July 4, 2025
The Victorian Fisheries Authority have once again stocked 10 million fish into Victorian waterways over the latest stocking season.
The 2024/25 stocking season saw more than 4-million Murray cod and 3-million golden perch stocked into Victoria’s lakes and rivers. More than 1 and a half million trout and salmonids were stocked. Silver perch (780,770), Australian bass (137,500), estuary perch (133,500), Macquarie perch (99,890), dusky flathead (62,340) and trout cod (140,970) were also a part of the 10 million fish stocked across the state.
To inform the annual stocking program, the Victorian Fisheries Authority hold Vic Fish Stock meetings with relevant stakeholders. The invited stakeholders include representatives from VRFish, the Australian Trout Foundation, Native Fish Australia, angling clubs and associations, recreational fishers, Water Management Corporations, Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) and other department staff.
To determine where and how many fish will be stocked each year, 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 broader recreational fishing community are also given the opportunity to consult on the draft fish stocking plan via a public consultation process.
The commitment to stock 10 million fish per year is part of the Victorian Government’s Go Fishing and Boating Victoria plan (formerly Target One Million and Go Fishing Victoria). The 2024/24 season was the third time in four years that the Victorian Fisheries Authority achieved the target of 10 million fish stocked in a stocking season.
Over 2024-25, the Victorian Fisheries Authority stocked more fish into Victorian lakes and rivers than all other states and territories combined.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s stocking program is funded by your recreational fishing licence fees.
FISH STOCKING DATABASE
With 10 million fish about to be stocked annually across the state, there are opportunities for recfishers to cast a line in more than 250 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.
Over the summer, the Victorian Fisheries Authority are generally stocking native fish which are now also stocked into metro-lakes so you can reel in Murray cod close to home. During the cooler months, and particularly around the school holidays, they are generally stocking all types of trout.
