TROUT cod have been reintroduced into the Upper Goulburn River to re-establish the
historical population and help take another step towards recovering the endangered native
freshwater fish species across its former range in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Last week, Victorian Fisheries Authority, Arthur Rylah Institute and recreational fishers
intensively surveyed lakes Sambell and Kerferd, near Beechworth in northern Victoria to
catch mature trout cod using electrofishing, fyke netting and mesh netting methods.
The trout cod were transported to the Upper Goulburn River (upstream of Lake Eildon and
Jamieson) where they were inserted with acoustic tags by fisheries scientists and then
released into their new riverine habitat.
The acoustic tags will help the team monitor survival and movement of translocated trout
cod to inform future translocations.
Interpretive signage is being installed at access points along the river to let recreational
fishers and the public know trout cod are present in these waters and how they can help to
care for them.
Trout cod were historically present in the Upper Goulburn River and this release will
kickstart re-establishing the population prior to the stocking of trout cod fingerlings into the
Upper Goulburn River planned for next Summer.
By re-establishing populations of trout cod across the Murray-Darling Basin, we move closer
to downlisting the species and recovering them as a recreational fish species once more –
the ultimate goal of the National Trout Cod Recovery Plan.
