NSW hatcheries receive upgrades
Two fish hatcheries providing fingerlings for stream and impoundment fishing in northern NSW will receive grants from the NSW Freshwater Recreational Fishing Trust Fund in the coming year, NSW Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said recently.
“The Dutton Trout Hatchery’s existing cool water recirculating system has proven so effective that another will be installed at a cost of $38,250 to provide even further protection against hot weather fish loss,” Macdonald said.
“And a grant of $10,000 to the Manilla Native Fish hatchery for golden perch will help bring it up to Hatchery Quality Assurance standards,” he said.
Industry & Investment NSW hatchery manager Peter Selby said the second Dutton hatchery system will use the existing six 2500 litre tanks as part of the infrastructure to increase the chilled water used for fish stocking.
“These two temperature control systems should provide almost total protection against high temperature fish loss and the second recirculation system will provide the means to grow and produce more rainbow and brown trout fingerlings and brown trout broodstock for the enhancement of the New England and Central tablelands trout fisheries.
Manilla Fishing Club president Ian Thomas said the grant to the Manilla hatchery would help with the stocking of golden perch into Lake Keepit between Tamworth and Gunnedah, and Split Rock Dam between Barraba and Manilla. Around 2,000,000 golden perch have been released by the club and the hatchery into the dams since 1991.
Industry & Investment NSW Senior Inland Fisheries manager Cameron Westaway said the hatchery projects were a good example of recreational fisher fees at work.
“All money raised by the NSW recreational fishing fee is placed into saltwater and freshwater trusts overseen by fishers’ representatives and used to improve recreational fishing,” Westaway said.
Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au for more information.