Saving estuary perch in Lake Bolac
23 December 2015
A fish salvage operation at drought-affected Lake Bolac has successfully transferred 127 estuary perch to Lake Hamilton where they will remain available to recreational anglers this summer.
Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the salvaged estuary perch averaged 200 grams each and ranged from 15 to 34 centimetres in length.
"Lake Bolac has been stocked with 43,000 estuary perch fingerlings since 2011 to improve recreational fishing opportunities for freshwater anglers," Mr Dowling said.
"However, low rainfall and a warmer than average spring have seen the lake's water level drop substantially to a point where the perch's survival through summer was uncertain.
"The salvage operation utilised licensed commercial eel fishers and up to 50 of their customised eel nets to harvest the 127 perch over five days, concluding on Thursday 3 December.
"The salvage operation was supported by a working group of anglers, a local community group, Deakin University and the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.
"Conditions during the salvage were difficult because of limited access to the lake, deep mud and poor water quality, including a severe blue green algae bloom.
Hamilton Anglers Club President, Graham Young, who helped release the perch into Lake Hamilton, said his members appreciated everyone's efforts to relocate the perch.
"The fish we released into Lake Hamilton were in great shape and should further improve our mixed fishery here, complementing 18,000 estuary perch stocked recently," said Mr Young.
Mr Dowling said that as part of the salvage operation, students from Deakin University had collected several perch to determine their age, growth rates and to analyse stomach contents.
"We cannot do much about the drought, but this is a good example of how we can work with anglers and others to make the most of an unfortunate situation.
"Lake Bolac was full in 2011 and 2012 and supported a tremendous stocked trout fishery.
It has since experienced very low inflows and is now only 70 cm deep. It is expected to be dry by the end of the 2015/16 summer.
"At the time of stocking, Lake Bolac was considered one of the more secure waterways in the region with a large catchment, but there just hasn't been the rain to maintain its level.
"We have learned a lot from this salvage effort and will be monitoring other drying lakes in the region, consulting with anglers and water managers, reviewing our fish stocking programs and assessing the merits of other salvage operations as they arise."