More Mulloway To Catch For Recreational Fishers In

[Ken A]

A major three-year fish stocking program of the highly prized sport fish, the Mulloway, is set to begin.

The project will initially see the release of 45,000 Mulloway early next year.

The project is funded by the Saltwater Recreational Fishing Trust, one of two independent bodies of expert anglers who decide where to invest the money collected from recreational fishing license fees.

The fish will be released annually into Botany Bay as well as northern NSW estuaries, including the Tweed and Richmond Rivers.

Importantly, the fishing community will be fully involved in the project, as local fishing clubs will be asked to take part through annual Mulloway angling competitions.

The project also includes research by scientists from the Department of Primary Industries which will help develop strategies to maximise the survival and growth of stocked fish before they are released.

The impact of the release on other fish in the areas involved will also be evaluated, and this will allow scientists to develop a formula for successful fish stocking and release programs for the species.

In a nutshell, we will be able to learn the ideal stocking densities for each ecosystem.

Anglers will be asked to help the research project by donating all Mulloway parts, except the fillet, to DPI scientists for further study.

Pre-stocking surveys will begin later this year and a release will take place annually for a three-year period at the beginning of 2006.

This project is another example of recreational fishers being able to see their license fees at work, and being given the chance to participate in important projects to boost fishing across NSW.

[Guest bluecod]

It is great news and is what we should be expecting from our license funds - there should be more of it.

I hope they are not going to release into areas where the juvenile fish are going to be swallowed up in the first commercial net that goes past. I also hope they've done their research and are going to release into systems with sufficient food source to sustain the juveniles through to maturity.

It will be interesting to see what impacts are made in a decades time.

[Guest Jocool]

Its good to see this happening. But it would be better if they released in an area where it wasn't infested with Choppers like they did a couple of years back!