What can we do to save these 5000 barramundi?

With Hazelwood coal power generation station and the adjoining coal mine closing at the end of March 2017, some 450 employees and 300 contractors will be looking for work. Not to make light of that, but at the same time thousands of stocked barramundi will perish.

Fish fish like the 6kg beauty taken from the stocked pondage in the opening photo above have a sorry fate.

Yet last month, Fisheries Victoria announced that the State's imminent new recreational barramundi fishery at Hazelwood Pondage would open on December 2, 2016.

There are 5000 stocked barramundi in the warm-water lake and from all accounts they are thriving. In fact, the fish are growing at such a ferocious rate that many have reached at least 6kg and would still be growing.

Arrangements for the impending barra fishery, just two hours' drive east of the CBD in the Latrobe Valley, were being discussed with fisheries managers and local recreational fishing groups.

It was not yet known if the fish are safe to eat, research was underway to help answer this question, but most feedback supported a catch-and-release fishery. Now, those well-intentioned plans have been thrown into disarray.

While sporting anglers were thrilled at the news the stocked barra in the 22C-plus warm water of Hazelwood Power Station's cooling pond were thriving, the question now exists as to just what is the long-term fate of fish. There are 5000 stocked barra up to 6kg or more each.

Fisheries Victoria has been ramping up stocking as part of its Target One Million pro-angling campaign, We support that, but it has an issue to resolve here and questions ought to be asked as to why there wasn't better communication prior to the stocking between the power company Engie and State Government.

The stocked barra might last through summer, but certainly won't survive a winter as the water cools back to sub-15C temperatures.

More on the short-lived Victorian barra fishery here.