Fishing & Aquaculture

		Angling Waters of the Corangamite Basin
			CORANGAMITE BASIN MAP (PDF 104Kb)
			BULLEN MERRI LAKE
			COLAC LAKE
			COLONGULAC LAKE
			CORAGULAC LAKE
			CORANGAMITE LAKE
			ETTRICK LAKE
			GNARPURT LAKE
			JUBILEE DAM
			LISMORE GOLF COURSE DAM
			TOOLIOROOK LAKE
			WOADY YALOAK RIVER

A Guide to the Inland Angling Waters of Victoria
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Corangamite Basin 34
MANAGEMENT | DIVERSIONS | HERITAGE | FISH STOCKING | BEST FISHING WATERS | THREATENED FISH | ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Lake Bullen Merri

There are scattered areas of low mixed species forest in the northern hills and southwest of Lake Corangamite but the remainder of the basin is all grazing or broad acre cropping. There is no riparian tree cover except along the upper Woady Yaloak River and sections of Kuruc-A-Ruc Creek. There are only three good fishing lakes (Tooliorook, Colac and Bullen Merri).

Management

Fisheries Victoria, DPI, coordinates stocking and policy. South West Fisheries, DPI, manages compliance with fisheries regulations and angler contact. The Victorian Inland Fisheries Strategy has classified Lake Bullen Merri as a quality salmonid water, Lake Colac as a mixed species fishery and commercial eel fishery and Lake Tooliorook as a salmonid water and also as a commercial eel fishery. Barwon Region Water Authority is responsible for urban water diversion. Gippsland & Southern Rural Water Authority for farm and irrigation water diversion. Corangamite Catchment Management Authority is responsible for catchment management.

Diversions

Water diverted from Basin 35 is transferred via the Otway system to a storage within Basin 34, Donald's Hill Reservoir (222ML) then to Camperdown. From the Otway system direct to Lismore and Derrinallum and from Ettrick Springs within Basin 34 to Lismore.

Heritage River Areas, Natural Catchment Areas and Representative Rivers

None in this Basin.

Ramsar Sites

Lake Beeac, Lake Corangamite, Lake Colongulac, Lake Cundare, Lake Gnarpurt, Lake Milangil and Lake Terangpom 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

## these species were stocked into Lake Bullen Merri in the late 1990's. Some individuals could still be present.

Threatened Fish Species

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has listed Yarra pygmy perch as Lower Risk-near threatened in Victoria and it is also listed under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Environmental Condition of Waterways

The Department has classified Woady Yaloak Creek in mostly moderate environmental condition with good red gum cover along the banks. However some sections are in poor condition with grazed banks and erosion. Most of the other waterways are in poor condition with pasture or willows along the banks and erosion problems. No sites were found to be in good environmental condition. Salinity is the major surface water problem in this Basin. It is significantly higher during summer and generally at an undesirable level for offstream water use.

© The State of Victoria