Lake Sambell chosen as new home for catfish

NEARLY 300 freshwater catfish are set to be relocated into Lake Sambell as the Victorian Fishing Authority (VFA) looks to continue the species' road to recovery. Victorian populations of freshwater catfish are continuing to grow with more than 25,000 of the native species to be relocated to new homes in the state’s north. VFA chief executive officer Travis Dowling said the catfish have been moved from a large private dam near Lancefield and lakes at the Mallee towns of Hopetoun and Woomelang to 10 waterways and the VFA’s Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery. “This effort follows three relocations of catfish in 2023 and 2024 from the Glenelg River in south-west Victoria to restore four new catfish populations in northern Victoria within the species’ natural range,” he said. “We were then made aware of other populations of catfish that may be suitable for relocation, so our fisheries managers undertook assessments including genetic testing and found these fish would be well suited to a change of scenery." Fish from Woomelang and Lancefield ranged in size from three centimetres to 45cm. Fish were moved to the Ovens River (580 catfish), upper Broken Creek (290), Campaspe River near Elmore (163) Phyland Lagoon at Gunbower (181), Beechworth’s Lake Sambell (290), Dunyak Moira at Merrigum (171), Harcourt Park Dam in Bendigo (165) and a dam near Upotipotpon (290), while 18 large fish were released into Sandilong Creek near Mildura. Last week, an additional 23,000 fish were salvaged from Lake Lascelles at Hopetoun and have been taken to the Arcadia hatchery near Shepparton for genetic testing. The majority will be released into suitable waters in coming weeks with around 75 mature fish being retained at the facility for future breeding. “Relocations like these can help fast-track the recovery of wild populations which means creating more recreational fishing opportunities in year to come,” Mr Dowling said. “We’ll explore opportunities to produce catfish in years to come at our Arcadia hatchery, which is being tripled in size thanks to a $15 million Victorian Government investment. “This complements our work with the Arthur Rylah Institute to recover threatened species at our Snobs Creek Conservation Hatchery and we’re also building a Macquarie Perch Recovery Hatchery to return ‘Macca’ and trout cod populations to their former glory.” Freshwater catfish can only be taken by anglers from waters of the Wimmera Basin with a minimum size of 30 centimetres and a bag limit of two. For more information on catch limits pick up a free Recreational Fishing Guide at a tackle store or download the VicFishing app.

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