Statewide Recreational Fishing Roundtable
9 September 2022

Greens Lake salvage rescues over 700 native fish!

  • As part of the salvage operations at Greens Lake (near Corop) the VFA has continued to partner with Goulburn Murray Water, Keith Bell and local anglers to save and find new homes for large numbers of native fish from the decommissioned lake.
  • To date, a total of 719 golden perch (average 3.5kg, largest 6.5kg) and 54 Murray cod (80-120cm) have been relocated to swim away and provide a boost to populations in Goulburn and Campaspe Rivers at multiple locations, Waranga Basin and the new Dunyak Moira community fishing ponds at Merrigum.
  •  A big thanks go to all the anglers who have assisted with safely rehoming the salvaged fish, including from Nagambie Angling Club, Nathalia Angling Club, Rochester and District Angling Club, Undera Angling Club, Williamstown and Newport Angling Club and the Women in Recreational Fishing Network.

Glenelg Great Perch Search Delivers

  • In late August, VFA staff met with local tournament recreational anglers at Nelson on the Glenelg River to conduct our annual broodstock collection of estuary perch – The Great Perch Search!
  • The weather was great and the fishing was even better with lots of big fertile perch being caught and carefully held in floating crates in a boat shed on the river. The very best fish were selected, packaged into oxygenated plastic bags and 30 polystyrene boxes and transported to a plane waiting at Mount Gambier Airport. Three hours later the fish arrived at Narooma Aquaculture fish farm in Southern New South Wales ready for spawning.
  • Our Perch Search event has been running for 11 years and over this time, resulting to the stocking of more than 1.6 million estuary perch fingerlings into 23 waters. This has created exciting new fisheries in Devilbend Reservoir, Werribee River, Lake Tyers, Melton Reservoir, Barwon River, Maribyrnong River and other waters. This strong partnership between the VFA and fishers is delivering great results and we thank everyone who contributed.

Larger yearling trout stocking trial

  • The VFA are working closely with VRFish, Ballarat District Angling Association, Stawell Angling Club, Ballarat Fly Fishers, Australian Trout Foundation and prominent trout fishers to trail and evaluate the stocking of larger trout in four waters across Victoria.
  • Lake Wendouree, Lake Fyans, Moorabool Reservoir and Tullaroop Reservoir have all be stocked with 50g or larger yearling brown and rainbow trout.
  • To evaluate the trial, the VFA is working closely with angling organisations and individuals to access and assess annual or regular angling competitions in these study lakes in an effort to compare past fishery performance with future fishery performance subject to the larger trout stocking.

Fixed marker trial at Lake Eildon

  • As of 1 September 2022, a fixed marker will be trialled in the Goulburn arm of Lake Eildon to better define the boundary between the lake and the river during the Murray cod and trout (salmonids) closed seasons.
  • The trial, which will be conducted over a 12-month period via a Fisheries Notice, will provide clarity on the river-lake boundary for Murray cod and trout fishers and will reduce confusion and conflict amongst anglers who care for these species.
  • The fixed marker will be located at Jamieson boat ramp, near Mansfield-Woods Point Road. North of the marker in lake Eildon is open to year-round Murray cod and trout fishing. South of the marker is subject to the Murray cod and trout closed seasons.
  • For more information please visit: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/eildonmarker

Macquarie perch at Melbourne Aquarium

  • Five Macquarie Perch broodfish are now on public display in a stunning tank at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium as part of a collaboration to save the endangered native species from extinction.
  • Minister for Fishing and Boating Sonya Kilkenny officially open the new Macquarie perch display which will highlight the efforts being made, as well as raise even more awareness of the research required to save the endangered native fish species to ensure they are around well into the future.
  • The collaboration between the Victorian Fisheries Authority and SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium aims to showcase the species to over 1 million visitors a year and to raise support for vital captive breeding research required to re-establish this amazing native fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery

  • Spring is here and our native fish breeding season isn’t far away at our new Arcadia native fish farm.
  • Our crew at Arcadia have completed around 70% of works associated with fitting out the hatchery building. This has been a complex build with many moving parts and challenges along the way. Here are some of the key elements delivered in the last few months:
    o Broodstock bought on to farm (through quarantine)
    o Hatchery shed and slab
    o Internal walls
    o Ladder trays installed
    o Lights and air-conditioners
    o Work platforms and stairs
    o Nesting boxes being prepared for Murray cod breeding season
  • Works are also nearing completion on the installation of tanks, electrical connections,
    production ponds, final water reuse and the gravelling around shed
  • The completion of the hatchery building is the last big step in completing the whole native fish hatchery. The Murray cod section of the hatchery is expected to be operational in the next few weeks, just in time for the first Murray cod spawning!

