Native Fish Releases 2016

Victorian Native Fish Stocking Program

Fisheries' native and salmonid (trout and salmon) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for anglers. Annual stocking plans are developed using information provided at five regional consultation meetings (known as Vic Fish Stock) with recreational fishing representatives, resource managers such as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Catchment Management Authorities, Water Authorities and our own staff.

The development of the annual stocking program considers the performance of fisheries, the existing stocking approach, results of any stock assessments, fisher and creel surveys, prevailing environmental conditions, impacts of land and water management regimes and other issues that may affect a fishery. Requests by stakeholders to vary current stocking programs are also considered.

The 2015/2016 native fish stocking component of the program released 2,524,641 native fish into Victorian waters, including 678,767 Murray cod, 1,439,557 golden perch, 36,780 trout cod, 133,017 Australian bass, a record 183,500 estuary perch, 9,462 Macquarie perch and 597 freshwater catfish.

As part of the State Government's Target One Million plan to get more people fishing, more often, two new species of native fish, mulloway and barramundi, were stocked for the first time in Victoria. Lake Tyers received 16,000 mulloway and Tamboon Inlet 5,000. Hazelwood Pondage received 1,961 barramundi as part of a stocking trial to determine the species' suitability in this unusually warm waterbody (cooling ponds from power station). Estuary perch stocking expanded too with 5,000 into the Bemm River and 25,000 into Lake Tyers.

The Snobs Creek fish hatchery produces the salmonids and approximately 500,000 native fish. The hatchery operates with funding from fishing licence fees and the State Government's Target One Million plan. The operation of Snobs Creek is overseen by an advisory board consisting of Fisheries staff and recreational anglers.

Stocking plans may be subject to 'last minute' variation due to natural factors i.e. flood, fire, low water level or quality, algal blooms or man-made impacts such as major works on water storages.

2015/2016 Native Fish Stockings – total numbers

	Murray cod	Golden perch	Trout cod	Aust- ralian bass	Estuary perch	Macq- -uarie perch	Catfish	Barra- mundi	Mulloway	Total
Fry up to 5gs	678,767	1,439,298	36,780	133,000	183,500	9,462	597	1,275	21,000	2,523,732
Fingerlings up to 50gs								550		550
Yearlings 30cm+		259		17				136		359
Total	678,767	1,439,557	36,780	133,017	183,500	9,462	597	1,961	21,000	2,524,641

