Barra Bonanza organisers eager for channel works after 15 years of silt

Hundreds of anglers have hit the water at Cardwell this weekend for the 20th annual Barra Bonanza.

The two-day catch-and-release fishing event drew record numbers this year, with more than 350 participants on the water and the most female entrants in the competition's history.

Most of the boats launched from Port Hinchinbrook before 6am on Friday. After that, the channel could become inaccessible.

The Port Hinchinbrook marina has been in disarray since Cyclone Yasi crossed the coast in 2011.

The channel has been choked by mud and silt, limiting access for boats wanting to get in and out.

As the boat access is tidal, competitors must keep one eye on the fishing and the other on the tide. If they miss the high-tide window, they could find themselves stuck on the water's edge.

Cardwell Sportfishing Club president Greb Abbs said organisers had to consider this when planning the event.

He said they checked the tides a year out to determine the best date for the event.

"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."

Port Hinchinbrook's recovery and redevelopment have been riddled with political and legal complications.

The state government recently acquired the land and allocated $64 million in the budget to restore the port, including dredging its waterways.

Early works have been completed, and tenders for a dredging contractor closed in September.

Fishing club vice-president Jeff Snell said if the project went ahead, it 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."

Mr Abbs said the ability to have access to the port in all tides would also make it safer because the coast guard would be able to get on the water if there was an incident, instead of having to rely on nearby crews in Tully and Innisfail to step in when the tide was too low.

Environmental concerns

Environmentalists have warned dredging the port could cause serious harm to waterways and the animals living in the channel.

Retired engineer and local environmentalist, John Mewing, said he thought the government had been secretive.

"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.

He said he had been seeking information about a full environmental impact assessment, both on and off site, and what ramifications there would be if the project proceeded.

Mr Mewing, a keen fisherman himself, said there was no need to disrupt nature to allow easier access to the channel.

"Right beside this development, we've got a listed World Heritage Area in the Hinchinbrook Channel," he said.

"It should be obvious to anyone who visits this area that this is a relatively pristine wilderness.

"That in itself should be enough to say to everyone that this is not a place for a development like this to happen."

Member for Hinchinbrook Wayde Cheisa was contacted for comment.

20 years of community

The Cardwell Barra Bonanza was founded by ex-club president Chris Stoter and local business owner Mick Volp, with the aim of boosting tourism in the region.

Mr Stoter said it had been amazing to watch the event grow.

"I'm pretty chuffed. I get emotional when you walk in there and you see all [the] people," he said.

"I never thought in 20 years' time I'd be sitting here doing this. We just took it under our wing and ran with it."

The pair came up with the idea over a Boxing Day beer.

"I think when we first kicked it off, Chris said to me, 'This is what I want to do,'" Mr Volp said.

"I said, 'Well, you organise the fishing side of it, I'll organise the sponsorship side.'

"We're just glad to be able to put something back into Cardwell."

Both agreed it would be wonderful to see Port Hinchinbrook restored as they reflected on the glory days before Cyclone Yasi.

"People would line up down the marina, there'd be hundreds of people … the restaurant was nearly at full capacity all week," Mr Stoter said.

"That was all due to the easy [channel] access as well, and the Hinchinbrook [Island], really … it's some pretty spectacular viewing."

He said he was "stoked" at the prospect of the port being dredged and seeing the town come alive again.