Our research

Stocking success

The key research objective at Gaden Trout Hatchery is to understand the effectiveness of stocking hatchery reared rainbow and brown trout in NSW. This includes investigating the role that time (e.g., season) and size at which fish are stocked has on stocking success.

In order to understand stocking success, advanced fish marking techniques are used to tag juvenile, sub-adult and adult trout. These techniques include the use of coded wire tags (micro tags that have identifying numbers stamped on them) and visual implant elastomer (a specialised rubber tag that is injected into the tissue near the eye). Once fish are tagged we are able to monitor their return through a fish trap on the Thredbo River at Gaden Trout Hatchery, through targeted fish surveys and citizen science programs (fishing tournaments). This then allows the contribution of different groups of marked fish to be determined and compared to naturally recruited fish.