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Baby dusky flathead bred in a hatchery, on their way to liberation into various southern NSW estuaries.
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Stocking hatchery-bred fish into the “wild” will always be a controversial subject… I’ve heard it described as a “quick fix” and a “band-aid solution”. Fair enough, too. There’s some truth in those criticisms.
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The artificially breeding and stocking of fish is a fascinating and highly nuanced topic that almost everyone seems to have an opinion on. At one extreme, we have a bunch of valuable, viable fisheries that depend entirely upon regular re-stocking with hatchery-bred fry or fingerlings. The most obvious of these are the so-called “put-and-take” fisheries for barramundi, Australian bass, Murray cod, golden perch and even trout that exist in many of our man-made, freshwater impoundments. Without ongoing stocking efforts, these economically and socially important public resources would simply vanish.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, some overseas examples clearly demonstrate the inherent dangers of an over-reliance on stocking, especially where hatchery-bred fish come to dominate, out-compete and genetically dilute or degrade “wild” populations. There are some sobering examples of this in a few North American and European salmonid fisheries, in particular. We should take careful note and avoid making similar mistakes.
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Starlo helps liberate thousands of tiny flathead into Lake Conjola, NSW.
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Stocking hatchery-bred fish into the “wild” will always be a controversial subject. While stocking is popular with the majority of recreational anglers, who see it as a way of increasing their chances of fishing success, it’s certainly not without its critics and detractors. I’ve heard stocking into wild, open systems described as a “quick fix” and a “band-aid solution”. Fair enough, too. There’s some truth in those criticisms. On the other hand, when you cut yourself, sometimes a band-aid is a rather useful tool.
That said, stocking should never be viewed as a long-term or one-stop solution to depleted wild fish numbers. Protecting and restoring habitat in order to allow successful natural recruitment while also reducing the “harvest” of adult spawners by commercial and recreational fisher are both much better alternatives to pouring hatchery-bred fry into stressed waterways. But those big-picture fixes take time. Sometimes we need to reach for a band-aid in the shorter term.
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A bunch of lure-caught breeders on their way to the Narooma Aquaculture hatchery.
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Earlier this year, myself and a number of other volunteer anglers were invited by NSW DPI Fisheries to help catch some “brood stock” dusky flathead from our local estuary system at Tuross Head. These fish were to be transported to Narooma Aquaculture’s nearby hatchery facility and induced to spawn in the hope of producing a heap of baby flatties for liberation into local waterways.
Across a day and a half, a dozen lure-casting anglers were able to catch close to 60 duskies, ranging from barely legal up into the 80 cm length range. A much larger female flathead in excess of 90 cm was also caught, but deemed too big for safe transportation, so she was tagged and immediately released.
Back at the hatchery, these brood stock flathead were anaesthetised and “needled” with a hormone to induce spawning. Afterwards, the breeders were returned to their home waters in Tuross Lake. Interestingly, despite all of the handling and potential stresses involved in their initial capture, holding in live wells, road transportation, induced breeding and so on, only five or six of the mostly smaller fish died during the process, showing just how resilient dusky flathead are to catch-and-release, especially when targeted with lures and immediately returned to the water. Anglers can be confident that the vast majority (well over 90 per cent) of dusky flathead they choose to let go will survive the experience. That’s excellent news!
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These cute little duskies are highly predatory and cannibalistic, even at this size.
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I’m also delighted to report that this captive breeding program proved to be an outstanding success. A month or two later, I was lucky enough to be able to assists Fisheries’ staff as they released 25,000 or more of the baby flathead into St Georges Basin, 15,000 into Lake Conjola and around 14,000 into Burrill Lake.
When liberated, these incredibly cute baby flatties varied from just a couple of centimetres up to about the length of your little finger. You might wonder why they were released at such a relatively small size, rather than being grown out for another month or two in the hope of increasing their chances of survival in the wild. The reason is simple enough: even at this diminutive size, dusky flathead are highly cannibalistic, and the fry had already begun actively preying on one another in the breeding ponds, often with fatal results for both the victim and its attacker, who frequently choked to death on its over-sized prey! So, it’s best to get them out there and let them fend for themselves.
Hopefully, these liberations of healthy baby flathead will noticeably boost stocks and improve angling results in these three popular recreational fishing havens across coming seasons, as they should be hitting legal length in less than three years. All three waterways and their associated tourism infrastructures were badly impacted by the awful bushfires of 2019/20, so they could certainly use a shot in the arm of this kind — you might say it’s a much-needed band-aid.
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Once released, baby flathead swim briskly to the lake bed and bury in, leaving just their eyes exposed.
