Thousands of Murray cod fingerlings released in Victorian waters

by Minister for Agriculture and Food Security on 11 Jan 2013 Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh announced on Friday the release of 362,000 fingerlings of Murray cod into seven waters throughout northern Victoria, giving Victorian anglers the chance to take more of this kind of fish this summer.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said some of the recently stocked Murray cod fingerlings were grown at the Department of Primary Industries’ Snobs Creek hatchery, near Eildon, while others were supplied by hatcheries in New South Wales.

'These stockings are being funded by the Victorian Coalition Government’s $16 million Recreational Fishing Initiative and also by proceeds from the sale of recreational fishing licenses, so fishers are getting a direct benefit from purchasing a licence,' Mr Walsh said.

'The Murray cod stocking season will continue until around March this year when Fisheries Victoria’s focus will turn to more stocking of golden perch, which breed later than the Murray cod.'

Locations stocked with Murray cod so far this summer include:
•?8,000 into Lake Nillahcootie;
•?22,500 into the Goulburn River upstream of Lake Nagambie to Seymour;
•?23,000 into Lake Nagambie;
•?60,000 into Gunbower Creek between Torumbarry Weir Road and Cohuna;
•?70,000 into the Loddon River at Bridgewater, Serpentine and Fernihurst Weir;
•?100,000 into Kow Swamp; and
•?259,200 into Lake Eildon with more to come as part of the ‘Murray Cod Million’ project.

Murray cod fingerlings stocked this summer will take three to five years to reach the minimum legal length of 60 centimetres. If anglers are keen to target catchable size Murray cod in a stocked lake or river, they should refer to stocking histories from several years ago, all of which are available on the Department of Primary Industries website at Victoria Fisheries

Last summer, Fisheries Victoria stocked more than two million native fish for the second consecutive year, including 885,000 Murray cod, to improve freshwater fishing opportunities. On top of that, Fisheries Victoria stocked more than 636,000 trout and salmon into 140 waters during 2012, to improve fishing opportunities for freshwater angles. This included 75,000 catchable size rainbow trout that were released mainly into small lakes in suburbs and towns for the second and third term school holidays.