Record 6m fish stocked in Vic inland waters
Six million reasons to wet a line in inland Victoria following record fish stockingThe Victorian State Government this week celebrated a new fish stocking record and delivered another key element of its Target One Million plan, with the release of more than six million fish into State inland waterways in the last year.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford was on hand at Lake Pakenham to mark the occasion and assist with the release of another 300 rainbow trout into the popular, family-friendly lake.
Target One Million is investing a record $46 million into the popular pastime to get more people, fishing more often and increase participation to one million by 2020.
In the last year, more than 1.2 million trout and salmon were released alongside nearly five million native fish such as Murray cod (1.6 million), golden perch (2.5 million), Australian bass (474,500) and silver perch (235,000).
The majority of the trout and Murray cod were grown at the Victorian Fisheries Authority's own fish hatchery at Snobs Creek, near Eildon, which is funded by fishing licence fees and Target One Million.
Lakes Eildon (100,000), Hume (69,000), Purrumbete (41,500), Wendouree (29,000) and Tullaroop Reservoir (53,000) received plenty of trout and salmon, most of which were one-year-old fish.
Over four million Murray cod and golden perch fingerlings, only a few months old and averaging one gram each, were stocked into lakes Eildon (427,000), Hume (320,000) and Eppalock (300,000), Rocklands (431,000) and Cairn Curran (208,000) reservoirs, and Gunbower Creek (300,000).
Many of these waterways have been receiving fish for years so they already support productive fisheries for catchable-sized fish right now.
"Recreational fishing just keeps getting better in Victoria. We know Victorians love their fishing and that's why we're making sure everyone has the opportunity to cast a line," Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said.
"Fish stocking has sky rocketed to more than six million under the Andrews Labor Government, smashing the three million the former Coalition government stocked when they had the chance - we're getting it done."
Find out where the six million fish have been released in Victorian inland waterways.
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