Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00106:body:0:p23
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00106
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 61827–64755

in the waterway available to the species, and also decreased opportunities for fish to move between habitats in the river, and this could explain the persistent breeding failure since 2001 (Lintermans 2013a).
There have been a number of breeding investigations for Macquarie perch to support a hatchery production source. Early attempts were made in the early-1900s to artificially propagate Macquarie perch in New South Wales with little success (Trueman 2007). There are also reports of a backyard hatchery operating in the Heidelberg area in Victoria which successfully spawned captive Macquarie perch in the 1930s, however the exact procedure used was never disclosed (Trueman 2007). Observations made by a landowner in 1976 on his property at Strathbogie in Victoria, who kept Macquarie perch in small dams noticed a pair of fish engaging in spawning activity near where a small perennial brook entered the pond they were kept within (Trueman 2007). Unsuccessful attempts were made by the Victorian Government between the late-1950s to early-1960s to produce juvenile Macquarie perch from broodstock sourced on their annual spawning run from the Goulburn and Jamieson rivers upstream of Lake Eildon (Trueman 2007). Research on developing hatchery produced Macquarie perch began in 1978 at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre (formerly the Inland Fisheries Research Station (IFRS)) in New South Wales trialling hormonal treatments to induce spawning with limited success (Ingram et al., 1994). The New South Wales Government halted its captive breeding research on the species in 1990 until the early-2000s, due to this lack of success (Ingram et al., 1994; NSW DPI 2010). Trials beginning in 1983 at Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery in Victoria, involved catching males and running-ripe females from Lake Dartmouth during their annual spawn run into the inflowing Mitta Mita River (Gooley & McDonald 1988; Trueman 2007). Hormonal treatments were administered to the captured fish at the hatchery, however there was limited success in producing large numbers of juveniles (Trueman 2007). In 1994, the independent group – Native Fish Australia (Victoria) (NFA Vic), were able to induce spawning of Macquarie perch sourced from the Yarra River, at hatchery facilities provided by La Trobe University and reared 5000 juveniles to a size of 25 mm for release into the Yarra River near Warrandyte (Trueman 2007). This was the first reported example of Macquarie perch completing final oocyte maturation and ovulation under artificial conditions (Trueman 2007). NFA Vic intends on breeding Macquarie perch in 2017 for stocking into Victorian catchments (NFA pers. comm., 2017).
The Narrandera Fisheries Centre has had success in breeding the species in captivity, using a new approach employing an artificial stream with flowing water and coarse substrates to coax both males and females into breeding condition (NSW DPI 2010). The Victorian