Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson said about four million juvenile Eastern king prawn larvae are currently being released, which will help boost stocks of the popular delicacy.
“Catching Eastern king prawns over Christmas is one of the great family pastimes – this new programme will hopefully lead to it being even more enjoyable in the future,” said Ms Hodgkinson, who visited Narrabeen Lagoon this week to help release prawns for the first time at that location.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has delivered once again as part of our commitment to improving recreational fishing opportunities across the State.
“The popular Eastern king prawns were bred in Queensland and are being carefully transported and stocked by the Department of Primary Industries in sites from Taree to Eden, ready for harvesting in about three months.
“Local fishing clubs are assisting with the release of the prawns into suitable habitat within the estuaries to help ensure they get the best possible start.
“Fish stocking boosts our fishing communities, as recreational angling supports businesses and tourism. These prawns will provide extra incentive for anglers to visit the regions.”
Ms Hodgkinson said the Marine Fish Stocking Programme follows on from previous research trials of mulloway and prawn stocking, which evaluated the ecological aspects and effectiveness of marine stockings.
“These successful stockings provided essential information for a comprehensive environmental assessment and the development of a management strategy for implementing an ongoing marine stocking program,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
The Marine Fish Stocking Programme builds on the existing freshwater fish stocking initiatives, funded from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts, which have been enhancing recreational fishing opportunities in NSW for the last 50 years.
