Carp reduction at Lake Wendouree

• In early September 2024, carp reduction work will be undertaken at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat to help protect trout populations.
• The work is a joint project between the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA), Ballarat Fly Fishers, Ballarat District Anglers Association (BDAA) and City of Ballarat.
• The VFA will manage the electrofishing operation, which will be undertaken over several days from Monday, 9 September.
• The project has been timed to occur after the period in which spawning trout regularly congregate at an outflow pipe near Windmill Drive and before carp begin to spawn in spring.
• The VFA will host an information session on Tuesday 10 September at the Ballarat Fly Fishers Club where local residents and fishers can come down to the lake and learn how electrofishing works, what carp look like and why they are declared a noxious aquatic pest. Anglers can also discuss the plan with Fisheries Officers at the Ballarat Fishing Festival on September 7.
• Increased numbers of carp have been observed in Lake Wendouree by recreational fishers,
• There are concerns that if left unchecked, carp in Lake Wendouree may breed this Spring and numbers explode resulting in impacts to water quality and the quality trout fishery,
• In a collaborative project between BDAA, BFFC, VFA and CoB, targeted electrofishing will be conducted at Lake Wendouree to remove carp and reduce their abundance and biomass. The project will also include a community demonstration event to explain the project, showcase electrofishing and discuss the management of carp.
• The project will benefit recreational fishers by reducing carp biomass at Lake Wendouree to preserve the quality recreational trout and redfin fishery, as well as the aesthetics of the lake for other users. A similar project was funded by a Recreational Fishing Licence grant and conducted at Lake Toolondo (on a larger scale) with great success.
• Keep scrolling for information about the 2-month closed area for trout fishing at Lake Wendouree.

Trout closed area background

Lake Wendouree is one of our most productive trout fishing lakes in Victoria and is stocked annually with trout from the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society (BFAS) Ballarat Fish Hatchery and Snobs Creek Hatchery.

In October 2022, the BFAS wrote to the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) seeking a temporary closure to 200m section of Lake Wendouree adjacent to the hatchery outfall pipe, to protect the spawning trout that congregate in the pipeline flow.

The BFAS had concerns over declining numbers of spawning brown trout which have been collected in this location by their volunteers for many years, impacting their ability to produce and supply trout to replenish Lake Wendouree and other Victorian waters, for recreational fishing purposes. Juvenile trout are released into Lake Wendouree and other Victorian waters from these efforts, a practise dating back to 1870.

The VFA met with BFAS in December 2022, inspected the 200m site and believed the introduction of a 2-month fishing exclusion area would have no negative impact for recreational fishers, but rather assist with security of fish production and stocking for recreational fishing benefit in Lake Wendouree.

In early 2023, the VFA sought broader recreational fisher input on a Fisheries Notice proposal to implement the recreational fishing closed season to a small area of Lake Wendouree by writing to key stakeholder groups and inviting their feedback. This included VRFish, Ballarat and District Angling Association, the Australian Trout Foundation, City of Ballarat and key recreational fishers.

The consultation was completed resulting in strong support for the proposal. Based on the feedback, the VFA issued the Fisheries Notice to implement a recreational fishing closed season to a small area of Lake Wendouree for two months commencing 1 June 2023.

In June and July 2024, the two-month recreational closed season to a small area of Lake Wendouree will be maintained via a Fisheries Notice, following support from key stakeholders

The VFA will continue to monitor the closed season in 2024 through BFAS numbers of spawning brown trout and angler feedback to Fisheries Officers, via email and social media. The VFA will review the trial with anglers annually.