Snowy River bass stocking

Post by **fishingvic** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:28 pm

Wednesday, 28 December, 2016

40,000 bass into Snowy River set stocking record

The Snowy River at McKillops Bridge were recently stocked with 40,000 Australian bass fingerlings to improve freshwater fishing opportunities for recreational anglers.
Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing said the fish helped set a new stocking record for the species of 162,000 in one year, having been sourced from a private hatchery interstate that had grown extra this season.
“The Snowy River and Australian bass are an iconic combination so it made sense to take advantage of the opportunity and purchase those fish at short notice,” Ms Shing said.
“Improving inland fishing and increasing fish stocking to five million are key elements of the Andrews Labor Government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing, which aims to get more Victorians fishing, more often.
“The 40,000 bass fingerlings complement 122,000 stocked earlier this month into 17 waters including the Macalister, Mitchell, Tambo, Thomson, Tyers, Timbarra and Avon rivers along with lakes Glenmaggie and Blue Rock.
“Nearly 850,000 bass have been stocked into Gippsland rivers and lakes since 2002 and anglers are telling us they’re growing very well and providing great fishing opportunities.”
Ms Shing said the Snowy River had been stocked with bass between 2007 and 2013 when Victorian and NSW agencies joined forces to release over 500,000 fingerlings.
“Those fish spread throughout the river and provided a valuable pulse of young age-classes in the fishery, which contained some very large and old bass, but very few smaller fish.
“Today’s release of 40,000 fingerlings into the Snowy River will help maintain a viable population and provide recreational fishing opportunities for locals and visitors.”
Bass stocking and the state-wide fish stocking program for trout and native fish like bass is funded by recreational fishing licence fees and Target One Million, which aims to grow participation to one million anglers by 2020.
Learn more at www.vic.gov.au/bassstocking