Country boy, 13, dodges barbs to save endangered native fish dying with his bare hands in a river that’s fast running out of water – while killing the vile carp
- Stuart Moodie saves fish at home in Tenterfield in far north New South Wales
- Cod and catfish get stuck in waterholes that are too shallow for them to survive
- The youngster pulls the fish out with his bare hands and moves them on
- ‘I push their head into the mud. It’s just easiest to keep them calm,’ he said
A 13-year-old boy has been rescuing fish from waterholes that are too shallow for them to survive in due to crippling drought.
Stuart Moodie, from Tenterfield in far north New South Wales, goes down to a muddy river on his farm after school every day to save hundreds of catfish and cod.
The youngster pulls the fish out with his bare hands and moves them into larger waterholes where they have more of a chance of surviving.
Stuart Moodie (pictured), from Tenterfield in far north New South Wales, goes down to the water on his farm after school every day to save hundreds of catfish and cod
Stuart has loved catching fish since his father taught him as soon as he could walk, explained his technique for picking them up
‘I’ve been going down early every day after school and catching the catfish and cod and taking them out… keeping them alive as much as I can,’ he told the ABC.
Stuart, who has loved catching fish since his father taught him as soon as he could walk, explained his technique for picking them up.
‘I push their head into the mud. It’s just easiest to keep them calm and catch them,’ he said.
Stuart has endured a few minor injuries during his time saving the fish, including being spiked by the barbs of catfish and being bitten by cod.
He told the ABC: ‘With the catfish, every time I go grab them I just get spiked. And the cod, one grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go and I was sitting there with the cod on my hand.’
Stuart (pictured) has endured a few minor injuries during his time saving the fish, including being spiked by the barbs of catfish and being bitten by cod
Stuart has also caught and killed more than 300 carp, which are considered pests because their destructive bottom-feeding stirs up sediments and muddies the water.
His father John said the youngster has never watched TV except for nature shows and is just doing what he loves.
Tenterfield Mayor Peter Petty said Stuart made the whole community proud.
It come as officials fear the drought plaguing Australia could be the worst ever experienced, as the parched land continues to suffer water shortages and bush fires.
But there could be hope on the horizon, with ‘normal’ conditions expected to finally return towards the end of the summer.
Australia is expected to endure a hotter than usual summer, with particularly dry conditions in the east, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s summer outlook.
Droughts have plagued farmers across Australia’s east and driven up food prices. Pictured: Langawirra Station north of Broken Hill, New South Wales
The BOM said climate influences, including a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and negative Southern Annular Mode (SAM), will continue to influence the outlook.
Both influences are expected to progressively weaken mid-way through the summer, hopefully leading to more normal conditions.
But until then, the hot and dry conditions look likely to drag on into the summer for eastern Australia, but there could be more rainfall than usual for parts of the west coast.
Meanwhile temperatures are expected to be far above average for huge swathes of the country, with only Tasmania, south-west Victoria and parts of South Australia likely to escape hot nights.
According to BOM, all of Australia is highly likely to experience higher than average temperatures around Christmas time.
The dangerous conditions have seen bushfires rage across New South Wales, destroying wildlife and leaving hundreds of people homeless. Pictured: RFS Firefighters battle a spot fire on November 13, 2019 in Hillville