At-risk: Trout cod are an endangered native species.
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Trout cod populations in Victoria have received a helping hand, thanks to innovative fisheries management and Victorian Government funding for fish hatchery facilities to increase production for stocking.
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Trout cod is an endangered native species related to Murray cod that were once common across many of Victoria’s northern rivers.
Aiming to ensure a steady and increased production of young trout cod (fingerlings), funding from the Victorian Government’s $96 million Go Fishing and Boating plan is expanding Victorian Fisheries Authority’s (VFA) Snobs Creek hatchery near Eildon.
Acting VFA chief executive Luke O’Sullivan said establishing new breeding populations of trout cod in north-east rivers would make a real difference in recovering this important native species in the wild.
“The Victorian Government’s $15 million investment into expanding the Snobs Creek and Arcadia fish hatcheries will pay big dividends for trout cod and other freshwater fish for decades to come,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
The VFA has stocked trout cod fingerlings into two north-east waterways this season, for the first time, to establish self-sustaining populations.
The King River near Cheshunt was stocked with 15,000 trout cod fingerlings, and the Corryong-Jerimal Creek was stocked with 6000.
The Goulburn River received 21,800 fingerlings this season and has been stocked with nearly 115,000 trout cod since 2014.
Seven Creeks near Euroa got 2100.
Fishery managers hope the stocked trout cod will breed among themselves in a few years once mature to further hasten the species’ recovery in the wild.
Trout and about: VFA’s Steve Vidler (left) and a keen fisher stocking trout cod fingerlings into Seven Creeks near Euroa.
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A different approach will be employed in the Upper Goulburn Valley, from Jamieson to Kevington.
Mature trout cod will be translocated from Lake Sambell and Kerferd near Beechworth, to re-establish a population in this stretch of the Upper Goulburn River.
It is estimated that about 40 mature trout cod will be moved, 10 of which will be implanted with acoustic tags to monitor their movements upstream and downstream over time.
Signage placed at key river access points aims to inform freshwater anglers about the challenges trout cod face and cultivate a greater understanding and appreciation for the species in locations where they once thrived.
The hatchery expansion, translocation and stockings have support from recreational fishing groups and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, and contribute to the National Trout Cod Recovery Plan and the Victorian Government’s flood recovery program.
