Last week, Recfishwest joined Aquafarms at Waroona Dam to release 20,000 one-year-old marron as part of an exciting stocking program backed by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF).
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The stocking program, launched with Premier Mark McGowan in 2019, will see 300,000 marron released into South West freshwater waterways over three years.
This latest release follows 30,000 one-year-old marron released into Logue Brook Dam near Harvey earlier in the month.
“With 50,000 marron stocked into two accessible dams less than two hours’ drive from Perth, this is great news for WA’s 10,000 fishers who hold marron licences,” Recfishwest Operations Manager Leyland Campbell said.
“Fishers told us this was one of the things they wanted their licence money spent on and we’re delivering – securing the future of marron.
“Building on that we want to see this program move us closer to realising Recfishwest’s vision of an expanded marron season.”
These recently-released marron will be legal size by the 2023 marron season and the first batch to be released — 2,300 marron stocked into Logue Brook Dam in February — will be legal to target in time for the next marron season in January 2022.
Building resilience and future-proofing
Marron are a South West icon, providing a unique and family-friendly fishing experience.
However, declining annual rainfall across the South West and south coast is placing environmental pressure on freshwater species in the State’s south, including marron populations.
All of the already released marron and to-be-released specimens are bred at Aquafarms’ aquaculture hatchery in Capel, where they are nurtured through the most vulnerable stage of their lifecycle.
Releasing one-year-old marron maximises the animals’ post-release survival rates.
“Supporting healthy populations and ensuring marron abundance through stocking programs such as this will go a long way to future-proofing this important fishery. And of course, more marron in the water results in even better marroning,” Leyland said.
“So, while future rainfalls and environmental changes are outside of our control, we do have the scientific capacity to be able to boost marron populations and maximise the enjoyment of marroning in this way.”
Securing the future of the South West trout fishery
It’s not just the marron fishery that needs protection from environmental change, Recfishwest is calling freshwater anglers to complete a quick 10-minute survey and play their part in helping shape the South West trout fishery’s future.
The data collected through the survey and also the Recfishwest Trout Monitoring app will also better inform future trout stocking strategies and programs in the region.
