As per the information the release of juvenile barramundi into Broome’s Dampier Creek will improve recreational fishing and provide new opportunities for research. Fisheries Minister Norman Moore said this release was another step towards assessing fish enhancement projects across the Kimberley. According to Moore Kimberley TAFE raised the fingerlings in its aquaculture facility at Broome and tagging of the 1,000 barramundi will provide valuable monitoring and research opportunities.
He also said that such projects can expand its expertise and training of students and also provide clear benefits to local recreational fishers. He added that barramundi is a prized catch for recreational fishers and these fingerlings will hopefully provide more fish for the future in Broome’s aquatic environment. He told that tagging of fish in this release would hopefully provide information on recapture rates, growth and movement.
Recfishwest and the Department of Fisheries supported the initiative. Moore congratulated Kimberley TAFE – which offers a range of services to the aquaculture industry across Western Australia – for its stock enhancement project. He told that it is important to explore the opportunities that fish enhancement projects can deliver to recreational fishing in the region. He also informed that the Department of Fisheries is currently looking at the possibility of stocking barramundi in other areas, such as Lake Kununurra, as a way of creating new inland fisheries.
