Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00106:body:0:p24
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00106
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 64496–67368

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 program at Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery was halted in the mid-1990s, primarily due to difficulties in attaining mature fish in spawning condition captured from Lake Dartmouth (Gray et al., 2000; Ingram et al., 2000). Fingerling production for stocking recommenced in 2010 (Vic DEDJTR 2015b), and the successful induction of spawning and hatching of larvae from captive-held broodstock at Snobs Creek Fishery Hatchery occurred in 2010 and 2011, however results were still inconsistent and further research is needed to refine the methods (Ho & Ingram 2012). Between 1986–1997 approximately 456 000 juveniles, sourced from production at the Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery, were released into nine sites throughout the Murray-Darling Basin (Ingram et al., 2000). Since 2000, an approximately 165 000 juveniles have been stocked into Victorian waters (see below).
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
Captive breeding trials using broodstock collected from the Abercrombie River (Lachlan River catchment) in 2008 successfully bred Macquarie perch in 2010 in a purpose built pond with artificial stream habitat without the use of "ripe"/spawning run fish (Pearce et al., 2017). In 2011 and 2012, 136 and 7500 Macquarie perch were stocked into the Retreat River, a tributary of the Abercrombie River (Pearce et al., 2017). The Retreat River was chosen for these stockings given it provides a suitable refuge from redfin, as a waterfall acts as a natural barrier to redfin migrating upstream from areas where they are present (Pearce et al., 2017). A third release of 11 700 fingerlings into the same stretch of the Retreat River occurred in 2014, and broodfish were released into the nearby Bolong River, also a tributary of the Abercrombie River (Pearce et al., 2017). In 2017, the first evidence of recruitment from these stocked individuals was detected with juveniles collected from the Retreat River (NSW pers. comm., 2017; Pearce et al., 2017). Fingerling production has since ceased at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

Victoria
Recent stockings of Macquarie perch fingerlings into Victorian waters as part of the Victorian Fish Stocking Program include:
    * 2017 – 5000 into Expedition Pass Reservoir (Farraday) and 8300 in February into the Ovens River (Oxley Flats to Rocky Point).
    * 2016 – 3000 in January into Expedition Pass Reservoir (Farraday) and 6400 into the Ovens River (Oxley Flats to Rocky Point).
    * 2015 – 5000 in February into Expedition Pass Reservoir (Farraday); 12 750 in February into the Goulburn River (Molesworth to Trawool), and; 13 600 in February into the Ovens River