Threatened native Trout Cod recovery underway with innovative fish breeding & stocking

26 Feb 2025

The Minns Labor Government has announced the 10-year Trout Cod Action Plan to recover the threatened native Trout Cod fish and delivering on its election commitment to boost the recovery of the fish and ensure its availability for recreational fishers.

The Government is working to deliver better environmental outcomes for regional NSW and to deliver on its election commitments for recreational fishers who consider the Trout Cod a popular fish for angling.

This commitment is demonstrated by the recent Government announcements delivering a review on the recreational fishing trust funds and establishing a $2 million fund for small infrastructure for recreational fishing.

While there are a few small self-sustaining Trout Cod populations left in the wild in NSW the population has been in significant decline.

To bring about the recovery of the threatened Trout Cod populations more than $1 million of allocated funding is already being utilised with early actions of breeding and stocking underway while the broader action plan was being finalised.

The final Trout Cod Action Plan was developed after public consultation took place online and community information sessions in Wagga Wagga, Barooga, Bathurst and Queanbeyan.

Integral to the NSW Government’s commitment to the recovery of the Trout Cod, is increasing the production of fingerlings at Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

Early work to boost populations has seen a significant number of Trout Cod fingerlings bred at Narrandera in 2024 with 47,000 fingerlings released into waterways in the Snowy region, covering the Goodradigbee River and Talbingo Dam.

The Government is well on the way to achieving the Trout Cod Action Plan production target of 100,000 Trout Cod fingerlings per year and is confident of reaching 250,000 in the next 5-10 years.

Trout Cod can be a difficult fish to breed and Narrandera has been trialling innovative ways to achieve better success including using pond spawning techniques rather than hormone induction. Pond based spawning is is potentially more productive and much gentler and kinder on the fish.

The Government’s achievements under the Trout Cod Action Plan over the last 12 months include:

• Moving to 100% pond-based spawning approach
• Doubled the number of broodfish ponds at Narrandera Fisheries Centre
• Developed a stocking and re-introduction strategy
• Increased engagement with recreational fishers
• Developing broodstock management strategy

Goodradigbee River has been a focus for conservation stocking efforts as it’s within the historical range of Trout Cod, has pristine and intact habitat including rocks, fast-flowing water, and is an unregulated part of the system with natural inflows to support recovery.

For more information about NSW DPIRD’s threatened species projects, visit: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/threatened-species

NSW Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“The Minns Government is rapidly progressing its commitment to ensure the recovery of the native Trout Cod in our regional waterways with significant work underway to breed fingerlings while we engaged with the community on feedback for finalising the Action Plan.

“I’m pleased to say many of the participants of the community information sessions are very excited by the prospect of improved Trout Cod recovery.

“The Trout Cod Action Plan provides a 10-year blueprint to guide recovery actions, and while there is a long road ahead, I am confident there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this threatened species.

“There was a lot of interest from recreational anglers who are supporting the recovery of Trout Cod and I am pleased to say that those hoping to go fishing for Trout Cod can do so at Talbingo Dam where a catch and release fishery has been developed.

“We are hopeful that the Trout Cod Action Plan will fast track the recovery of Trout Cod populations in NSW back to a point that they can once again become a genuine target for recreational fishers beyond the current Talbingo fishery.”

“With close to 50,000 fingerlings bred at Narrandera Fisheries Centre in 2024, triple the number produced in 2023, we are well on the way to achieving the goal of 250,000 bred annually.”

MEDIA: Alastair Walton | Minister Tara Moriarty | 0418 251 229