Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
More than 60 “advanced size” mulloway have recently been stocked into the Hastings River, a popular Recreational Fishing Haven near Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast as part of a research program.
The dedicated team at DPI’s Port Stephens Fisheries Institute marine hatchery have successfully released a new cohort of tagged juvenile mulloway into the river. These mulloway, averaging close to 1.8kg kilos in weight and 55cm long, have been released in some of the deeper holes along the Hastings.
A visible external dart tag on the shoulder of the released mulloway will allow them to be identified as stocked fish. The fish will be closely monitored by DPI scientists to assess the effects of the stocking, monitor their growth, movements and residency, and measure their contribution to the local recreational fishery.
Keep an eye out for a small yellow dart tag on any mulloway you catch in the Hastings River over the coming months and years!
This latest stocking complements previous releases of more than 55,000 mulloway fingerlings within the past three years into this popular fishery.
This marine stocking project is another example of your recreational fishing licence fees directly benefiting recreational fishers. This is also part of “Fish for life – Building a healthy fishing future”.
For more info, or to report the recapture of a mulloway in the Hastings River under the marine stocking program, please contact fisheries.enhancement@dpi.nsw.gov.au
