Crowd Funding for Fish

[Truedogz]

There have been a number of media releases about crowd funding projects to help anglers through conservation activities:

http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/02/11/ ... shs-future

http://prwire.com.au/pr/65718/merv-hugh ... h-habitats

The actual site seeking crowd funding is:

https://fundsforfish.com.au/

These projects are being supported by local catchment management authorities who do great work, no question. The two projects run by the Corangamite CMA and Glenelg Hopkins CMA will clearly have direct benefits to anglers.

I think the title for the project run by the Goulburn CMA is a bit misleading - 'Bringing the Macca back in the Goulburn Catchment'.
The project is about maintaining and improving habitat for Macquarie perch in the Hughes Creek where they survive in a section of creek badly affected by siltation and sand slugs - not the whole catchment.

The project has merit for macca conservation but will have NO benefits to anglers.

For forty years the recreational angling community politically and finacially supported the recovery of trout cod with commitments from government agencies that recreational fisheries would ultimately be created in streams. Once conservation objectives were reached those same agencies, e.g. DELWP, renegged on those commitments. All we have are Lakes Sambell and Kerford (and I have heard there were attempts to block even them) and some people have made it known that trout cod if they have their way will be off limits to anglers in streams forever. Even to this day angling licence money in NSW funds trout cod stockings for conservation purposes.

Recent efforts in Macquarie perch originated in part from lobbying by Native Fish Australia which resulted in a DPI Workshop in 2009. A report was published titled 'Creating an Enhanced Macquarie Perch Fishery' which outlined strategies and plans to restore Macquarie perch populations for both angling and conservation:

Among the waters identified, in the long term, as recreational fisheries for Macquarie perch were the Ovens River, Goulburn River near Trawool, etc. The report is no longer available on the web.

Anglers have been financing the stocking of Macquarie perch into the Ovens River with the hope that they will establish a breeding population and in the long term a fishery. However, it seems apparent from some statements that have been made that we are heading in the same direction with maccas as what occurred with trout cod. Does anybody believe a fishery for maccas would ever be opened in the Ovens?

I am all for conservation, particularly for fish like trout cod and Macquarie perch.

What I don't like is being lied to.

The whole angling community should be concerned when 'faceless men and women' in some government agencies can get away with some of the things they have done. Even recently, I have seen a number of public access points to water ways effectively closed on the quiet. Most people are apathetic though, and I fear we are going through the frog slowly being cooked in the pot analogy. It appears that anglers are being eased out of having a say in Macquarie perch even though we are asked to help finance the recovery.

As I indicated earlier the CMA is doing some good work in the Hughes Creek. In general their staff are very passionate and mean well. My only major objection is spending $5000 on interpretive signs. Two impressive signs were put up last year on the creek at public access points. To go fishing you need a licence and the regulations inform anglers you can only take maccas from the Yarra and Lake Dartmouth so anglers know they can't keep them from the Hughes Creek. Most of the macca population is well away from easy public access. More signs is a waste of money. I've emailed the CMA and objected to any more signs. What is needed is more snags.

So you need to have your eyes wide open. I actually encourage you to help with the plight of Macquarie perch in the Hughes Creek, but do not do so in the belief that it will lead to recreational fisheries.

I think a lot more could be done for Macquarie perch through better engagement with anglers. Last year a 'fish circus' was run at Avenel promoting maccas where about 300 people turned up. Early this year I created a thread on this site on macca angling read by 400 people and it cost nothing. If we really wanted to galvanise community interest in maccas then there is no more effective way than doing it through anglers. But some people want to keep anglers out of the equation, except of course our money.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

[davek]

Good post Will, :thumbsup: cheers davo

[rb85]

Great stuff Truedogz I will pledge for the Macca catchment one. It's awesome to see someone with so much passion for a species being from a saltwater and trout background I don't know a lot about these fish or other natives for that matter but I can imagine a fisherman funded stocking program is out of the question.

[Truedogz]

rb85

There is a fisherman funded macca stocking program! .... in fact that is what was agreed to in 2009. Since then, we have paid for it but it now appears we won't get fisheries in rivers. :down:

It sucks, big time.

Why can't we have a major program as we have had with Murray cod and golden perch and over the next few decades develop fisheries in streams? Why not? What is wrong with doing exactly the same thing with Macquarie perch and trout cod?

I think it is the only way we will bring maccas back in big numbers across the state but it is not going to happen. Instead of $15,000 imagine if anglers put in half a million dollars for twenty years? No reason why it couldn't be done. Green ideology has taken over, becoming a conservation plaything. All I see is more spin, signs, a bit of work helping the few remaining populations, maybe the Ovens stocking might work. So much more could be achieved.

It breaks my heart, maccas are my favourite fish.

[rb85]

Truedogz I agree with your views but don't have any knowledge on the species to offer any valuable solutions.
Can Macca's be bred and stocked and are they available to purchase for the public like cod?

[drew 2]

Thanx for the post Truedogz :thumbsup: very informative.

[Paulanderson]

Thanks for highlighting the issues with Maccas - the more attention they get the better. To answer the question about breeding Maccas well they are not the easiest fish to breed by far but they have been successfully bred and most of the Macquarie Perch stocked in the Ovens were bred in Victoria. What is needed is a much higher priority for this species.

[Paulanderson]

The report can be found at

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 09_to_2012

It took a few tries to download it though.