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By the way, like me, you might wonder why none of these frisky flathead fry were returned to Tuross Lake itself. The answer is a classic example of the sheer stupidity of a rampant bureaucracy run amok. Apparently, current regulations don’t allow stocking in marine parks, and Tuross lies within the Batemans Marine Park. So, while it was perfectly okay to source the brood stock from Tuross, their progeny couldn’t be returned to the home waters of their parents… Go figure! Fisheries and hatchery staff I spoke to were as puzzled and frustrated about this senseless ruling as I was. For me, it’s yet another glaring example of how incredibly out of touch with reality (and public opinion) the management regimes of these marine parks really are. Let’s hope they see some sense and change their rules, although I’m not holding my breath.
Meanwhile, let’s at least applaud the efforts of switched-on state fisheries managers (especially in NSW, Victoria and South Australia) who’ve embraced the strategic use of re-stocking to provide short-term top-ups for depleted “wild” fisheries while also working (hopefully) on the critical longer-term fixes needed. As long as we source local brood stock, maintain genetic diversity and a disease-free status within hatchery settings, and never become overly-reliant on the band-aid that is stocking, the outcomes should ultimately be a win-win for all involved.
Tight Lines.
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----- > SCROLL DOWN! There’s much more below.
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“Spooled” is a fantastic on-line fishing publication that’s available to all readers completely FREE! The latest issue is live now at this link and is packed with articles, reviews, info’ on the latest gear, along with some cracking imagery & embedded video.
It also contains a major feature from Starlo about the role of anglers as genuine conservationists and environmentalists: something he feels very passionate about. You can also read past issues on the Spooled website at any time.
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— COMING SOON —
Exclusive Fishotopian Blue Shaker
from RTBroughton Lures.
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Legendary Aussie lure crafter, Ray Broughton, is a wonderful friend of Fishotopia, and has provided us with exceptional support for some time now. Ray is about to take this support two important steps further by becoming a sponsor of Jo’s “Barra’Prentice” team in this year’s Secret Women’s Business (SWB) Barra Challenge on the Top End’s Corroboree Billabong (pending their invitation, of course), as well as crafting an exclusive run of his exceptional Shaker divers for us in this striking “Fishotopian Blue” reverse counter-shaded finish!
This strictly limited run of one-off wooden lures will only be available via Fishotopia, and they are set to become instant collectors’ items. We’ll let you know in next month’s newsletter exactly how and when you can get your hands on one. Meanwhile, be sure to go to Ray’s RTBroughton Lures page on Facebook and follow it for all the latest news on his superb (and growing) range of hand-crafted timber lures… Support our Aussie lure-makers!
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 PIRTEK FISHING CHALLENGE
This year across two days, Australia-wide!
Saturday & Sunday, 17 & 18 April
LAST CHANCE... Sign-up now!
 WORLD SOOTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Join Starlo at Eungella Dam near Mackay!
Saturday & Sunday, 1 & 2 May
Register your interest in attending
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It’s been an EPIC month for us, with so much happening in our little utopia!
Our commitment to continuous improvement and growth has seen some welcome and timely changes to our sites and products. Be sure to catch up on all the sections in this month’s issue... we think you’ll be amazed!
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Now Available FREE To Inner Circle Members!
Fishotopia’s Inner Circle members now enjoy unlimited, round-the-clock access to episodes of “A Fisherman’s Life with Starlo”.
This no-nonsense, advertising-free series of cutting edge programs is made exclusively for Fishflicks.tv and is normally only available to subscribers to that streaming service. However, thanks to a special deal between Fishotopia and Fishflicks, our members can now access these shows without paying anything extra on top of their Inner Circle subscription fee.
Seven episodes are now available, with new episodes coming on line across 2021, making this far too good a deal to miss! Find out how to join the Inner Circle (and enjoy all the other great benefits of belonging) by clicking the link below.
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Premium Membership to Starlo’s Inner Circle - MONTHLY
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A$5.50
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Premium Membership to Starlo’s Inner Circle - Full Year
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A$55.00
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Tips like this can be found throughout the public area of Fishotopia.com
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DID YOU KNOW
Members of the Inner Circle enjoy their own private social media forum?
It works just like Facebook, but without the trolls and haters.
If you ever wonder what sort of conversations happen in our gated community, this regular section of our newsletter is your peep-hole.
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The Clubhouse Wall is our Inner Circle Members’ private forum. This section of our monthly newsletter highlights some of the topics discussed in our virtual “Clubhouse” over the past month. The above collection of pics has been collated from some of our favourite posts of late.
Topics of interest have included:
• Welcome back, Andy Harman!
• Is this the blackest “yella”? And what influences fish colour?
• Land-based pelagics.
• Quality Time: how family fishing builds great memories.
• Epigenetic changes in fish exposed to predators —what could it mean to fishos?
• Ray Broughton’s return to lure making.
• Sneaky tricks for lure tuning.
• Fundamental differences between the recreational & commercial sectors.
• How to access historical weather & tide information.
• Euro-nymphing.
• What makes the perfect fly fishery?
... and much more.
