Hundreds of Australian Bass rescued near Bega

Three hundred and eighty seven Australian Bass were rescued by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries officers from a water hole immediately below the spill way of the Brogo dam near Bega.

DPI Fisheries Officer, John Staines, said State Water called the Eden fisheries office on 16 October to say that bass had become trapped in the waterhole as the water level receded in the river below the dam wall.

He said that the bass had become stranded during their migration up the Brogo River, a tributary of the Bega River.

"Some of the bass weighed up to a kilogram," Mr Staines said.

"The bass would most certainly have died from lack of oxygen and overcrowding if they had not been removed from the water hole."

A number of fisheries officers from the Far South Coast assisted in the rescue of the bass, using a haul net and dive gear to remove the fish from the water hole.

The bass were moved a short distance to the river and released without injury

A special permit was issued under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 to allow for the use of the haul net in the area. 

Although the rescue was a success, DPI is now investigating a long-term solution to what appears to be a recurring problem.

A similar rescue of 1000 Australian Bass occurred at the same location on 25 October 2005.

Photos available by emailing sarahc@sf.nsw.gov.au

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