Ranger identify 25 children fishing at Galup/Lake Monger in Wembley lake over past month, but issues no fines

Cambridge town rangers have received 16 reports of fishing at Galup/Monger Lake in the past four weeks and have identified a total of 25 children fishing or planning to fish in the waterway.

Luke Gibson, director of planning and community services, told a council meeting on Tuesday night that the town’s rangers had reacted to growing community concerns by trying to visit Galup at least once a day for the past month – either in response to a report or proactively as part of their patrols.

“Fishing activity at Galup has been monitored approximately 30 times in the last month and on occasions where a ranger has observed people fishing they have been asked to stop this activity immediately,” Mr Gibson said.

The council has updated its advice to confirm fishing is “not prohibited” in Galup under local law, although the council has installed “fishing is prohibited” signs in the area. The modified $250 fine imposed on fishermen for not following the sign’s instructions is not valid. Local planning laws that could make fishing on the lake illegal are not expected to be reviewed until 2033.

Mr Gibson said rangers had not issued any fishing-related infringement notices so far. Out of 16 reports from the community, the ranger found two incidents of children fishing.

“In both cases the boys complied with instructions to stop fishing,” he said. “As part of proactive checks, rangers identified a total of 25 children either fishing or traveling to Galup for the purpose of fishing at various times. All of the children either complied with instructions to stop fishing or… voluntarily moved one when they saw rangers approaching.”

Bycatch fishing has become a major local problem, particularly after the recent school holidays when more young people were fishing at the lake, spurred on by a visible challenge on social media.

The Friends of the Lake Monger group and residents are concerned about dead fish and increasing rubbish, including plastic sliced ​​bread and candy wrappers, being left along the waterway and the risk of wildlife becoming entangled in abandoned fishing rods and hooks. It was reported that a turtle was found dead with a fishing hook in its mouth last weekend.

Fishermen also face a significant health risk in Galup, which has very high levels of blue-green algae pollution. The risk arises from direct contact with water and potentially exposure to overspray.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, council members also voted unanimously for the council to consider whether educational signs at Galup/Lake Monger and Perry Lakes could be used to deter youth from placing lines in ecologically sensitive waterways.

The town is already working with traditional owners to develop interpretive signage highlighting the cultural and environmental significance of Galup, including information on water quality and local flora and fauna.

New signs may include information about the risks posed by fishing hooks, fishing lines and discarded tackle to birds and other wildlife, as well as the potential impacts of litter and bait on habitat and water quality.

A report to council said installation of approximately six new signs would cost an estimated $3,000 to $5,000. New signs were not included in the town’s approved budget.

City officials said including the extra information could support community awareness about why fishing is not encouraged in Galup. The council will also provide a short-term, non-regulatory response as it monitors the outcome of Stirling Council’s changes this month to ban fishing in 14 waterways in their area.

Council members also considered establishing a wetlands working group that would bring together the town’s work, local “Friends” groups and independent scientists to help the town better manage the Galup and Perry Lakes reserves.

Councilor Brett Heil made motions to establish the working group and provide additional resources to support Cambridge’s seven Friends groups. He said input from groups and other independent experts could provide valuable input into the council’s sustainability committee’s work to maintain and rehabilitate the lakes, but these contributions were currently only being received on an ad hoc basis.

“This type of contribution is currently dependent on timing and circumstances rather than any established channels, and the scale and impact of this is also not consistently visible to the community or council,” he said.

“A wetlands working group would bring together the work the town has undertaken, Friends group activity, and independent scientific and community input into a regular cycle, making valuable but sporadic contributions a consistent, reliable part of how the town manages these reserves and creating transparency about what is being done and why.”

Cr Heil said the working group could operate similarly to the Lake Claremont advisory committee, which has operated successfully for decades. More recently, he said, Bayswater council set up a scientific advisory panel that guided the recovery program at Maylands Lakes, which faces similar water quality issues to Galup.

Council members voted unanimously to support the wetlands working group, but eliminated a recommendation to hold additional council meetings with group members and town officials.

Cr Heil also asked the council to create an additional natural environment officer position to help manage Cambridge’s 175 hectares of natural space and to better support Friends groups that can better match the resources provided by other metropolitan councils.

“We have not increased resources because of the increased workload,” Cr Heil said. “The level of service needs to be maintained and I think this will help.”

Friends groups such as Cambridge Coastcare and Friends of Perry Lakes assist with local planting, weeding and litter management efforts and support monitoring of water quality and biodiversity. Creating a full-time officer position would cost the council between $125,000 and $200,000 per year, including administrative costs.

Councilors unanimously supported the motion, with an amendment from Cr Michael Le Page to include a request for additional funding from the State or Federal Government.

Cr Kate Barlow also asked the council to call for tenders to develop a Galup response strategy and proposed a priority action plan with appropriate funding options to deliver a comprehensive, long-term response to support the lake’s recovery.

Cambridge council received its last annual water quality survey for Galup in November last year and recommended a $30,000 review of the lake water quality monitoring framework this financial year.

An independent response strategy has been proposed as part of Cambridge’s 10-year lake management plan. Councilors heard last week that the strategy tender process is at least three months away from starting. A final plan is unlikely to be received until the council’s next budget allocation process begins in 2027.

Councilors voted unanimously to support Cr Barlow’s motion.