20,000 reasons to throw a line in

Fish stocks in the Georges River and the mid north coast will get a boost with the release of thousands of mulloway fingerlings.

NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald said 20,000 juvenile mulloway will be released into the rivers as part of a major three-year fish stocking program.

The stocking will take place today in the Georges River and tomorrow (February 7) in the Manning River.

 “The program now in its second year, is funded by the Recreational Fishing Trust.

“Funds raised from the sale of recreational fishing fee are placed into two trusts, one for saltwater and the other freshwater, and can only be spent on projects to improve recreational fishing in NSW,” Mr Macdonald said. 

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Recreational Fishing Manager, John Diplock, said Mulloway are a highly prized sport fish.

“This is great news for anglers who can look forward to catching these fish in a year or two when they reach the minimum legal size of 45 cm.

“The stocking program includes research by University of NSW scientists who are gathering information to improve the survival and growth of stocked fish.

“This release will involve two batches of 10,000 juvenile fish, each ranging from 8 to 15 cm long, being let go into the Georges River and the Manning Rivers.

“Scientists have established the carrying capacity of each river and will release the optimum number of fingerlings for a successful fish stocking,” Mr Diplock said.

The fishing community is involved in the project, with local fishing clubs asked to provide information on their catches.

This project is another great example of recreational fishers being able to see their licence fees at work, and being given the chance to participate in important projects to improve fishing across NSW.

More information on the DPI fish stocking program and a full list of Recreational Trust projects is available at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries

Email: