Murray cod provide some fantastic flyfishing opportunities. Victorian fisheries managers have reviewed the existing regulations for cod and proposed changes to catch limits designed to significantly improve stocks. Basically, the main changes would be to the slot limit, which would shift from the present 60 - 100 cm to 50 - 70 cm; and the daily river bag limit, which would reduce from 2 fish to one. Anglers have until 29 August to provide feedback about the changes. Here's some of what the Fisheries Victoria press release says:
'Fisheries Victoria Executive Director Ross McGowan said comprehensive modelling had informed the review and suggested Murray cod populations, and stocks available to anglers for harvest, would be much better off under a new slot limit of 50 cm to 70 cm and a reduced daily bag limit of one fish in rivers. “Narrow slot limits are increasingly used around the world to improve the sustainability of long-lived fish and the quality of fishing for anglers,” Mr McGowan said. “The current 60 cm to 100 cm slot limit has improved Murray cod populations over recent years, but scientifically-based fine tuning could do even more. A slot limit of 50 cm to 70 cm would prohibit the harvest of Murray cod larger than 70 cm while allowing the limited take of smaller fish between 50 cm and 70 cm. The research suggests that over 15 years, this would significantly improve the sustainability of the fishery, the number of harvestable Murray cod and the number of trophy fish longer than one metre."
Murray cod are an increasingly popular fly target.
“Murray cod take around 10 years to grow from 60cm to 100cm. Under current regulations they remain vulnerable to harvest for this period.
“However, Murray cod grow faster when young, taking around three years to grow from 50cm to 70cm, so are vulnerable to recreational harvest for less time. Larger Murray cod are older and more experienced breeders, produce more eggs and contribute more to future generations, so it makes sense to protect their reproductive capacity long-term. The proposed 50cm minimum length would permit anglers to harvest Murray cod at a size better suited to the table (around 2.3kg) and without the unpalatable fat that larger cod are known for.
The reduced daily bag limit for rivers is designed to further protect large breeding fish and encourage natural breeding. The bag limit in lakes would remain unchanged at two, given many lake fisheries are stocked annually with Murray cod fingerlings and are thus much less reliant on natural breeding.”
Murray cod take a long time to reach large sizes and as with many angling species, these big fish are the most valuable breeders.A public meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday 6 August at the Bendigo Legion Angling Club at 7pm. Anglers are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposals and remember, supporting submissions are very important to help positive fisheries management proposals like this get up - there is sure to be significant opposition. Submissions close on Friday 29 August, 2014. Learn more at www.depi.vic.gov.au/murraycodslots
