By Mikayla van Loon
Lillydale Lake was one of four Melbourne freshwater locations to be stocked with another native variety of fish to keep future fishing opportunities high locally.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) released 20,000 silver perch fingerlings into the lake last week to strengthen both native fish stocks and to encourage a family-friendly day out.
VFA Freshwater Fisheries manager Anthony Forster said this recent release is part of creating a thriving fishery in Lilydale.
“Lillydale Lake is one of 85 family friendly fishing lakes that we’ve got throughout Victoria, which are close to population centres,” he said.
“So Lillydale Lake is 28 hectares, it’s a productive little system and we’re trying to create fishing opportunities for families through the whole year.”
Having released catchments of trout on many occasions, Mr Forster said they “perform well in the cold climates in the winter” but during summer they would like to see native fish doing just as well.
By releasing the silver perch at a size of just one gram or 14 millimetres long, it will take about three to five years for them to reach a catchable size, purposefully done to create longevity.
“We’ve stocked 67,000 fish in Lillydale Lake over the last 10 years and that includes a whole range of species of trout, golden perch, Murray cod and now silver perch. So there’s already fish in those systems which are ready to catch,” Mr Forster said.
While Mr Forster said this silver perch release may seem quite large in quantity, given the high mortality rate of small fish that had to be taken into account in the stocking number.
Mr Forster did say, however, the “quality of the water and the productivity of the water” should contribute to high levels of success in the growth of the silver perch.
These types of native fish are stocked on an annual basis, with this being their production cycle time.
To ensure fishing opportunities are available all year round, Mr Forster said trout stocks are usually topped up twice a year prior to school holidays at a catchable size of 10 to 12 inches.
During the pandemic, VFA put a lot of effort into ensuring local lakes and waterways were stocked regularly with fish to provide an approved activity for people.
“So by stocking these waters, we’re creating really easy, affordable ways for families to get out for an afternoon, have a barbecue, take a picnic, catch a fish and that becomes a first fishing experience for many young kids.”
By “bringing the fish to the people”, Mr Forster said it has been really positive for not only engaging people in fishing but the economical, environmental and mental health benefits have also been astounding.
“We’ve got recent results showing there’s more than a million recreational fishers in Victoria, almost one in five people go fishing.
“That’s really quite a big activity, a big pastime and we’re finding that it’s really good for not only economic development but for mental health.”
With a record $35 million investment from the State government as well into recreational fishing, from an environmental point of view, Mr Forster said the replenishment of native fish production has been extremely encouraging.
“It’s not all about creating great fisheries, a big part of it is also about recovering threatened native fish in the same process.
“We’re starting to see those fish come through the system, start to reproduce and we’re starting to see the population and the size of native fish recover for the first time in a long time.”
To find out where certain fish have been stocked, go to the VFA fish stocking database by visiting www.vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/fish-stocking/db
