A study has found that impoundment barramundi reached the metre length mark twice as quickly as wild fish.
Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland, Tim Mulherin, said landing a metre-long barramundi was an iconic fishing experience.
“The easiest way to catch one of these monster barramundi is by fishing in one of the state’s dams,” Mulherin said.
“To reach the legal minimum size of 58cm stocked fish takes just two years as opposed to four years for wild caught barra.”
The study into barramundi growth was conducted in three parts using data from more than 120,000 tagged fish and developed with the help of anglers through fish tag collection and monitoring research conducted since 1987.
Fisheries Queensland principal scientist Dr Peter Kind said part of the study was prompted by the large numbers of stocked fish killed in winter during 2007.
“We now know summer is the best time to introduce fingerlings … because water temperatures are higher, fish are more active and there’s more food available,” he said.
The reports were developed by Bill Sawynok from Infofish Services in partnership with Fisheries Queensland and the Australian National Sportfishing Association as part of Queensland’s Living the Queensland Lifestyle Policy launched in 2006.
