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Arcadia hatchery expansion

Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery near Shepparton will boost Victoria’s fish stock with up to six million native fish annually, surpassing other states.

Fishers dangling a line around Victoria will have a facility near Shepparton to thank for their catch.

The Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery will produce Murray cod and golden perch fingerlings to stock Victorian lakes.

When fully operational in coming seasons, Arcadia will have the ability to produce up to six million native fish each season — more than half the 10 million fish released across the state each year. Victoria will be in a position to claim to stock more fish than every other state and territory in the country combined.

Victorian Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos announced the completion of the hatchery project, south of Shepparton, on Friday, October 24.

Victorian Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos, City of Greater Shepparton Councillor Steve Threlfall, parliamentary secretary for outdoor recreation Luba Grigorovitch and Women in Recreational Fishing committee member Lee Spyrou at the opening of the expanded Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery.

The expansion is one of two backed by the $96 million Go Fishing and Boating Victoria Plan, which also includes a Macquarie perch breeding centre being built at the Snobs Creek hatchery.

Construction at Arcadia took almost a year to complete and has nearly quadrupled the number of production ponds, from 32 to 125. It includes brood ponds to hold mature breeding fish and shallow plankton ponds to grow out fingerlings to a size suitable to be released throughout Victoria.

The big cod at Arcadia Hatchery. Photo by Megan Fisher

The project also included five water storages equivalent in volume to 20 Olympic swimming pools, a larger indoor facility to incubate eggs and grow larvae, a bigger fish processing area to count and prepare fish for stocking and a new administration building for staff.

Mr Dimopoulos said the investment cemented Arcadia as the home of native fish production and heart of the state’s record-breaking stocking program.

“The scale of the expansion here at Arcadia truly is remarkable, and we’re confident it will have a lasting impact on the future of fishing in Victoria,” he said.

The hatchery includes a visitor centre, which features a pond stocked with Murray cod and golden perch, adventure playground, barbecue and picnic facilities and a range of educational materials for visitors.

The project led by Victorian Fisheries Authority supported 20 jobs through several locally based contractors.

For more information about the hatchery, go to vfa.vic.gov.au.

The hatchery is located off Ross Rd, Arcadia, about 19km south of Shepparton.