A restocking program by the Narrandera Fisheries Centre has resulted in a release of 10,000 golden perch fingerlings into Lake Talbot.

Centre hatchery manager Matthew McLellan and staff member Lachie Jess released the fingerlings last week at Rocky Water Holes under a restocking program funded by the NSW Government’s Fresh Water Fish Stocking program and Recreational Fishing Licence trust.

Mr McLellan said the batch of eight to 10-week-old golden perch were one of last releases of the year to come out of the Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

Lake Talbot was stocked with 4000 Murray Cod fingerlings in January.

“We have also stocked a number of lakes, dams and rivers from Pindari Dam in the north to Lake Mulwala in the south, with Murray Cod, Golden Perch and Silver Perch,” Mr McLellan said.

“We are coming to the end of our stocking season soon.”

Mr McLellan said the entire state was within a single genetic zone for golden perch brood stock.

“The golden perch released in to Lake Talbot were from brood stock we got from the Murray River.”

The brood stock are given a hormone injection to induce spawning and the golden perch larvae are introduced to outdoor ponds filled with plankton.

After six to eight weeks, the pond is drained and fingerlings captured for counting, a health check and quarantining for 24 hours.

“In that time, they grow from a few mm up to 40mm and that’s when we harvest them,” he said.

“If the water quality where they are going to is significantly different, we take the time to acclimate them before release.

“In 18 months to two years, these fish will be big enough for people to start catching them.

“From birth to fingerling we have a 30 per cent survival rate in golden perch larvae.

“In the wild, a golden perch female will produce 250,000 eggs but survival rates are incredibly low.

“In our brood ponds, we have five pairs contributing equally to encourage genetic diversity in the restockings.’’

The breeding program returns in September with fingerlings ready for restocking in late November.

Mr McLellan said the new ponds were now operational and a new hatchery was due to be completed for opening in 2022.

He said the John Lake visitors centre has now been reopened for several months following COVID.