Fisheries Victoria
'A fortnightly round-up of recreational fisheries management issues'
Fish-e-Fax Issue 194, 26 April 2007
Native fish win over carp in drought conditions
Victorian waterways may be feeling the strain with the increasing drought conditions; however native fish in the State's north seem to be well adapted to cope with the lowering of water levels and subsequent increasing water temperatures.
Glenelg spiny freshwater crayfish measure.
The construction of fishways has also aided the passage of native fish and improved their ability to re-establish populations in their natural range. Fishways allow fish the freedom of passage through river systems that may have been previously blocked by a road or weir. This is important for fish to reach different areas so they can complete a range of life cycle requirements.
Further good news is that carp, which are a noxious pest species in Australia and prolific in the Murray-Darling Basin, are dying in record numbers as a result of the drying of wetlands. Anecdotal evidence suggests that carp swim against the flow of water, resulting in the fish becoming stranded and eventually dying on the drying mudflats This behaviour is unlike native species that migrate with the receding waters.
Check out our new products page
Fisheries Victoria has recently published a new web page that describes the different tools that are publicly available to help recreational anglers comply to rules and regulations.
The production of different types of measures, posters, pocket cards, stickers and a ruler has been partly funded by funds raised from the sale of the Recreational Fishing Licences. They have been designed to fit in the average tackle box or stick on a prominent and accessible area of your boat and/or tackle box.
These products can be ordered through the Department's Customer Service Centre by calling 136 186.
2006/07 Native Fish Stocking Summary
Despite on-going drought conditions in Victoria, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has stocked 668,450 native fish into more than 25 waters across the State during the 2006/07 native stocking season. The native stocking season usually extends between January and April each year, which is a preferable time to stock native fish due to water temperatures.
The total number of native fish stocked during the 2006/07 season was:
Murray cod – 119,350
Golden perch - 544,100
Silver perch – 5,000
Funds from the Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) Trust Fund contribute to the production of native fish. Last year the RFL contributed $209,892 to Fisheries Victoria's fish stocking budget of $1.064 million.
Fish production and stocking management
Fisheries Victoria has a fish production facility located at Snobs Creek, near Eildon in Victoria's High Country. Both salmonid and native fish species are raised for conservation and recreational fishing stocking purposes at this facility
Prior to 2006, private contractors produced fish for Victorian stockings and DPI's research arm, Primary Industries Research (PIRVic), coordinated the fish liberations. Now, the Snobs Creek fish production facility and all fish liberations are fully managed by Fisheries Victoria, leaving PIRVic to concentrate on their fundamental role as the research service provider for the Department.
The majority of the fish released are produced at Snobs Creek, with only golden perch and silver perch being purchased from a variety of private suppliers within Victoria or New South Wales.
The numbers of fish to be released and the waters to be stocked are decided at annual consultation meetings held at regions across the state at the beginning of each year. Any submissions for the stocking program can be made through local angling clubs which are then represented by the states recreational fishing peak body, VRFish, at the consultation meetings.
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