April 24, 2024
It’s a reely good time to be a recfisher in Victoria with the vast amount of opportunities to cast a line across the state!
Over the past year, the Victorian Fisheries Authority have stocked an incredible 10-million fish in Victorian waterways. It’s the second time in three years they’ve hit this impressive stocking target. The increased target to stock 10 million fish annually was a key commitment by the Labor Government as part of their Go Fishing Victoria plan.
2024/25 Draft Fish Stocking Plan
Planning is now underway for the next stocking season and it’s your chance to have your say on what you’d like to see stocked in your local waterway.
To determine where and how many fish will be stocked each year, the Victorian Fisheries Authority release a draft fish stocking plan for public consultation followed by Vic Fish Stock meetings with stakeholders. The Vic Fish Stock meetings provide an opportunity for the Victorian Fisheries Authority to discuss fish stocking regimes, fish population surveys and other recreational fisheries management issues with stakeholders.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority have released the 2024/25 draft fish stocking plan for public consultation. The draft plan outlines the planned release of more than 10 million fish, across 12 species, into more than 220 Victorian waters between April 2024 and March 2025.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s fish stocking program aims to improve recreational fishing opportunities and rebuild native fish populations across the state.
Highlights in the 2024/25 Draft Stocking Plan include:
- Over 1 million native fish into Rocklands Reservoir
- Over 1 million fish into Lake Eildon, including 220,000 brown and rainbow trout
- 800,000 native fish into Lake Eppalock
- Over 80 Family Fishing Lakes to be stocked with catchable rainbow trout in June and September school holidays
- 16 metro lakes and the Goulburn River to be stocked with stonker rainbow trout
- Melton Reservoir to receive 140,000 native fish
- Lake Hume receiving 150,000 brown trout
- Gippsland Lakes to receive more than 100,000 estuary perch and dusky flathead
- Latrobe River to receive 40,000 Australian Bass
- Macalister River near Licola to receive 10,000 Australian bass
- Campaspe River to receive 215,000 native fish including 15,000 trout cod (first time stocking)
- Barwon River stocked with 70,000 estuary perch
- Lakes Kerferd and Sambell to be stocked with silver perch, golden perch and rainbow trout
- Lake Elingamite to receive 15,000 Australian Bass
- Expedition Pass Reservoir to receive golden perch and rainbow trout
- Goulburn River – Upstream of Kevington to be stocked with trout cod
- Kiewa River to receive 30,000 Macquarie perch and 20,000 trout cod
- Wurdiboluc Reservoir receiving 30,000 brown and rainbow trout
The number of proposed fish included in the 2024/25 draft fish stocking plan include:
- Australian bass: 403,000
- Brown trout: 666,500
- Chinook salmon: 90,000
- Dusky flathead: 21,100
- Estuary perch: 330,000
- Golden perch: 4,567,500
- Macquarie perch: 100,000
- Murray cod: 2,983,000
- Rainbow trout: 544,190
- Silver perch: 521,500
- Tiger trout: 10,000
- Trout cod: 100,000
- Grand Total: 10,336,790
To have your say on the 2024/25 Draft Fish Stocking Plan, please email your submissions to the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Taylor Hunt, Fisheries Manager at [email protected] by Sunday 26th of May 2024.
All submissions will be considered by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and tabled with regional recreational fishing representatives at the annual Vic Fish Stock meetings, planned to be held in May-June 2024.
KEEPING TRACK OF 10 MILLION FISH
With more than 10 million fish stocked across the state, there are opportunities for recfishers to cast a line in more than 220 Victorian waterways. The best way to keep track of where the fish are being stocked is by checking out the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Fish Stocking Database. You can search by waterway, by species, by date, and much more to know exactly how your fishing licence fees have been utilised in the fish stocking program.
