Victorian anglers who’ve always dreamed about bagging a barramundi will have their first chance today now the Hazelwood Pondage has re-opened to recreational fishers.
Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing officially opened the pondage today which is a first for Southern Australia, attracting attention from anglers throughout regional Victoria and even as far as Queensland.
More than 14,000 people registered their interest in the Barra Ballot for the new fishery in its first week, which includes boat-based fishers and kayaks to ensure a quality angling experience.
A maximum of 25 boats are permitted per day, however, there are no limits on the number of shore-based fishers who can cast in a line and try their luck.
The daily bag limit is one barramundi per person and independent testing has confirmed consumption is safe at recommended levels of two to three serves per week.
Monitoring of the stocked barramundi has revealed specimens over 6kg with greater numbers of smaller fish that will provide exciting fishing opportunities for experts and beginners alike.
Stocking barramundi into Hazelwood Pondage was part of the Andrews Labor Government’s Target One Million plan for recreational fishing, which aims to get more people fishing, more often, and grow participation to one million by 2020.
The Labor Government is investing $46 million towards recreational fishing to get more people enjoying the benefits of an active outdoor pastime that’s good for mental health, good for relationships and good for regional towns that depend in tourism.
The ballot for boating anglers on Hazelwood during December is now fully allocated, however anglers can still register interest until Wednesday 14 December 2016 for fishing days between 1 January and 31 March 2017 by visiting
Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford
“This is big news for anglers across the nation that have been vying to get a chance to bag a barra. For those who had doubts, our barra fishery is truly amazing.”
“The creation of a barramundi fishery in Victoria will provide new fishing opportunities for locals and keen anglers throughout the state, adding to our diverse range of great angling destinations.”
Quote attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing
“It doesn’t get much better than this – the opening of the Hazelwood barra fishery is great news for the Latrobe Valley and great news for regional Victoria, bringing more people to the Valley more often and enjoying the great outdoors.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020