Spring in Victoria

[micmac3701]

But the elephant in the pool is why stock streams if they have natural recruitment?

[BarryJ]

Imho, the easiest way to get an answer to that is to pick up the phone and call fisheries!

[flylife]

They could be reinventing the wheel? Or testing whether hatchery fish with no fins can compete with wild fish in a natural environment.😂 Sorry it’s dangerous for me to joke…
Maybe it is part of a broader stocking experiment, or appeasing angler demands? I like to call it ‘psychological stocking’ when anglers get out there and fish with more confidence when a stream goes on the stocking list.

[micmac3701]

I know that as a group anglers are a pretty optimistic bunch in general but calling a Gov Dept and expecting actual answers is taking that to next level.

The key doc that I can find is:

Department of Environment and Primary Industries (2005). Protocols for the Translocation of Fish in Victorian Inland Public Waters. Fisheries Victoria Management Report Series No. 24.

more questions than answers I’m afraid.

 

[BarryJ]

micmac3701 wrote:

I know that as a group anglers are a pretty optimistic bunch in general but calling a Gov Dept and expecting actual answers is taking that to next level.

………..

more questions than answers I’m afraid.

Might just be a Tasmanian thing then? As an angler I have ample opportunity through the year to have face to face contact with Inland Fisheries officers at public & Club events (restricted by covid though) and have no hesitation to phone them if I have a query.

[ANDREW]

Thing is, we have ways of consultation between anglers and Victorian Fisheries, we had it for years:

Wild Trout Conference. From memory in the early days there was a big push from anglers to stock underperming  rivers. Don’t think Fisheries believed in stocking success but they stocked yarlings in those rivers anyway. Results were very disappointing and stocking quickly stopped. On the other hand trout breeding structures installed in the rivers worked very well.

If you have few minutes have a read. (Link attached below).

https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/fisheries-management/wild-trout-fisheries-management-program

[gumnuts]

I’ve hunted around online.

I can see the stocking records, including my creek above.

What I want to hear is in this creek, for the last few stockings, which fins were clipped?

There’s a “contact-us” doorslam on their website, I’ll try my luck.

 

[gumnuts]

OK, I’ll call fisheries.

[Google trout stocking fin clipping, find a likely looking 13 number…this should be fun]

AI: “Welcome to the Victorian Government Department of Environment Land Water and Planning, AND the Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions, Customer contact centres.

“Please note our options have recently changed.

“Please choose from the following eight options:

“To report an animal health offense including a dangerous dog or offense against wildlife, press 1

“To report an animal health emergency including plant, pests or honeybees, press 2

“For game or wildlife license, or Victorian fisheries inquiries, press 3 [oops missed that]

“For energy-related inquiries including the 250-dollar power-saving bonus and Victoria Energy Compare, press 4

“For agricultural inquiries relating to bush-fire preparedness recovery and drought information, press 5

“For planning inquiries, press 6

“For land tiles inquiries, press 7

“For all other Inquiries press…

Me: eight?

AI: “…Zero.

“And to repeat these menu options please press the star

[presses zero]

AI: “We manage your private information in accordance with the Victorian Government privacy and data protection act 2014 which can be found at http://www.delwp.voc.gov.au/privacy calls to this are checked for and. Calls to this Centre are recorded for verification, coaching and Quality purposes

Brrrrrp

TINKLE TINKLE

AI: “Sorry for the delay in answering your call we’ll be with you as soon as possible.

MORE TINKLE TINKLE

AI: “We apologize for the continuing delay, call volumes are unexpectedly larger than expected (ha ha haven’t heard that one this week)

Eventually…

CITIZEN (CIT): “I wish to talk with someone about trout stocking and in particular fin clipping of trout.

Voice of The State: (VS) “Let me put you on hold while I search for those key words

CIT: (Sighhhhhhh)

ELEVATOR MUSIC

VS: “I’m back, there’s absolutely nothing on my database about that

CIT: “Well its a real thing handled by your department

VS: “Maybe I could talk to my supervisor?

CIT: “yes, let’s do that

PERIOD OF INANE MUSIC

VS: “They says there is nothing whatsoever on the database about it.

CIT: “So, what now

VS: “Ermmmmmm

CIT: “Look, I know a name who will know for sure, here’s a name from their annual report

VS: “OK I’ll search the name and try to put you through

PERIOD OF MUSIC FOR SELF HARM

VS: “No response from that person.,

CIT: “I know, try the persons boss, here’s the name.

VS: “I’ll have a look sir.

MUSIC APPARENTLY COMPOSED TO REMOVE WILL TO LIVE

VS: “Hmmmmmmmmmmmm…mmm no answer.

(Seems like the Monty python cheese shop sketch)

CIT: “OK, look here’s a bloke who works under them, his resume looks perfect, can you search his name

VS: “Well maybe…Oh look all these contacts are the same number that keeps ringing out.

CIT: “Yes, that would be the hatchery. I know where they work, look in the old days I’d just call their front desk and ask

VS: “Well, we can’t do it that way these days

M; “Why not

VS: “Erm erm erm

CIT: “So, what now?

VS: “What?

CIT: “Well, what do I do now? I still want to talk with someone about a specific question about fin clipping trout before release. Can you give me his phone number?

VS: “No

CIT: “What about his email address? Can you give me that?

VS: “Yes, I can do that

CIT: “Brilliant

So now I have an email address I’ll see how I go.

[micmac3701]

For perseverance and intestinal fortitude in dealing with the hold music of doom I do salute you.

Its a brave soul indeed that does resolve to venture further than the 8 options of befuddlement.

[gumnuts]

Let it be known that I have learnt deep wells of patience of late.

This has arisen from dealing with several stubborn, vexing, parrot-brained Gorgons

I shall report any findings (about the fin-clipping).

GumNuts

[gumnuts]

My correspondent at fisheries advises:

1. No it wasn’t fin clipped by us. Fair chance that fish had its fin eaten of by another fish. This is quite common within the hatchery environment where we have high density’s of fish in tanks and raceways.

2. We no longer fin clip any of our fish here at snobs it is not an ethical way of identifying fish when there are much more precise and humane methods.

So I send him a further query about what those methods are and when they use them.

 

[micmac3701]

Thanks for reporting back. Interesting about the fin clip I’m sure I have read something about clubs having fin clip sessions but that is obviously a private stocking. So are fish sourced from private hatcheries the only ones fin clipped?

Does raise the question though, if fin clipping is not ethical then how is stocking them at densities where they eat each others fins okay?

[gumnuts]

I read it that the high density phase would be in the fish farm

[flylife]

Yes, fin rot and general fin damage results from overcrowding of juvenile fish at the hatchery, not in the stream where they have been stocked. Quantity over quality.

[micmac3701]

Yep to be clear I was referring to stocking densities I was thinking of the growing ponds they are reared in, not the waters they are put into. And yeah I get it, it comes down to $ per cubic metre.

[Author]

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