{{start}}

1st January 2018
NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers

First Estuary Perch stocking at Brogo Dam

On 4 December DPI carried out its inaugural stocking of Estuary Perch fingerlings into Brogo Dam near Bega.

NSW Department of Primary Industries Recreational Fisheries Manager, Craig Watson, said that 10,000 Estuary Perch fingerlings were released.

“The fish were bred at Narooma Aquaculture and are being released with the assistance of local fishers,” Mr Watson said.

Estuary Perch are found along the eastern seaboard through NSW, into Victoria and South Australia and including Tasmania.

They’re a popular recreational species in estuarine and freshwater environments, commonly caught in the 20 - 40 cm range and weighing up to 3 kg.

“There is no better place than Brogo Dam to release these Estuary Perch, as the area is known for its great fishing,” Mr Watson said.

“This is a Recreational Fishing Trust project initiative and is just one of the ways anglers are benefiting from their licensing fees.

“This fish release mirrors a recent stocking of Australian Bass undertaken by the Far South Coast Bass Stocking Association last month, as part of the community based Dollar for Dollar native fish stocking program.

“This is great news for anglers who can look forward to catching these fish in a couple of years.”

During the 2016/17 season, more than 5 million native fish and trout were stocked in freshwater areas across NSW under the NSW Government’s stocking program and the community based Dollar for Dollar native fish stocking program.

The spin-off benefits to regional economies, in terms of tourism and employment cannot be overstated,” Mr Watson said. Fishing is a very popular pastime in NSW with about 850,000 anglers throwing in a line each year.

See this link for more info on stocking and where fish have been stocked.

{{end}}