Australian Trout Foundation

Stocking Program:

The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) are responsible for stocking fish into Victorian waterways to improve recreational fishing opportunities, and help the recovery of threatened species such as trout cod and Macquarie perch.

The annual regional consultative meetings (Vic Fish Stock) provide a forum for discussion on fish stocking regimes, fish population surveys and other related recreational fisheries management issues. The Australian Trout Foundation have had a permanent seat on that forum for many years.

All aquatic organisms (regardless of species) that are stocked into Inland waters must comply with the Protocols for the Translocation of Fish in Victorian Inland Public Waters.

 Trout stocking – Impoundments:

Salmonids (trout and salmon) are also stocked in Victorian waters by the Victorian Fisheries Authority, including our Family Fishing Lakes stocked for the school holidays.

VFA release trout and salmon into Victoria’s public waterways generally between April and November each year. Most of these fish are released into lakes and impoundments where they provide enhanced recreational fishing opportunities for anglers.

Most trout and salmon stocked by the Authority are released as yearlings weighing between 30 and 60 grams (10 cm in length), for put-grow-and-take fisheries. Small numbers of larger trout are stocked during holiday periods for direct put-and-take fisheries in small lakes and ponds close to urban and regional centres.

Apart from assisting in the stocking of native fish in a number of major lakes and streams, the ATF have assisted in significant stockings of trout.

Trout stocking – Rivers:

In many streams, trout fisheries are based on self-sustaining wild stocks.  Across the globe (including here in Victoria), fish surveys indicate that trout in rivers do not fare as well as their “wild” cousins, being pushed out of prime habitat and feeding lies, resulting in poor recruitment of fish stocks.

However, where and when it is neccessary, the ATF will continue to strongly advocate for ‘supplemental’ stocking of streams to top up trout populations following catastropic events such as bushfires, floods, and droughts.

The ATF played a major role in sourcing, acquiring and translocation of 20,000 wild brown trout ova sourced from NSW Fisheries for recovery of the wild trout population in Nariel Creek following the 2019-20 bushfires.

We were also involved in the restocking of the Ovens River following the devastating fires and the floods that followed in 2013.

We instigated, and trialled the Jordan-Scotty incubator boxes, which were utilized over several years for trout recovery programs.

Some other supplemental stockings have occurred in the Macallister, Jamieson and Dargo Rivers, as well as in Queens Creek (King River catchment) when fish numbers have been found to be low.

The Goulburn River also gets a number of “stonkers” (ex. brood fish) each year which some anglers enjoy catching (and can help take the pressure of wild fish stocks).

Annual salmonid stocking since 2020

For an historical list of salmonid stocking in Victoria by the Victorian Fisheries Authority, click here.