Visitors at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre Open Day this Saturday will have the opportunity to see first-hand the important work done at the facility to research, enhance and protect native fish and fisheries in NSW.

Activities will include kids fishing, hatchery and aquaria tours, research displays and the chance to meet Agro the famous Murray Cod.

There are also site tours aboard the Lions train, food from local vendors and lucky door prizes.

DPI Deputy Director General Fisheries, Sean Sloan, said the centre was opened as a research centre to study the breeding biology and ecology of native freshwater fish, but has since evolved to fulfil a number of roles including river management, conservation stocking, biodiversity surveys, aquaculture and community education.

“Narrandera Fisheries Centre is the only native freshwater fish research and hatchery facility in the Murray-Darling Basin,” Mr Sloan said.

“It plays a key role in breeding and conservation, as well as research into native and introduced species, and has been at the forefront of this field since it first opened in 1962.

“There’s 35 hectares of land, 50 ponds and 30 staff based at Narrandera Fisheries Centre, and it also houses a fully operational hatchery which is central to the NSW Government’s Native Fish Restocking Program.

“The hatchery has been pivotal in supporting freshwater fish stocking in this State, with over 56 million fish produced at the site stocked to waters across NSW during its operation.

“DPI produces and stocks Murray Cod and Golden Perch as well as Silver Perch and the endangered Trout Cod.

“Each year, up to two million native fish are stocked into NSW waterways after being produced at the Narrandera hatchery. This includes key species such as Murray Cod and Golden Perch which support important recreational freshwater fisheries across the State.

“In addition, we have some of the state’s best fisheries scientists working on a range of innovative projects including the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect rare and threatened species, research into population genetics and ageing studies to inform native fish management.

“We’d love to see the community come out and join us on October 14, from 10am-2pm.”

Visitors are asked to register their attendance via Eventbrite. Registration is free and can be done online at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/narrandera-fisheries-centre-open-day-tickets-715004817657. For more information on the Narrandera Fisheries Centre, please visit NSW DPI website https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/dpi/about-us/research-and-development/centres/narrandera-fisheries-centre.

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 12 October 2023.