Seminar examines effectiveness of fish stocking

The effectiveness of a 30-year stocking program for Burrinjuck and Blowering dams is the next topic in a very successful series of seminar being run by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) at its Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

The seminar will be held on Monday 7 May at the John Lake Centre, Buckingbong Road, Narrandera at 7 pm.

Guest speaker Dr Lee Baumgartner, Research Scientist (Freshwater Fish Ecology), at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre, said his talk would present a general overview of the biology and ecology of two important fisheries in the Murrumbidgee catchment, Burrinjuck and Blowering dams.

“I will discuss the history of stocking in these impoundments and how it has effectively maintained a successful recreational fishery,” he said.

DPI first stocked the dams in the early 70s but regular stocking did not commence until the department upgraded its hatchery facilities in the mid 80s.

“No one really knew how effective previous stockings have been until we recently conducted an extensive fish survey within the two basins.

“That involved netting fish, electro-fishing and investigating diets. We also aged fish to determine how long fish were living in each of the dams.

“We can tell the age of fish by looking at their ear bones (otoliths), which grow like the rings of a tree. We have found that some of the fish in the dams are more than 18 years old.

“And from their age we can determine whether they were stocked or may have been naturally spawned.

“It has been a fascinating exercise as the recreational fishery is very different in each even though the dams are relatively close to each other,” Dr Baumgartner said.

The ‘Effectiveness of stocking program’ is funded by the NSW Freshwater Fishing Licence Trust.

The talk will take approximately an hour and the evening will conclude at about 9 pm. Light refreshments and a BBQ will be available after the seminar. The cost is $3 per person.

Due to limited seating arrangements, the maximum attendance is 55 people, so to avoid disappointment please book by Friday 4 May. Bookings can be made by calling the centre on (02) 6959 9021 between 9 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.

If you intend to stay for the BBQ please inform a staff member when you book. If you have booked but cannot make the evening, for catering purposes, it would be appreciated if you could phone the centre to cancel your booking.

Photos available from sarahc@sf.nsw.gov.au

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