Prepare a fish stocking fishery management strategy and environmental impact assessment.
The activity of fish stocking is undertaken in many water storage impoundments and rivers throughout the State at a rate of around 7 million fish per annum. Stocking is primarily of native species including golden perch, silver perch, Murray cod and Australian bass, and non-native species including Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout.
Fish stocking is recognised for its importance to the community in terms of quality recreational fishing, Indigenous cultural fishing opportunities, conservation outcomes, employment, and subsequent economic benefits that have grown in response to the activity taking place over many years.
A fish stocking fisheries management strategy has been developed to guide the future management of freshwater fish stocking activities in the State’s public waterways for conservation, recreational fishing and Indigenous fishing purposes. The FMS was developed over a lengthy period involving the development of an environmental impact statement (EIS), public consultation (in November/December 2003) and approval by the Minister for Planning under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The FMS supports the continued stocking of fish to maintain and enhance our native and salmonid freshwater fisheries and fish populations in need of recovery, while seeking to improve the ongoing management of freshwater fish stocking by incorporating:
Benefits Region: Inland statewide