Native fish populations in NSW waterways will get a hefty boost following the announcement of a second round of funding support for the popular Two-Dollar-for-One-Dollar Native Fish Stocking program.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Deputy Director General Fisheries, Sean Sloan, said fishing clubs, local councils and other community groups will receive support from the Recreational Fishing (Freshwater) Trust to boost valuable recreational fisheries by stocking thousands of native fish into waterways across NSW.
"Funds are available on a two-dollar for one dollar basis, where applicants will receive two dollars for every one dollar they spend on stocking to support high priority recreational fishing species including Australian Bass, Golden Perch and Murray Cod," Mr Sloan said.
"More than $450,000 in funds in this second round has been approved to stock Golden Perch and Murray Cod into inland waterways by local councils and community groups, boosting recreational fishing in NSW.
"In addition to boosting our recreational fisheries, native fish stocking also provides social, cultural and economic benefits across the State."
Mr Sloan said the program is now in its 25th year with thousands of native fish stocked into waterways across NSW each season.
"The two-dollar-for-one-dollar native fish stocking program is highly regarded, with around 75 stocking groups participating in the program each year," Mr Sloan said.
"More than 390,000 native fish were stocked via this program, with 165,000 Murray Cod and 121,000 Golden Perch and 110,000 Australian Bass released across NSW over the course of the 2022/23 stocking season.
"This includes the release of 17,000 bass into Toonumbar Dam, 15,000 bass into Brogo Dam, 25,000 Golden Perch into the Castlereagh River, 14,000 Murray Cod into Lake Endeavour, almost 10,000 Murray Cod into the Murrumbidgee River and over 10,000 Golden Perch into the Bogan River.
"This program helps build better recreational fishing opportunities for our state's anglers and protects our fish stocks for future generations and is a great example of NSW fishing licence fees at work."
