Our facilities & services
NFC has a range of site facilities covering aquaculture, education, research and community:
- Taxonomic sample processing laboratories
- Otolith ageing facilities
- Molecular Laboratory (inc. environmental DNA capabilities)
- Controlled environment aquaria
- Hatcheries
- Aquaculture ponds
- Specialist field equipment – innovative and traditional sampling techniques, eDNA backpack electrofishing boats and backpacks and specialist fish counters
- John Lake Centre caters for guided tours and special interest tours
- Educational fishing pond and fishing workshops
- 35ha of land
- 50 ponds
The John Lake Centre
The John Lake Centre is an education and advisory Centre featuring an aquarium with many fish species of the Murray Darling system.
Have a close encounter with native and endangered species, meet “Agro” the mighty Murray cod as well as other interesting locals such as the Murray crayfish, the Eastern long-necked turtle and the endangered Trout Cod.
The 60 seat theatrette presents a video on the centres research into native fish species, provides visitors with a better understanding of conservation initiatives for threatened native fish and hatchery spawning techniques.
Production and site facilities
The NFC site encompasses a variety of production systems relevant to fisheries and aquaculture. These production areas are used for both research and production for restocking activities.
Breeding & recovery centre
Narrandera Fisheries Centre houses a fully operational hatchery which is central to the NSW Governments Native Fish Restocking Program. Working from a cutting edge new hatchery that was completed in 2022, we produce Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Silver Perch and the endangered Trout Cod.
There are over 50 ponds on site that cater for broodstock holding and larval rearing, along with tank facilities that can be temperature and light controlled. Narrandera Fisheries Centre stocks fingerlings right across inland NSW providing up to two million fingerlings to dams and rivers to improve fishing amenity.
Alongside improving recreational fishing opportunities with stocking the hatchery also works in the conservation sphere breeding threatened and endangered fish as part of species recovery plans. Trout Cod and Silver Perch are two fish that have a long history of conservation stocking from Narrandera Fisheries Centre with the breeding programs based here instrumental in supporting and re-establishing these populations. Additional work is also focussing on other fish including refining techniques for captive spawning of Macquarie perch and breeding small-bodied natives such as Olive Perchlet, Southern Pygmy Perch and Murray Hardyhead.
Work with Us
If you would like to utilise our research facilities or services, or explore partner and -co-location opportunities please fill out this Request for Opportunity Form.
Research Station Request for Opportunity