First Ever Stocking for Endangered Fish

28 April 2026

Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said hundreds of hatchery-bred West Gippsland galaxias have been released, marking a major milestone in efforts to recover the species in the wild.

Currently, the West Gippsland galaxias is found only in a small tributary of the La Trobe River, north of Traralgon. Its population suffered a 97 per cent decline between 2002 and 2012 due to sedimentation, bushfires, drought stress, and predation.

“For the first time, the species has been successfully bred at the VFA’s Conservation Hatchery at Snobs Creek, giving scientists and fisheries managers a powerful new tool to support its recovery.

“A tributary of the Tyers River was carefully selected as a suitable release site by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), with high-quality habitat and conditions that maximise the chances of survival for the stocked fish,” Mr Dowling said.

Representatives from Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation attended the stocking, which was coordinated by DEECA’s Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI), recognising the importance of partnerships in protecting and restoring native species and waterways.

The stocking was made possible thanks to funding from the Federal Government’s Saving Native Species Program.

The milestone coincides with the two-year anniversary of the VFA’s Conservation Hatchery at Snobs Creek, and the broader 10inTen conservation program, which aims to restock and recover ten of Victoria’s most at-risk aquatic species by 2034.

In just two years, the VFA and ARI’s 10inTen program has made significant progress, including world-first breakthroughs, breeding and safeguarding some of the state’s most at-risk aquatic species such as the Glenelg freshwater mussel, Moroka and McDowall’s galaxias, river blackfish, Macquarie perch and trout cod.

For information about the 10inTen plan, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/10inten