GOULBURN-Murray Water (GMW) has partnered with the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) to support the development of a native fish hatchery and visitor tourism facility near Shepparton.
The $10 million project at Arcadia, funded by the Victorian Government, will help to recover threatened native fish populations and create exciting recreational fishing opportunities and tourism-related expenditure for the region.
VFA Native Fish Hatchery project director, Anthony Forster, said it had worked closely with GMW to construct a bore and secure a groundwater licence at the 170Ha property.
“This led to the purchase of 200ML/year permanent allocation from existing groundwater licence holders,” he said.
The VFA also holds GMW diversions licences to service the property and livestock and has partnered with GMW to harvest Murray cod and golden perch broodstock from irrigation channels.
“When fully operational, the hatchery will breed and stock 1.6 million Murray cod and golden perch into hundreds of waterways each year.
“Over time, we plan to also grow freshwater catfish and silver perch.”
GMW Groundwater and Streams manager, Matthew Pethybridge, said the organisation assisted the VFA in finding an appropriate location for the selected site.
“The VFA site has access to the GMW channel network and a sustainable groundwater resource,” Mr Pethybridge said.
The hatchery, scheduled to be completed in November 2021, will employ 20 people on and offsite.
Mr Forster said the visitor tourism facility was expected to attract 10,000 visitors and would engage and educate people about native fish, river health and indigenous culture. For more information on the project, go to www.vfa.vic.gov.au
