Hatchery Quality Assurance Program - NSW Department of Primary ...

3 NSW
Department of Primary Industries’ native fish hatcheries
The NSW Department of Primary Industries has
two native fish hatcheries, the Narrandera
Fisheries Centre (NFC) and the Grafton
Aquaculture Centre (GAC). Murray cod, golden
perch, silver perch and trout cod are produced at
NFC and silver perch at GAC. All fingerlings are
stocked into impoundments for conservation and
stock enhancement, except those of trout cod,
which are also stocked into selected rivers within
the previous distribution of the species.
included offices, a workshop, 27 ponds,
3 residences and a hatchery building. Expansion
over the years has seen the addition and
modification of ponds (now 46; 0.05 – 0.5 ha
surface area), a larger hatchery building, an
education/tourist centre, 3 effluent-settlement
ponds and a broodstock shed. Water is pumped
from the Murrumbidgee River to a 6 ML earthen
reservoir and then gravity fed to ponds and the
buildings. Bore water is also supplied to the
hatchery and buildings. Effluent water drains
to the effluent-settlement ponds.
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NSW Department of Primary Industries | NSW Department of Primary Industries’ native fish hatcheries
Narrandera Fisheries Centre.
Apart from work on Murray cod, trout cod and
Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica) by
Victorian fisheries scientists, research to develop
the hatchery techniques for native inland species
has been done at NFC and GAC. Best practices
are used at these hatcheries and the breeding
programs have, until now followed genetic
guidelines of Rowland and Barlow (1988).
Both NFC and GAC are model freshwater fish
hatcheries.
3.1 - NARRANDERA FISHERIES CENTRE
(ORIGINALLY THE INLAND FISHERIES
RESEARCH STATION)
An inland fishing licence was introduced in NSW
in 1958 to fund inland fisheries research. A 35
ha site, approximately 5km east of Narrandera,
just off the Sturt Highway and 1km from the
Murrumbidgee River was chosen for a research
facility. The Inland Fisheries Research Station
was constructed in 1960-61 and was officially
opened in February 1962. The original facility
During research in the 1970’s and early 1980’s,
over 4 million Murray cod, golden perch and
silver perch fry were produced. The fish survived
and grew well in farm dams, and at many other
stocking sites, including areas where the species
had become extinct or natural reproduction and
recruitment were poor. The successes of these
early stockings created a demand for fish for
farm dams and public stockings, and lead to
the development of the commercial hatchery
industry. Production of Murray cod, golden
perch and silver perch for stock enhancement
and conservation continued at NFC with the
establishment of a stocking program in 1983.
Research to develop artificial breeding techniques
for Macquarie perch and trout cod began in
1984. After the successful development of
techniques for trout cod (Ingram and Rimmer,
1992), but only limited success with Macquarie
perch (Ingram et al., 1994), trout cod was
added to the breeding and stocking program
during 1990.
The name change from Inland Fisheries Research
Station to Narrandera Fisheries Centre (NFC)
reflected the changing roles of the station from
primarily a research station to a multi-function
facility. The NFC now has staff involved in
research, hatchery production, education and
advisory activities, aquaculture extension,
conservation management and fisheries
compliance.
NARRANDERA FISHERIES CENTRE
P.O. BOX 182
NARRANDERA, NSW, 2700
(02) 6959 9021 – TELEPHONE
(02) 6959 2935 – FAX