Waranga Basin Fish Habitat Installation

  • The Waranga Fish Habitat Project is currently undergoing the statutory approvals stage of its Fish Habitat Installation Plan. The plan is currently being reviewed by key project partner, Goulburn-Murray Water and is expected the plan to be approved by the end of the month (Sept 2022)
  • The Habitat Installation Plan has made some key recommendations including expert advice on fish habitat design, habitat quantities and specific in-water location (GPS coordinates) for deployment. The final habitat design will consist of two different engineered-designs (1) woody debris (tree crown tops) and brush piles – both types anchored to a concrete based to prevent movement.
  • Upon endorsement of the Habitat Installation Plan, the steering committee lead by Goulburn Valley Association of Angling Club anglers will develop a ‘Request for Quote’ to determine a suitably qualified contractor to safely install the proposed habitat as per the Habitat Installation Plan specifications. The project is expected to be completed by November 2022. To complement the timing of the habitat works, the VFA are planning to stock the waterbody with 250,000 golden perch fingerlings this season and a further 500,000 golden perch in 2023 and 2024.

World Recreational Fishing Conference 10

  • Planning for the World Recreational Fishing Conference 10 (WRFC10) continues with several key announcements on our web site https://wrfc10.com
  • We have announced an extension to the abstract submission date to the 30th of September to encourage more international speakers to people to finalise travel plans.
  • We have announced two of our Keynote speakers in Stan Lui from the Torres Straight Islands to speak on our first nations theme and Professor Beth Nyboer who is an expert on climate change and multi- disciplinary recreational fisheries research. Their bios can be found here https://wrfc10.com/program/keynote-speakers/
  • We are also promoting key members of our International Scientific advisory Board
  • An email campaign has commenced, with instalments planned every 2-3 weeks. The newsletter distribution list includes past WRFC delegates, mailing list subscribers (through the website: https://wrfc10.com/join-the-mailing-list/) and key partners and stakeholders.

Rec Fish Fest – it’s going to be HUGE!

  • To connect the World Recreational Fishing Conference with grassroots recreational anglers, the VFA are hosting a free two-day recreational fishing conference on the weekend of 18th and 19th February 2023.
  • The ‘Rec Fish Fest’ is a celebration of recreational fishing in Victoria, Australia and worldwide and will feature the brightest talent in recreational fishing here and abroad!
  • Speakers will include:
    o International recreational fishing identifies (such as April Vokey or perhaps Carl Jocumsen – pictured) sharing their amazing fishing experiences,
    o Recreational fishing science and management experts sharing the latest developments in Victoria and worldwide,
    o The Women in Recreational Fishing Network on how women are shaking up the fishing scene,
    o Gun recreational fishers sharing their tips for all freshwater and saltwater species in Victoria including Murray cod, Southern Bluefin Tuna, kingfish, snapper, high-country brown trout, King George Whiting, swordfish and a whole lot more!
  • The Rec Fish Fest will bring together recreational fishers to hear all the latest news and hot topics in fishing, improve their skills and inspire all of us to get out there and enjoy our sensational fishing opportunities.
  • Stay tuned for further updates as key speakers for Rec Fish Fest are announced!

Cracking the Code on Captive Breeding of Macquarie perch

  • Have you seen our short film, ‘Cracking the Code – the Story of Macquarie Perch’? It was recently featured at the Cannes Short Film Festival in France, catapulting the story of this much-loved endangered native fish to the world stage.
  • The film can be enjoyed on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/RuoazGAuYqo
  • We are working hard to crack the code on captive breeding of Macquarie perch, to save the species from extinction and bring them back in our rivers and as a recreational fish species.
  • To support these efforts, or find out how you can contribute, contact Taylor Hunt, Victorian Fisheries Authority, taylor.hunt@vfa.vic.gov.au\

If you have any questions or comments about these or other projects, feel free to get in contact with the Freshwater Fisheries Management Team:
Anthony Forster – 0419 871 096 Taylor Hunt – 0418 478 028 John Douglas – 0447 545 139
Hui King Ho – 0407 987 003 Cam Westaway – 0428 946 126