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Tight Lines Magazine
Tight Lines Magazines are unlike any fishing magazine you’ve seen before. They each feature one super-sized exposé on one topic, drilling as deeply into the how-to’s and species knowledge as possible, ensuring you become the best angler you can be.
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ARE YOU UP FOR
A FISHING CHALLENGE?
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The Bayer Big Fish Challenge is a friendly, on-line fishing competition for teams of rural Australians in support of men’s mental wellbeing. There are instant give-aways, a major prize draw, and various associated events, so there are plenty of reasons to join the Challenge… and it’s also free to do so! Hundreds of participants from all across rural Australia are already involved. Whether you’re a weekend hopeful, a full-on fishing fanatic, or even someone who only wets a line once or twice a year, you’re more than welcome to join in.
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Bayer donates $1 per centimetre for the largest fish of each eligible variety recorded by each team to their charity partner: The Fly Program. This extremely worthwhile not-for-profit program provides early mental health interventions via a range of outdoor activities, including fishing and mountain biking.
Best of all, winning teams from each state also get to attend the Rural Angler of the Year shootout at a top-class fishing venue (expenses paid). For the last couple of years, this amazing weekend has been hosted by Currawong Lakes Fly Fishing Retreat in Tasmania, and earlier this year, Starlo and his good mate Garry McDonald were lucky enough to join the winners at Currawong Lakes for an action-packed weekend of fly fishing and target shooting. You can watch Steve’s short video wrap-up of the weekend here.
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Find out more about this great event by watching this short highlights video.
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To register a team in this year’s Big Fish Challenge, simply scan the relevant QR code below to download the app, or visit bayerbigfish.com.
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“PHONE A FRIEND” MEMBERS’ OFFER
Courtesy of Romen and Roaming Productions, we have 14 copies of his wonderful, 93-minute “Green & Gold On The Road” DVD (valued at $25 each) to give away exclusively to Inner Circle members! This action- and information-packed production covers Googong, Burrendong and Pindari Dams and explores a range of techniques targeting cod and goldens.
To pick up a copy, all an existing Inner Circle member needs to do is to convince a friend or family member to join us on the inside before Christmas by signing up for a full year’s membership (and YES, they can take advantage of the book and lure BONUS Offer already described above!). As soon as they sign on, we’ll send both you and your mate a copy of the DVD! How good is that? But only the first seven sign-ups score this double-barrel giveaway, so pick up the mobile now and “phone a friend”!
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You may have noticed that Mako Oil have been advertising with us here in the newsletter and on Fishotopia.com since day one. We really appreciate their wonderful support… but we appreciate the amazing product they produce even more!
Steve was first introduced to Mako Oil back in his days as a TV presenter for “The Offroad Adventure Show” and he quickly became a “believer”. Mako Oil now plays a vital role in all of our tackle and gear maintenance regimes, as well as many other jobs around home, and we absolutely swear by the stuff. We particularly like the fact that it seems to have no adverse impacts whatsoever on fishing lines, and that its fish-based formula means it doesn’t turn fish off biting, even if sprayed directly onto hooks, sinkers and lures… in fact, it might even attract them!
You can watch Starlo’s video explainer about Mako Oil and its many uses by clicking the play button above, or cut to the chase and view a shorter, how-to clip describing our regular after-trip tackle maintenance routine here.
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Have You Checked In On Your Aussie Anglers Almanac Today?
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THREE FOR THE PRICE OF TWO!
Speaking of special offers and Ray Broughton’s great timber lures, Ray has a ripper deal going at the moment allowing you to effectively buy three of his Shimmey timber minnows for the price of two! That’s right… buy a trio of RTBroughton Shimmey timber minnows (1 x 50mm, 1 x 60mm & 1 x 80mm) in your choice of colours (4 colours* to choose from) and you’ll save a cool $21!
You’ll receive a 50mm Shimmey normally valued at $23, a 60mm Shimmey worth $25 and an 80mm Shimmey with a standard price of $27 (a combined value of $75) for just $54, plus $9 for packaging and postage. So, you pay just $63 all-up for a pack of 3 hand-made timber lures that would regularly cost $84, delivered to your door!
How do you take advantage of this amazing offer? Simply go to Ray Broughton’s RTBroughton Lures page on Facebook, “LIKE” the page, recommend the page to at least ONE of your friends, and then quote the code #starlosentme when ordering your three-pack by messaging Ray on the page… It’s as simple as that! Get over to the RTBroughton Lures page NOW and secure your bonus offer. Stocks are limited, so first in, best dressed!
* Please note, because each lure is hand-painted, small variations will naturally occur and your lures may look slightly different to the ones shown here.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADVERTISE IN THIS NEWSLETTER?
Our readers are enthusiastic, thinking anglers from all over the country.
If you have a product or service that benefits them, let’s tell them about it! Advertising spaces are limited.
CLICK FOR MEDIA KIT & MORE INFORMATION |
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Until we see you in Fishotopia...
Tight Lines!
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