Location Announced For New Native Fish Hatchery

  • Minister for Fishing and Boating

The Andrews Labor Government has announced that an ideal site has been purchased to build a new native fish hatchery near Shepparton.

Minister for Fishing and Boating Jaala Pulford said the new fish hatchery is a flagship commitment of its $35 million Target One Million plan to get more people fishing, more often, and will grow millions of native fish annually to boost wild stocks for recreational fishers in Victorian rivers and lakes.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s (VFA) Snobs Creek hatchery near Eildon is at full capacity and a new hatchery at Shepparton will help us grow more cod and yellas and expand native fish stocking for generations to come.

The new hatchery site has an ideal climate for growing native fish such as golden perch, Murray cod, silver perch and over-time freshwater catfish.

The Labor Government has signed an agreement to purchase a property located on the Goulburn River near Arcadia, a 20 minute-drive South of Shepparton.

The property was selected after assessing twenty-one other possible sites. Short listed sites were subjected to detailed soil and water quality testing.

The site is over 170 hectares and has idyllic features to support a fish hatchery including a 60-megalitre storage dam, 1 kilometre of Goulburn River frontage, clay for building ponds and a range of high-quality water supply options.

The VFA will take possession of the site in early 2020 with detailed design, approvals process and construction to begin shortly after. The hatchery is on track to be completed by the end of 2021.

It comes as the Government announced in July that half of the new native fish hatchery staff will be Indigenous Australians.

Learn more about the new hatchery at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/nativehatchery.

As stated by Minister for Fishing and Boating Jaala Pulford

“We’re delivering on what we promised – this new hatchery will be great for local jobs and great for recreational fishing right across Victoria.”

“With our fish hatchery at Snobs Creek operating at full capacity, the new Shepparton hatchery will allow us to grow more fish and expand native fish stocking for generations to come.”

/Public Release. View in full here.