Publication (Media): RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR ENDANGERED TROUT COD

Publication Type:	Media Release
Publication Name:	RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR ENDANGERED TROUT COD

Reference Information

Schiller, Craig and Lintermans, Mark (1996) RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR ENDANGERED TROUT COD - Jan 09 1996, CRCFE, Canberra - Media Release.

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January 9, 1996

CRCFE

RECOVERY PROGRAM FOR ENDANGERED TROUT COD

Rebuilding populations of the endangered trout cod is the aim of a recovery program that has seen more than 55,000 of these native fish released into five specially selected sites, including the Murrumbidgee River above Canberra.

The recent release of the trout cod fingerlings is the result of an eight-year hatchery breeding program conducted by the Narrandera Fisheries Centre (NSW Fisheries) in conjunction with the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology (CRCFE).

The releases at Talbingo Dam on the Tumut River; Angle Crossing (ACT), Wantabadgery and Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River; and Jingellic on the Murray were conducted as part of the National Trout Cod Recovery Program, a joint initiative between NSW Fisheries, ACT Parks and Conservation Service, the Victorian Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute (MAFRI) and the Environment Australia Biodiversity Group. The program is aimed at re-establishing viable trout cod populations in areas once inhabited by the species.

Fishers are urged to report all trout cod catches so that fisheries scientists can determine how successful the breeding program has been to date in establishing populations in the species’ former ranger.

Fisheries Scientist with NSW Fisheries and the CRCFE, Dr Craig Schiller, said that while trout cod were a protected species they were often caught inadvertently by fishers as by-catch.

'The fishing community can provide us with valuable information such as length and weight of the fish they catch as well as the location,' Dr Schiller said. 'This is added to a database that provides us with a good picture of how well trout cod populations are establishing in areas where they have been released, as well as whether they are breeding.

'The information we have gathered so far indicates that the hatchery-bred trout cod are establishing breeding populations in some of the release areas. We know, for instance, that they are using NSW Fisheries designed fishways.'

Monitoring is an important aspect of the program. The hatchery bred stock are marked with strontium which allows scientists to trace recaptures. NSW Fisheries and ACT Parks and Conservation Service will conduct annual samples of the populations stocked in each area to determine how well the trout cod have established and whether they are breeding. The monitoring work includes assessing survival rates, measuring size and comparing data with that gathered other areas including Victoria.

Dr Schiller said that the Narrandera Fisheries Centre trout cod breeding program had begun in 1988 and involved taking brood stock from the wild and artificially stimulating them to spawn through hormone injections.

'Last year we bred and released 17,000 trout cod into the Murrumbidgee River, including parts of the ACT,' Dr Schiller said. 'We’re very pleased with the success rate of this year’s breeding program.'

Trout cod do not breed until they have attained a certain size at about four to six-years-old.

Only one wild trout cod population, located in a stretch of the lower Murray River, is known to exist. Another viable population of trout cod, the result of translocation earlier this century, has been recorded in the Seven creeks above Euroa in Victoria.

Also known as the bluenose cod, the trout cod, while quite similar, is smaller than its better known relative, the Murray cod. It grows up to 16kg and to 800mm in length. It has spotted, blue-grey markings on its body, an overhanging upper jaw and a stripe through its eye.

Dr Schiller said it was important for anglers to know the difference between Murray and trout cod, since trout cod were fully protected and fines could be imposed on anglers deliberately fishing for this endangered species.

Fish identification charts are available at all NSW Fisheries offices.

While the exact reasons for the decline in trout cod were unknown, Dr Schiller said it was likely that habitat alteration, such as removing snags, river regulation and dam construction, was partly to blame. Competition from alien species, such as carp, and illegal fishing activities were other likely causes for the decline of this now protected native.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Dr Craig Schiller
Narrandera Fisheries Centre
(069) 591 488

Mr Mark Lintermans
ACT Parks and Conservation
06 207 2117

Ms Karen Markwort
CRC for Freshwater Ecology
06 201 5369
015 265 643

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