LOCH Sport Fishing Association recently visited Metung to celebrate the first release of 42,000 dusky flathead fingerlings into the Gippsland Lakes.
The release was part of a Victorian Fisheries Association stocking program and the state government’s Gippsland Lakes Fishery Recovery Plan.
The plan was developed following the end of commercial net fishing in the lakes system last year, to turn the Gippsland Lakes into a “recreational fishing mecca”.
The association joined state Fishing and Boating Minister Melissa Horne in releasing the fingerlings, who said the Victorian-first trial to stock dusky flathead into the Gippsland Lakes was “a big step towards returning the lakes to their former glory for recreational fishers”.
“We know recreational fishing contributes significantly to the local economy, so having better fisheries for key species like dusky flathead, will mean more money flowing into Gippsland businesses that depend on tourism,” she said.
Eastern Victoria MLC Jane Garret said the release was “another step towards revitalising our Gippsland Lakes, which are an iconic destination for fishers around the state, and will also provide an economic boost to the entire region.”
The association agreed the release was exciting news for all recreational fishermen, and would lead to a significant increase in fishing-driven tourism into the Gippsland Lakes region, “without doubt”.
The three-year trial dusky flathead stocking program is a result of input from local fishing groups and key stakeholders, aimed at boosting populations of an iconic species in Victoria’s eastern estuaries including Bemm River, which was also stocked for the first time with 5000 dusky flathead.
In January, dusky flathead broodfish were captured at Mallacoota with help from volunteers, including the Mallacoota and District Angling Club.
As part of the collection process, DNA samples from across east Gippsland were gathered to map the genetic structure of dusky flathead stocks along the east coast.
The broodfish were then transported to a marine hatchery where they spawned.
The larvae have grown to fingerlings size in the months since, ready for release into the wild.
A record eight million fish will be stocked by April this year, with 10 million to be released in 2022.
Some of these fish were Australian bass and estuary perch, released into tributaries of the Gippsland Lakes in December.
Following the release, 28 Loch Sport Fishing Association members travelled to Lakes Entrance on 10 separate boats for an enjoyable fishing weekend for the second consecutive year, to support Lakes Entrance businesses still doing it tough after the January 2020 bushfires and COVID restrictions that have adversely affected tourism operators.