	Month 2015/ 2016	Fish size (g)	Murray cod	Golden Perch	Trout cod	Aust- ralian bass	Estuary perch	Macq- uarie perch	Cat- fish	Silver perch	Barra
Albert Park Lake (Albert Park)	Nov Dec Apr	0.5 0.5 0.5		5,000			5,000 15,000
Allans Flat Dredge Hole (Allans Flat)	Feb	0.9		1,500
Amaroo Lake (Part of Kialla Lakes Shepp- arton)	Mar	1.0		500
Anderson Lake (Chiltern)	Feb	3.0		1,000
Arboretum Dam (Euroa)	Feb	3.0		500
Avon River (Stratford to Valencia Creek)	Nov	0.5				5,000
Bartlett Lake (Tatura)	Mar	1.0		500
Benalla Lake * (Benalla)	Feb Feb	1.0 0.8	5,000 5,000
Benalla Lake (Benalla)	Feb	3.0		5,000
Big Meran Lake (Meering)	Mar	1.3		15,000
Blue Rock Lake (Willow Grove)	Aug Nov	800 0.5				17 25,000
Boga Lake * (Lake Boga)	Jan Mar	1.4 0.7	2,500	2,500
Boga Lake (Lake Boga)	Jan Mar	1.4 0.7	2,500	2,500
Boosey Creek (Katamatite)	Mar Apr	0.8 1.5	5,000	9,000
Broken Creek (Dip Bridge to Nathalia)	Feb Mar	0.8 1.5	1,626	20,000
Broken Creek ~ (Dip Bridge to Nathalia)	Nov ~	60 ~		100 ~
Broken River * (D/s Nillahcootie Lake to Gowangardie Weir)	Feb Feb Mar Apr	0.9 1.0 1.0 1.4	28,400 1,600	21,000 24,000
Buffalo Lake (Dandon- gadale)	Feb Apr	0.9 1.5	9,500	10,000
Cairn Curran Reservoir (Maldon)	Mar Mar Mar	1.5 1.1 2.0	20,000	5,000 50,000
Campaspe River *	Jan Mar	1.0 1.3	40,000	70,000
Campaspe River (Kyneton)	Mar	1.5		6,000
Charm Lake (Lake Charm)	Mar Mar	1.5 0.7	15,000	30,000
Cowwarr Weir (Cowwarr)	Nov	0.5				2,000
Craigmuir Lake (Mooroopna)	Mar	1.0		500
Crusoe Reservoir ~ (Bendigo)	Dec ~	850 ~		159 ~
Crusoe Reservoir (Bendigo)	Mar Mar	1.3 4.3		5,000					230
Cullull- eraine Lake (Cullull- eraine)	Feb	0.9	10,000
Devilbend Reservoir (Moorooduc)	Nov Dec	0.5 0.5					15,000 20,000
Eildon Lake (Eildon)	Jan Jan Jan Jan Mar Mar	1.0 1.0 1.8 0.8 0.8 2.7	80,000 1,134	13,000 13,000 138,000 13,840
Eldorado Dredge Hole (Eldorado)	Feb	3.0		1,000
Eppalock Lake (Knowsley)	Dec Jan Jan Mar Apr	0.9 1.4 1.0 2.0 1.3	17,400 27,790 10,000	50,000 18,458
Expedition Pass Reservoir (Faraday)	Jan	0.9						3,000
First Reedy Lake (Kerang)	Mar	0.7		5,000
Foletti Caravan Park Lake (Donald)	Jan Jan #	0.8 1.2 #		2,000 1,200 #
Freestone Creek (Briagolong)	Nov	0.5				2,000
Glenmaggie Lake (Glenmaggie)	Nov	0.5				10,000
Goldfields Reservoir (Maryborough)	Mar	1.5		4,000
Goulburn River (Lake Nagambie to Seymour) Goulburn River (Lake Nagambie to Seymour)	Dec Jan Feb Feb	1.2 1.0 0.9 0.8	32,276 17,724	80,000 120,000
Goulburn River * (D/s Lake Nagambie to McCoy's Bridge)	Jan Jan Feb Feb Apr	1.0 1.1 1.1 0.8 1.0	9,000 15,000 22,380 3.620	50,000
Greens Lake (Corop)	Mar Mar Apr	1.5 0.8 1.5	2,437 2,500	12,000
Gunbower Creek * (Turrumberry Weir Road to Koondrook)	Jan	1.1	20,000
Gunbower Creek * (Upstream & Downstream of Cohuna Area)	Mar	1.0		20,000
Guthridge Lake (Sale)	Nov May	0.5 3.2				1,000 4,000
Hamilton Lake (Hamilton)	Dec	0.5					18,000
Hazelwood Pondage (Hazelwood)	Sep Sep Sep Apr Apr Apr	485 2.5 87.2 503 32.5 3.0									18 225 18 100 550 1,050
Hospital Creek (Tostaree)	Nov	0.5				3,000
Hume Lake (Tallangatta)	Dec Dec Dec Jan	1.0 0.6 1.2 1.0	60,000 25,300 14,700	150,000
Kangaroo Lake * (Lake Charm)	Jan Mar	1.4 0.7	23,250	35,000
Kangaroo Lake (Lake Charm)	Jan Mar	1.4 0.7	23,250	35,000
Karkarook Lake (Moorabbin)	Nov	0.5					5,000
Kerferd Lake (Beechworth)	Dec	0.5			18,390
Kialla Lakes (Shepparton)	Mar	1.0		1,500
Kiewa River (Baranduda to Dederang)	Apr	1.5	3,000
King Lake (Rutherglen)	Feb	3.0		1,000
Kow Swamp * (Leitchville)	Mar	1.0		27,500
Laanecoorie Reservoir (Laanecoorie)	Apr	1.0		10,000
Lascelles Lake (Hopetoun)	Jan Mar # Mar	1.1 1.8 # 1.0		1,200 # 7,000						5,000
Little Boort Lake (Boort)	Mar	1.3		5,000
Loddon River * (Fernihurst Weir to Laanecoorie)	Jan Mar	1.3 1.0	50,000	80,000
Loddon River * (Kerang)	Jan Mar	1.3 1.0	2,000	6,000
Lowanna Lake (Part of Kialla Lakes Shepparton)	Mar	1.0		500
Macalister River (D/s of Lake Glenmaggie)	Nov	0.5				4,000
Macalister River (U/s of Glenmaggie Lake to Licola)	Nov	0.5				5,000
Marma Lake (Murtoa)	Mar Mar #	1.0 3.2 #		2,000 1,100 #
Melton Reservoir (Melton)	Nov Dec	0.5 0.5					20,000 10,000
Mitchell River (Angusvale to Junction with Wongun- garra River)	Nov	0.5				10,000
Mitta Mitta River * (Hume Lake to Eskdale)	Feb	1.0	20,000
Moodemere Lake (Rutherglen)	Mar Apr	4.3 1Kg							330 37
Narracan Lake (Moe)	Nov	0.5				10,000
Nicholson River (U/s of Nicholson)	Nov	0.5				8,000
Nillah- cootie Lake (Barjarg)	Dec Jan Jan Feb	1.2 1.2 0.8 0.8	25,300 4,700	30,000 20,000
Numurkah Lake (Numurkah)	Feb	0.9		6,000
Ovens River (Oxley Flats to Rocky Point)	Jan Mar !	0.9 600 !						6,400 62 !
Rainbow Creek (Cowwarr)	Nov	0.5				2,000
Sambell Lake (Beechworth)	Dec Feb	0.5 3.0		5,000	18,390
Serpentine Creek (Durham Ox)	Mar	1.3		5,000
Seven Creeks (Euroa)	Feb	3.0		2,000
Stanley Ditch Dam (Stanley)	Feb	3.0		500
Sumsion Gardens Lake (Wodonga)	Feb	0.9		1,500
Tambo River (Bruthen)	Nov May	0.5 3.2				8,000 9,000
Taylors Lake (Horsham)	Feb Mar Apr	1.3 1.3 1.3	18,880	42,500 17,500
Tchum Lake (Birchip)	Jan	0.8		5,000
Thomson River (Cowwarr)	Nov	0.5				5,000
Timbarra River (Near Junction with Tambo River)	Nov	0.5				10,000
Traralgon Creek (Downies Lane to Traralgon)	Nov	0.5				2,000
Tronoh Dredge Hole (Harrietville)	Feb	0.9		500
Tungamah Weir Pool (Tungamah)	Mar	0.8		2,000
Tyers River (Wirilda Park)	Nov	0.5				5,000
Valencia Creek (Valencia Creek)	Nov	0.5				3,000
Victoria Lake (Maryborough)	Mar	1.5		4,000
Victoria Lake (Shepparton)	Feb Mar	0.9 1.5	1,000	5,000
Walkers Lake (Avon Plains)	Jan	0.8		5,000
Watchem Lake (Watchem)	Jan	0.8		5,000
Werribee River (Werribee)	Nov Dec	0.5 0.5					29,500 16,000
Wimmera River (Jeparit to Horsham) Wimmera River (Jeparit to Horsham)	Jan Mar Apr Apr Apr	1.1 1.5 0.5 1.3 1.0		7,052 42,256 25,000 5,692						15,000
Wooroonook Lake (Charlton)	Jan	0.8		5,000
Yarriambiack Creek (Beulah, Brim and Warrack- nabeal)	Mar	1.0		9,000
Total			678,767	1,439,557	36,780	133,017	153,500	9,462	597	20,000	1,961

