Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the Avoca River Basin 8
			AVOCA BASIN MAP (PDF 131 Kb)
			AVOCA RIVER
			AVOCA SHIRE DAM
			BAEL BAEL LAKE
			BEALIBA RESERVOIR
			GILMOURS LAKE
			GREEN LAKE
			LALBERT LAKE
			LEAD DAM
			LOOKOUT LAKE
			MIDDLE CREEK
			MURRAY RIVER (NSW)
			OLD TOWN LAKE Wedderburn
			RAILWAY RESERVOIR
			REDBANK RESERVOIR
			SANDHILL LAKE
			SKINNERS FLAT RESERVOIR
			SUGARLOAF RESERVOIR
			TCHUM LAKE
			TEDDINGTON RESERVOIRS
			THE MARSH
			TIMBORAN LAKE
			TYRELL LAKE
			WAHPOOL LAKE
			WOORINEN LAKES
			SALINE POOLS IN RIVERS

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Avoca River Basin 8
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | RAMSAR SITES | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS | SALINE POOLS IN RIVERS

Avoca River

There are some small areas of forest south of St Arnaud, on the edge of the basin but in the north, all land use is grazing and cropping (wheat). There are several small swamps and marshes upstream of Kerang. Flow is low and very variable and surface water quality in the Basin is generally poor because of high salinity. Groundwater is also mostly saline (>8,000EC). Water is imported into the Basin from the Wimmera-Mallee Stock and Domestic Supply System. Most angling occurs in small lakes or reservoirs. The largest lakes are saline and carry no fish. The most common and widespread angling species is redfin.

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Northern Fisheries, DPI, manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy lists Avoca River as a native fish water and Teddington Reservoirs as mixed fisheries. The North Central Catchment Management Authority is responsible for catchment management. The Wimmera-Mallee Rural Water Authority manages irrigation and rural diversion.

The Lower Murray Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion in the northern area along the Murray including Swan Hill and Kerang. The Grampians Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion in the central area of the Avoca River while the Coliban Region Water Authority and the Central Highlands Region Water Authority manage urban water requirements in the southern end of the Basin. A Streamflow Management Plan is being prepared for the Avoca River and should be completed in June 2003.

Diversions

Forest Creek is diverted into a 72ML reservoir and then to Ampitheatre. Several unnamed streams are diverted into small reservoirs (132ML & 160ML) then to Redbank, and Bealiba respectively. Three unnamed streams are diverted into Sugarloaf Reservoir (360ML) and then to Avoca. Water in emergencies, is also pumped from the Avoca River to Bealiba. Water for St Arnaud and Charlton is pumped from channels.

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

The upper reaches of the Avoca River are listed as a Representative River for West Victorian dissected uplands.

Ramsar Sites

Lake Bael Bael and The Marsh (called First Marsh in Ramsar), are listed as wetlands of international significance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran 1971).

Fish Stocking

The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) fish stocking program is designed to enhance recreational fishing opportunities for:

• Desirable introduced species such as brown trout, rainbow trout, Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon, and
• Desirable native fish species such as golden perch, Murray cod, Australian bass and silver perch.

Stocking Plans for desirable species are developed annually as part of the regional consultation process involving VRFish representatives and various arms of DPI including Fisheries Victoria and Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic).

Up to date information can be found on the Fish Stocking section in Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Freshwater Fish in the Basin

*Murray rainbowfish and non-specked hardyhead were collected in 1989.

**Record of bony bream comes from a fish death in Lake Bael Bael.

#Freshwater catfish and silver perch were reportedly present in 1976, but have not been taken in more recent surveys.

The Murray spiny crayfish, Euastacus amartus, is also present in this Basin. Because of the limitations of the sampling methods and the brief sampling program, smaller species may be more widely distributed than is recorded.

Best Fishing Waters

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed silver perch as Critically Endangered, Murray cod, freshwater catfish and golden perch as Vulnerable and Murray rainbowfish and flat-headed galaxias as Data Deficient. Silver perch, Murray cod, freshwater catfish, Murray rainbowfish, non-specked hardyhead, Murray spiny crayfish the Lowland Riverine Fish Community of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin have been listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

Water quality is very poor in the Avoca River. Surface water at Avoca is around 2,000EC increasing downstream to 8,000EC at Quambatook. Bottom water is more saline particularly in the deeper pools between Logan and Coonooer where levels of 28,800EC have been recorded. There is also severe de-oxygenation in these pools during summer with less than 10% saturation of dissolved oxygen.

Most of the Avoca River has stable banks and good riparian vegetation. However it has been classified by the Department as being only in moderate environmental condition because of low flows and high salinity levels.

© The State of Victoria