A recent capture of a tagged barramundi in Dampier Creek near Broome has shown barra stocking programs can and do pay long-term fishing dividends.
Steve Chambers from Tackle World Broome recently reported one of his customers had caught a 76cm-long tagged barramundi in Dampier Creek.
The barra was later identified as a stocked fish from a batch of 1,000 barra released in Dampier Creek, Roebuck Bay in 2012 – as part of a stocking program funded by one of Recfishwest’s Community Grants
At the time of its release on 16 August 2012, the fish – ‘barra no.1873′ – measured 39.5cm.
The fish – reared by the Broome Aquaculture Centre of Kimberley TAFE – before their release, were screened for their high health status and were expected to have a great survival rate.
While the fish appears to have been relatively slow-growing, the recapture reflects how much of a long-term investment stocked fish like these are providing benefits to the fishing community a number of years later.
For more information: recfishwest.org.au
