Fan favourite fish returns to Warren Reservoir

More than 10,000 fingerlings of the treasured Murray Cod have now been released into Warren Reservoir, after the popular fishing destination reopened to the public for on-water access last month.

The fingerlings were transported in aerated water tanks to the Barossa-based reservoir, where they were gently scooped into buckets and released into the water by SA Water’s rangers and volunteers.

The young Murray Cod join around 10,000 Golden Perch and Silver Perch fingerlings – including some larger fish up to around 15 centimetres in length – which were released into the reservoir in late September.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Environment and Energy James Crocker said the stocking will help to repopulate the reservoir with native fish, following work on the dam’s intake and scour valves.

“Ahead of this work, we relocated the reservoir’s native fish population to our nearby South Para Reservoir and took the opportunity to remove pest species – which we estimate included more than 40,000 fish collectively,” James said.

“Pleasingly, the relocation activity was the first time we’ve ever undertaken such a task and given its success, has now provided a blueprint for managing native fish populations if we need to temporarily lower a reservoir in the future.

“Warren Reservoir has long been a popular spot for anglers and our recent stocking activities will help reinstate recreational fishing for the community to enjoy once again.

“While the fingerlings adapt to their new home and grow in size, anglers may not see the usual level of bites when dropping a line in, so we encourage people to continue enjoying fishing at South Para Reservoir.

“Removing the pest fish from Warren will also give the reservoir’s young fish a greater chance to thrive, as they can impact the local ecosystem and native species through predation and competition for resources.

“We relocated two 15-kilogram Murray Cod before emptying the reservoir this year, which bodes well for how large our fingerlings may grow to in the future and gives anglers a worthy challenge to look forward to!”

Earlier this year, South Australia adopted new regulations for handling Murray Cod, with anglers now permitted to carefully lift these fish from the water to unhook before releasing them back into the body of water.

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