A MAJOR inland native fish stocking program will benefit fishing enthusiasts across the state.
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Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson announced the program on Wednesday, saying more than one million fish had been released into lakes, dams, rivers and weirs across NSW.
Ms Hodgkinson visited the Department of Primary Industries' Narrandera Fisheries Centre, where the fish were produced.
Ms Hodgkinson said Wagga, Albury, Tumut, Narrandera, Hay and Cowra were some of the many areas where fish had been released in waterways.
"Some of the water bodies have needed the boost to fish numbers as a result of drought and are now showing good signs of recovery, thanks to recent rain," Ms Hodgkinson said.
She encouraged anglers to "throw a line in" now that fish stocks had been boosted.
"Many anglers are reporting good catches following past releases and now there are a million more fish in the system, which will be at an angling size in around three years," she said.
"Staff from out Narrandera Fisheries Centre have had a busy couple of months getting the golden perch, Murray cod, and silver perch fingerlings ready for release."
Meeting with research scientists at the fisheries centre, Ms Hodgkinson said research focusing on aquatic bio diversity is underway.
"Researchers use a range of interesting techniques as part of their projects, including electronic tagging to track fish; sampling of eggs and larvae in rivers to identify key breeding locations of native species and habitat mapping," she said.
The first fish stocking exercise began in December.
The final fish are expected to be released in Narrandera by the end of April.