Painkalac Reservoir stocked with perch

BARWON Water and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) have joined forces to stock Painkalac Reservoir with 7,000 native estuary perch.

The reservoir was opened for recreational use in April, and Cats superstar (and Moggs Creek resident) Patrick Dangerfield was on hand to help with the stocking of fingerlings earlier this month.

While the fingerlings are now only a few centimetres long, they will be a drawcard for recreational anglers once grown, providing broad fishing opportunities close to several population centres.

The boost in estuary perch stock is in line with the state government’s Target One Million campaign to get more Victorians fishing, more often and increase participation to one million anglers by 2020.

As a part of this campaign, the VFA is on track to stock five million fish by April next year.

Barwon Water managing director Tracey Slatter said the collaboration between Barwon Water and the Victorian Fisheries Authority aligned with Barwon Water’s 2030 Strategy vision of creating recreational and wellbeing opportunities for community benefit.

“Strategic partnerships form a significant part of our future plans, and by leveraging our assets for shared community use, prosperity in the region can grow.

“The reservoir is opened to the public for walking, bird watching, horse riding, bicycle riding and recreational fishing and we are excited to be able to share the natural beauty of the area with visitors.”

Painkalac Reservoir previously supplied Aireys Inlet and Fairhaven but was taken out of service when the towns were connected to the Geelong supply system via a pipeline from Anglesea in May, 2016.

The reservoir is now a Barwon Water-owned community use recreational asset and incorporates facilities such as picnic tables and interpretive signage for mixed community use.