March 29, 2023
The comeback of one of Victoria’s iconic native fish continues to gain momentum, with more Macquarie Perch stocked into waterways in the state’s north-east.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Snobs Creek hatchery has received a $5 million investment, which has produced the fingerlings which have been used in the restocking program.
Staff at Snobs Creek and interstate fisheries agencies have worked for many years to identify ways to consistently produce Macquarie Perch in the hatchery environment.
The hatchery project will modernise ageing infrastructure, construct more breeding ponds and build a dedicated fish holding facility to assist producing large numbers of Macquarie Perch and trout cod to re-establish wild populations.
A separate new hatchery is also being built at Snobs Creek in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to focus on threatened native fish.
The 40,000 Macquarie Perch fingerlings produced this year were stocked into the Ovens River (10,500), Buffalo River (10,500), Goulburn River between Yea and Trawool (8300), King River (4950), Cudgewa Creek (3000), Hughes Creek (2000) and Lake Dartmouth (1650).
Stockings have been complemented by instream fish habitat and riverbank improvement works conducted by locals, the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, Landcare volunteers, recreational fishers and traditional owner groups.
Recreational fishing licence fees, local catchment management authorities and a Landcare-led Bushfire Recovery Grant have also supported the habitat improvement efforts.
