferies on 0428 815 557 or email info@cweh.com.au.
The group would also like to thank the general public, businesses and interested people for their support in witnessing the history making release of eel tailed catfish into the Edward River recently.
In particular The Edward Wakool Angling Association, Deniliquin High School, The Recreational Fishing Trust, Deniliquin Kolety Landcare Group, The Joint Indigenous Group, NSW DPI Fisheries, Murray Local Lands Services, Western Murray Land Improvement Group, Ozfish and the Edward Kolety Fishing Challenge.
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