Fish Stocks in the Tweed and Richmond Rivers get a major boost

Nearly thirty thousand mulloway fingerlings will be released into the Tweed and Richmond Rivers this month. 

NSW Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said around 14,000 juvenile mulloway will be released into the Richmond on the 24th and another 14,000 into the Tweed on September 26th, as part of a pilot research marine stocking program.

"The pilot fish stocking program is funded by the Recreational Fishing Trust.

"Funds raised from the sale of the 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.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Recreational Fisheries Manager, John Diplock said Mulloway are a highly prized and very popular sport fish so stockings like this are always welcomed by anglers.

"The fingerlings are between 70 and 80 mm in length and should reach the minimum legal size of 45 cms in about two years," he said.

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

The fingerlings will be released into known habitat patches along the Tweed and Richmond rivers.

Scientists have established the carrying capacity of each habitat patch and will release the optimum number of fingerlings for a successful fish stocking.

A similar number of mulloway fingerlings were released into the two rivers in February this year. 

Fish stocking is another great example of fishing fees being put back into the water to improve recreational fishing in NSW.
 
More information on the DPI fish stocking program and a full list of Recreational Trust projects is available at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries

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