Native Fish Releases 1999-2000
Note number: FN 0152
Published: June 2000
Reviewed:
1. Departmental Stocking Program
The department's native fish stocking program is designed to enhance native fish populations or establish new populations. Fish releases have two objectives: conservation and the provision of recreational fishing opportunities. In the case of trout cod the immediate aim is to ensure survival of this endangered species.
Stocking Plans are developed annually as part of the management consultation process between Fisheries Victoria and DNRE Regional staff. The meetings consider in detail the performance of existing stocking programs, the results of stock assessment surveys, creel or C/ERP survey data, and anything else that has or might impact on the fishery e.g. environmental conditions, water levels. Requests by client groups for changes to current stocking programs and the implementation of new stocking programs are considered. VRFish, the Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body, represents recreational anglers at these meetings.
The list of waters identified as suitable or having potential for recreational fisheries based on native fish is lengthy and the demand for fish currently exceeds supply. Stocking Plans are subject to 'last minute' variation due to natural factors e.g. flood, drought, or man-made impacts such as excessive algal blooms, major works on storages, etc. Explanatory notes are provided where a planned release has been amended. Amendments are agreed to by DNRE Regional staff and VRFish before implementation.
| Water Stocked | Month/Year | (z) Fish Size | Aust. bass | Estuary Perch | Golden Perch | Murray Cod | Silver Perch | Trout Cod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Park Lake | 3/00 | 0.97 | - | - | 10,000 | - | - | - |
| Avoca River - Natte Yallock - Charlton Weir | 3/00 | 0.79 | - | - | 17,000 | - | - | - |
| Batyo Catyo Lake | U/S | |||||||
| Broken Creek | 1/00 | 1.0 | - | - | - | (o) 1,000 | - | - |
| 2/00 | 0.79 | - | - | 15,000 | - | - | - | |
| Broken River | 2/00 | 0.97 | - | - | 20,000 | - | - | - |
| Buffalo Lake | 3/00 | 0.98 | - | - | 10,500 | - | - | - |
| Bullen Merri Lake | 12/99 | 0.20 | 10,000 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cairn Curran Reserevoir | 3/00 | 0.97 | - | - | 50,000 | - | - | - |
| Campaspe River - below Lake Eppalock | 3/00 | 0.71 | - | - | 20,000 | - | - | - |
| Charlegrak Lake | U/S | |||||||
| Cullelleraine Lake | 1/00 | 0.8 | - | - | - | (o) 10,000 | - | - |
| 3/00 | 0.79 | - | - | 10,000 | - | - | - | |
| Eppalock Lake | 3/00 | 0.79 | - | - | 100,000 | - | - | - |
| Expedition Pass Reserevoir | 3/00 | 1.0 | - | - | 1,000 | - | - | - |
| Goldfields Reserevoir (Maryborough) | 3/00 | 0.95 | - | - | 2,000 | - | - | - |
| Goulburn River - Toolamba - Shepparton | 3/00 | 1.7 | - | - | - | (o) 21,000 | - | - |
| Green Lake (Horsham) | U/S | |||||||
| Hamilton Lake | 3/00 | 4.0 | - | 1,000 | - | - | - | - |
| Hume Reserevoir | 1-2/00 | 0.6-1.0 | - | - | - | (o) 50,000 | - | - |
| King lake (Rutherglen) | 3/00 | 1.0 | - | - | 1,000 | - | - | - |
| Lindsay River | 1/00 | 0.99 | - | - | - | (o) 20,000 | - | - |
| Little Boort Lake | 3/00 | 0.8 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Loddon River - Fernihurst Weir | 1/00 | 0.8 | - | - | - | (o) 10,000 | - | - |
| - Bridgewater - Newbridge | 3/00 | 0.8 | - | - | 30,000 | - | - | - |
| Miga Lake | U/S | |||||||
| Mokoan Lake | 1/00 | 0.8-1.0 | - | - | - | (o) 20,000 | - | - |
| 3/00 | 0.97 | - | - | 20,000 | - | - | - | |
| Ovens River | 10/99 | 28 | - | - | - | - | - | (w) 2,430 |
| 12/99 | 0.97 | - | - | - | - | - | 20,000 | |
| Pine Lake | 3/00 | 0.71 | - | - | 10,000 | - | - | - |
| Richardson River | 3/00 | 0.72 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Sambell Lake | 3/00 | 0.98 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Seven Creeks (Euroa) | 3/00 | 0.98 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Snowy River | 5/00 | 0.28 | 200 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sugraloaf Reservoir | N/S | |||||||
| Sumsion Gardens Lake (Wodonga) | 3/00 | 1.0 | - | - | 1,000 | - | - | - |
| Taylors Lake | 1/00 | n.a. | - | - | - | (s) 8 | - | - |
| 3/00 | 0.71 | - | - | 15,000 | - | - | - | |
| Tchum lake | 3/00 | 0.72 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Tullaroop Creek (Below Tullaroop Res.) | 3/00 | 0.98 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Victoria Lake (Shepparton) | 3/00 | 0.8 | - | - | 2,500 | - | - | - |
