It was all about Australian bass in East Gippsland, Victoria, last week. The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, together with the Marlo Angling Club, Bairnsdale R.S.L Fishing Club, Victorian Environmental Water Holder and the Victorian Fisheries Authority, released 10,000 Australian bass fingerlings into each of the Brodribb and Nicholson Rivers.
The Brodribb river is a part of the Snowy catchment. Bass spawning relies on spring flows that trigger the fish to travel to the estuary for spawning. With reduced flows from Jindabyne Dam, natural bass spawnings have reduced. The stockings are designed to lift the populations back up to speed fish recovery while waiting for the benefits of a return of flows to the Snowy catchment.
“Lots of stocked fish are well sized now and local anglers and visitors alike are enjoying the fishing” said David Ballinger, President of the Marlo Angling Club. “They’re an iconic fish to this area and we want to keep them here.”
You can check out the releases in the video above.
