More than 25,000 freshwater catfish are being relocated to new homes in the state’s north, continuing the Victorian populations’ road to recovery.

Victorian Fisheries Authority, VFA, chief executive Travis Dowling said the catfish had been moved from a large private dam near Lancefield and lakes at Hopetoun and Woomelang to 10 waterways and the VFA’s Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery.

“This effort follows three relocations of catfish in 2023 and 2024 from the Glenelg River in south-west Victoria, to restore four new catfish populations in northern Victoria, within the species’ natural range,” he said.

“We were made aware of other populations of catfish that may be suitable for relocation, so our fisheries managers undertook assessments including genetic testing and found these fish would be well suited to a change of scenery.

“The project is a collaboration between North Central Catchment Management Authority, Mallee CMA, Goulburn Broken CMA and North East CMA, Ecology Australia, traditional owner groups, recreational fishers and the VFA.”

Fish from Woomelang and Lancefield ranged in size from three centimetres to 45cm. 

There were 580 catfish moved to the Ovens River, 290 from upper Broken Creek, 163 from Campaspe River near Elmore, 181 from Phyland Lagoon at Gunbower, 290 from Beechworth’s Lake Sambell, 171 from Dunyak Moira at Merrigum, 165 from Harcourt Park Dam in Bendigo and 290 from a dam near Upotipotpon, while 18 large fish were released into Sandilong Creek near Mildura.

An additional 23,000 fish were salvaged from Lake Lascelles at Hopetoun and have been taken to the Arcadia hatchery near Shepparton for genetic testing. 

The majority will be released into suitable waters in coming weeks with about 75 mature fish being retained at the facility for future breeding.

“Relocations like these can help fast-track the recovery of wild populations, which means creating more recreational fishing opportunities in years to come,” Mr Dowling said.

“We’ll explore opportunities to produce catfish at our Arcadia hatchery, which is being tripled in size thanks to a $15-million State Government investment.

“This complements our work with the Arthur Rylah Institute to recover threatened species at our Snobs Creek Conservation Hatchery and we’re also building a Macquarie Perch Recovery Hatchery to return trout cod populations to their former glory.”

Freshwater catfish can only be taken by anglers from waters of the Wimmera Basin with a minimum size of 30 centimetres and a bag limit of two. 

For more information on catch limits, people can pick up a free Recreational Fishing Guide at a tackle store or download the VicFishing app.

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