Native breeding season began mid-October 2025 with both Murray cod and trout cod producing quality eggs.
There’s a long-held belief that a storm today means a busy time tomorrow collecting nest boxes full of eggs – it may sound superstitious, but this proved true again for us with the first spawning events of the season.
The fish became noticeably more active in the lead-up to a low-pressure system, moving in and out of boxes and chasing each other around the ponds.
Macquarie perch wild broodstock collection were undertaken during November in preparation for the upcoming breeding season. We keep a close eye on water temperatures to make sure collections take place as the fish start to move and prepare to spawn.
Water temperatures through September and October were optimal for growing the 2025 salmonid juveniles. Growth rates have been excellent, with feed conversion for browns and rainbows sitting around 800g of feed producing 1kg of fish. Why so efficient?
They’re not fighting gravity, don’t need to regulate body temperature, and have a low skeletal mass – some of the most efficient converters of protein on Earth, you’d say.
Salmonids develop quickly at this time of year, outgrowing their troughs, tanks, and raceways in no time. Keeping on top of this takes active management, regularly shifting and splitting ponds to make sure the fish have plenty of space to keep thriving. While this is taking place, we carefully inspect fish to select future broodstock for our program.