Rocklands Reservoir gets major stocking boost
Hundreds of thousands of Murray cod and golden perch released in Rocklands Reservoir in western VictoriaRocklands Reservoir on the Glenelg River, between Mooralla and Horsham in western Victoria, is set to become an exceptional new fishery after 130,000 golden perch and 95,000 Murray cod fingerlings were stocked in the impoundment this week.
This new release of golden perch complements the 120,000 Murray cod fingerlings released earlier this month at Rocklands Reservoir (map), which is the second biggest lake in the whole of Victoria.
The plan this summer is to release a total of 200,000 golden perch and 215,000 Murray cod into Rocklands, which will establish it as one of Victoria’s premier native fisheries in five years’ time.
The State Government is investing a record $46 million into its Target One Million plan to get more people fishing more often, and this landmark stocking plan at Rocklands will do just that.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said this summer’s release of 415,000 native fish into the Rocklands will go a long way to achieving the goal of stocking five million fish this year.
“This year alone more than four million fish have been stocked across Victorian waterways and with the summer holidays fast approaching, there has never been a better time to cast out a line and reel in a catch,” Minster Pulford said.
In the north east, Lake Eildon’s tourism industry has enjoyed enormous growth off the back of an aggressive native fish stocking plan in recent years and now the same is expected at Rocklands Reservoir.
“This is good news for anglers and even better news for the north west’s tourism industry, and provides a real incentive for Victorian families wanting to get away and enjoy the great outdoors,” said Minster Pulford.
The new fishery is expected to generate an additional $6 million in fishing-related expenditure each year in the region, as travelling anglers stay overnight and buy fuel, tackle and food.
Rocklands Reservoir boasts exceptional fish habitat that is perfectly suited to golden perch and Murray cod, which love to live close to sunken trees and woody snags.
The reservoir already supports a large population of fish including redfin, carp, tench and trout, which are stocked annually.
The Rocklands stocking plan was informed by a detailed independent risk-assessment that supports sustainable and responsible fishing.
More on Victorian fishing at Victorian Fisheries Authority.
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