Marine Native Fish Releases

	Month 2015/ 2016	Fish size (g)	Estuary perch	Mulloway
Bemm River (Bemm River)	Jan	0.5	5,000
Tamboon Inlet (Tamboon)	Apr	2.0		5,000
Tyers Lake (Lake Tyers Beach)	Nov Jan Apr	5.0 0.5 2.0	25,000	5,000 11,000
Total			30,000	21,000

Weight Kg

	Murray cod	Golden perch	Trout cod	Austr- alian bass	Estuary perch	Macq- uarie perch	Silver perch	Catfish	Barra- mundi	Mulloway	Total kg
Fry up to 5gs	782.9	1,487.0	11.6	69.1	39.0	45.7	22.0	2.4	3.2	57.0	2,519.9
Yearlings 150gs+		155.0						37.0	521.0		713.0
Total	782.9	1,642.0	11.6	69.1	39.0	45.7	22.0	39.4	524.2	57.0	3,232.9

Transport

Kilometres travelled	Total person days
67,153	163

Key

$	Fry	1-5g
+	Yearlings	150g+
*	Calcein Marked Fish
!	Micro Chipped Ex Brood Fish
~	Golden perch 30cm+
#	Drought Recovery Stocking

Acknowledgements

This summary was developed by John Douglas and Ewan McLean, Fisheries Victoria. May 2016.