| Wimmera River - Elmhurst | 1/00 | 0.96 | - | - | - | (o) 5,000 | - | - |
| 3/00 | 0.9 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - | |
| - Dimboola | 3/00 | 0.9 | - | - | 10,000 | - | - | - |
| - Jeparit | 3/00 | 0.9 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| - Horsham | 3/00 | 0.9 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| 3/00 | 0.8 | - | - | - | - | 5,000 | - | |
| -Glenorchy | 3/00 | 0.9 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Wooroonook Lake | 3/00 | 0.8 | - | - | 5,000 | - | - | - |
| Species Totals | 10,200 | 1,000 | 400,000 | 137,008 | 5,000 | 22,430 | ||
| Total Department Releases | 575,368 |
2.Authorised Client Group Fish Releases
The Department authorises fish releases by client groups. The stockings may complement the Department's program, or may be waters for which the Department is unable to provide fish. Requests by client groups are considered by the same consultation process described in Part 1. above. Approved proposals must conform to the requirements of the Department's Policy Statement on Stocking Native Fish. Releases authorized by the Department for which fish stocking details have been confirmed are listed below. Authorized releases for which no stocking report has been received will be listed at some future date when the required information is available.
NOTE: Under Section 530 of the Fisheries Regulations 1998, it is an offence to stock fish into any Victorian water, both public and private, without the written permission of the Director, Fisheries Victoria. Penalty: up to $2 000.
Client Group Releases
| Water Stocked | Client Group | Month/Year | (z) Fish Size | Golden Perch | Murray Cod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boosey Creek | Tungamah Angling Club (p) (t) | 3/00 | 0.8 | 5,000 | - |
| Eildon Lake | FutureFish Foundation (t) | 8/99-3/00 | 0.7-1.7 | 100 | 20,000 |
| 3/00 | 0.8 | - | 8,000 | ||
| Eppalock Lake | Bendigo Field & Game Association | 1/00 | n.a. | - | 5,000 |
| Wimmera River - Glenorchy | Stawell & District Angling Club (p) | 3/00 | 2.15 | - | 2,000 |
| FutureFish Foundation (t) | 3/00 | 0.72 | 2,500 | - | |
| - Horsham | Horsham Angling Club (p) (t) | 3/00 | 0.72 | 5,000 | - |
| Species Totals | 112,500 | 15,000 | |||
| Total Client Group Releases | 127,500 |
3. Total Releases
| Water Stocked | Aust. Bass | Estuary Perch | Golden Perch | Murray Cod | Silver Perch | Trout Cod | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department | 10,200 | 1,000 | 400,000 | 137,008 | 5,000 | 22,430 | 575,638 |
| Client groups | 112,500 | 15,000 | 127,500 | ||||
| 10,200 | 1,000 | 512,500 | 152,008 | 5,000 | 22,430 | 703,138 |
4. Notes
The Native Fish Release Program 1999/2000 involved 44 transport man-days with vehicles travelling 20 812 km. These figures include 4 days and 873 km assisting Futurefish Foundation Releases, and client group releases marked (t). Departmental expenditure on fish purchases was $67 000, excluding administration, transport and release costs.
Total release weights were 666 kg for Departmental releases and 99.7 kg for client group releases. These totals do not include the weights for salvaged Murray cod stocked into Taylors Lake or the Bendigo Field and Game Association stocking of Murray cod into Eppalock, no weights being available.
| (o) | Fish were chemically imprinted to enable indentification when recovered in future stock assestment programs. |
| (p) | Fish purchased by client groups as part as part of the Department's "piggy back" program enabling advantage to be taken of bulk purchase rates i.e. more fish for the dollar. |
| (s) | Mature fish salvaged from Green Lake. |
| (t) | Fish transport provided by Fisheries Victoria. |
| (w) | Fish purchased by client groups as part as part of the Department's "piggy back" program enabling advantage to be taken of bulk purchase rates i.e. more fish for the dollar. |
| (z) | Average weight of released fish, measured in grams. |
| N/S | Fish stocking has ceased at the request of Melbourne Water. |
| U/S | Water conditions were unsuitable for fish stocking. |
The month and year of fish release is expressed as 00/00. The first one or two digits are the month i.e. 3 = March, 12 = December, the second two digits show the year 99 = 1999, 00 = 2000.
Acknowledgements
This Information Note was developed by Marc Ainsworth, Geelong.