Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the La Trobe River Basin
			LA TROBE RIVER BASIN MAP (PDF 154Kb)
			ADA RIVER
			BEAR CREEK
			BILLY CREEK
			BLUE ROCK LAKE
			CLEAR LAKE
			FLYNNS CREEK
			HAWTHORN CREEK
			HAZEL CREEK
			HAZELWOOD PONDAGE
			HYLAND LAKE
			LA TROBE RIVER
			LITTLE MORWELL RIVER
			LOCH RIVER
			MIDDLE CREEK
			MOE RIVER
			MOONDARRA RESERVOIR
			MORWELL LAKE
			MORWELL RIVER
			NARRACAN CREEK
			NARRACAN LAKE
			O'GRADYS CREEK
			PIONEER CREEK
			RED HILL CREEK
			RINTOULS CREEK
			SHADY CREEK
			TANJIL RIVER
			TOORONGO RIVER
			TRARALGON CREEK
			TYERS RIVER
			WILDERNESS CREEK
			YALLOURN STORAGE DAM

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
Home | River Basins Map | Angling Waters A-Z

La Trobe River Basin 26
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | RAMSAR SITES | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Morwell River

Land use in the central La Trobe Valley is grazing and broad acre cropping with intensive cropping of potatoes in rolling hills at Thorpdale. The largest river is the La Trobe which flows for over 80km, discharging into Lake Wellington. Brown trout and river blackfish are common in various tributaries of the La Trobe River but scarce in the main channel downstream of Lake Narracan. Carp have become established in the lowland waterways.

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Gippsland Fisheries, DPI, manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has assessed Blue Rock Lake and Tanjil River as mixed species waters. The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority is responsible for catchment management. Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority manages irrigation and rural diversion. Central Gippsland Region Water Authority manages urban water diversion. Streamflow Management Plans have been completed for the Upper La Trobe River and are being prepared for the Morwell River.

Diversions

Water in Tyers River flows into Moondarra Reservoir (34,000ML) and is then supplied to Tyers, Glengarry, Toongabbie, Cowwarr, Traralgon, Morwell, Yinnar and Churchill; from Trigger Creek to Erica; from Little Morwell River to Mirboo North; from O'Grady's Creek tributaries, to Boolarra. The Latrobe River flows into Lake Narracan which provides cooling water for the Yallourn Power Station. There are diversions from the Tanjil River including Blue Rock Lake (200,000ML) to Moe, Yallourn North, Newborough and Willow Grove. From Narracan Creek to Moe and Newborough; from Easterbrook Creek to Thorpdale; from Sunny Creek to Trafalgar, from Rollo Creek to Yarragon; from the Loch River and Deep Creek to Noojee.

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

None listed in this Basin

Ramsar Sites

The Gippsland Lakes, which are the receiving body for all water flowing out of this Basin, 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.

Best Fishing Waters

Freshwater Fish in the Basin

# tropical cichlids, aquarium fish illegally introduced into Hazelwood Pondage. Introduced fish species are now common and widespread in the lowland streams. There is an absence of galaxias species, with Australian smelt and southern pygmy perch now the most abundant of the small-sized native fish. Gippsland spiny crayfish, Euastacus kershawi, is widely distributed and abundant enough to support a recreational fishery. The spiny crayfish, E.wolwuru, is also present.

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed Australian grayling as Vulnerable and the dwarf galaxias as Lower Risk-near threatened. Both species are listed under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

A clear separation can be made between streams flowing through forest and those in farmland. The former (mostly in the north-western area) are in excellent condition with native riparian vegetation, coarse substrate with little or no sedimentation, fast-flowing riffles, good pools, clear water and good summer flow. They contain excellent habitat for biota and provide a very pleasant fishing environment. Streams flowing through farmland, including the middle and lower reaches of the La Trobe River are in poor condition.

The upper reaches (above Noojee) of the La Trobe River are in excellent condition even although the substrate is mostly sand. Stream condition is moderate to poor downstream of Noojee to Lake Narracan, with little native riparian vegetation, considerable bank erosion and sedimentation. Conditions deteriorate further downstream of the lake, with little bank vegetation, eroding banks and unstable bottom sediments. Although the lower reaches of the smaller tributaries and minor creeks are degraded, for the reasons mentioned above, around 85% of the total length of these waterways are in forest and are still in good condition.

© The State of Victoria