Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the South Gippsland East Basin
			SOUTH GIPPSLAND EAST BASIN MAP (PDF 123Kb)
			AGNES RIVER
			ALBERT RIVER
			BRUTHEN CREEK
			CLEAR CREEK
			DARBY RIVER
			DEEP CREEK
			DINGO CREEK
			FRANKLIN RIVER
			GREIGS CREEK
			JACK RIVER
			LITTLE ALBERT RIVER
			MACKS CREEK
			MERRIMAN CREEK
			REEDY CREEK
			TARRA RIVER
			TARWIN RIVER
			TIDAL RIVER
			TURTONS CREEK
			WILSONS PROMONTORY STREAMS
			AUSTRALIAN GRAYLING

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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South Gippsland Basin 27 East
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | RAMSAR | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS | AUSTRALIAN GRAYLING

Angling Waters of Victoria

The eastern section of Basin 27 has extensive forest, the wilderness area of Wilsons Promontory and numerous coastal inlets and estuaries. The terrain consists of forested mountains and hills in the northwest, and flat plains in the east with a flat coastal strip composed of dune complexes.

Farmland is used for grazing and some cropping. All the rivers rise in cleared or forested hills and have coarse substrates in their headwaters.

The high annual rainfall (1,000-1,400mm) in this area results in a reliable flow regime all year, despite the impact of the lower rainfall area (600-700mm annually) along the coast. The area is underlain by sedimentary and volcanic rock with unconsolidated deposits in the central plain and along the coastal dunes. Most major waterways are of a similar length (15 -25km) with the longest river being Merrimans Creek (60km).

The most widespread and abundant freshwater fish are eels, and galaxias species. There are no angling waters of particularly high recreational value. Access can be difficult and the lower reaches of most waterways have turbid water and mud/sand substrates. Angling species are mostly both species of eel, some tupong, a few river blackfish and some scattered populations of brown trout, Australian bass and estuary perch. The Agnes, Albert, Bruthen, Franklin, Tarra and Tidal Rivers and Merrimans Creek, have small estuaries which provide angling for a range of estuarine fish species.

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, manages stocking and fisheries policy. Compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact is managed by Gippsland Fisheries, DPI. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has classified the Albert River as a mixed species water upstream of Staceys Bidge and a native fish water downstream.

Tidal River is a native fish water and the Tarwin River is a mixed species water. The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority is responsible for land management. Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority control irrigation and rural diversion. The South Gippsland Region Water Authority controls urban water diversion. A Streamflow Management Plan is being developed for the Tarra River.

Diversions

Water is diverted for urban use from the Agnes River into a 50ML reservoir to supply Toora, from Deep Creek into a 50ML reservoir to supply Foster, from the Tarra River to Yarram and from Merrimans Creek to Seaspray.

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

The Tarra River has been listed as a Representative River of the geomorphic unit of South Gippsland Ranges and Riverine Plains. Mount Vereker Creek, in the centre of Wilsons Promontory National Park, has been listed as a Natural Catchment Area.

Ramsar Sites

Corner Inlet, which is the receiving body for most of the water flowing out of this Basin, is listed as a wetland 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

The small spiny crayfish, Euastacus neodiversus, is present on Wilsons Promontory.

Short-finned eel is the most widespread species. Three species of galaxiid are abundant with several creeks containing all three. Small numbers of Australian grayling have been found in four rivers. The most interesting feature is the large number of native fish species in most rivers and the scarcity of introduced fish. Brown trout are common in only a few waters and restricted to the headwaters in areas of fast-flowing water and coarse substrate.

The trout are usually small in size. Small numbers of Australian bass have been found in five waters. Estuary perch are more abundant and widespread with good populations in the lower reaches of several rivers. The most common and widespread angling species in the estuaries are yellow-eye mullet, flounder, luderick, black bream, Australian salmon, estuary perch and some sea mullet. Other species can occur at times.

Best Fishing Waters

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed Australian grayling and striped gudgeon as Vulnerable, Cox's gudgeon as Endangered and dwarf galaxias as Lower Risk. All these species are also listed in the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

Environmental Condition of Waterways

Almost all of the lower reaches of the waterways are generally in moderate to poor environmental condition because of clearing of native vegetation, channel modification works and poor management of stock and land on river frontages. Because of this the only remaining near pristine sections of waterways are in the Wilsons Promontory National Park, and in a few small streams in the headwaters of Macks and Bruthen Creeks.

However the upper reaches of several other creeks in forest, are still in good to excellent environmental condition. They include the headwaters of Deep and Griegs Creeks and the Franklin, Tarra and Albert Rivers. Approximately 30% of the minor streams are classified by the Department as being in good to excellent condition compared to only 6% of tributary or major streams.

© The State of Victoria