March 23, 2022
After recently celebrating the achievement of stocking 9 million fish over the past year, the Victorian Fisheries Authority are on track to stock a record-breaking 10 million fish by April.
The incredible task was a key commitment by the Andrews Labor Government to increase fish stocking to 10 million fish annually by 2022 as part of their $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan.
To reach the goal, the Victorian Fisheries Authority have taken a staged approach by growing their stocking program from 6 million fish stocked per annum in 2019 and 2020, 8 million fish stocked in 2021 and now 10 million fish stocked in 2022. The fish stocking year runs from 1st April to 31st March the following year.
To inform the stocking program, which is arguably the best in the country, the Victorian Fisheries Authority annually hold Vic Fish Stock meetings with relevant stakeholders. The invited stakeholders include representatives from VRFish, the Australian Trout Foundation, Native Fish Australia, angling clubs and associations, recreational fishers, Water Management Corporations, Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) and other department staff.
To determine where and how many fish will be stocked, the Vic Fish Stock meetings provide an opportunity for the Victorian Fisheries Authority to discuss fish stocking regimes, fish population surveys and other recreational fisheries management issues with stakeholders.
Ahead of the last Victorian State Election (2018), VRFish successfully advocated for a native fish hatchery to boost our freshwater fisheries stocking program which received bipartisan support. The new native fish hatchery in Arcadia was recently completed by the Andrews Labor Government and ticked off another commitment from the Go Fishing Victoria plan. The new hatchery is already contributing to the stocking program as the first fish produced at the hatchery were stocked into the Goulburn River last month. To celebrate the occasion, more than 10,000 Golden perch fingerlings were stocked into the waterway.
FISH STOCKING DATABASE
With 10 million fish about to be stocked annually across the state, there are opportunities for recfishers to cast a line in more than 250 Victorian waterways. The best way to keep track of where the fish are being stocked is by checking out the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Fish Stocking Database. You can search by waterway, by species, by date, and much more to know exactly how your fishing licence fees have been utilised in the fish stocking program.
Over the summer, the Victorian Fisheries Authority are generally stocking native fish which are now also stocked into metro-lakes so you can reel in Murray cod close to home. During the cooler months, and particularly around the school holidays, they are generally stocking all types of trout.
