Anglers hooked on research

Fine catch: Although the NSW Mulloway Classic is a fishing competition, it also helps researchers at the University of NSW assess fish stocking strategies in the Richmond River.

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HOOK a mulloway when you wet a line this month in the Richmond River and you could be making a valuable contribution to scientific research.

For the past few years, the University of NSW has run the NSW Mulloway Classic.

Although it seems like any normal fishing competition, this one helps researchers at the university’s Fisheries and Marine Environmental Research Facility to assess stocking strategies, angler effort and contribution of stocked fish to catches.

A catch-and-release approach is being encouraged, but anglers can also choose to keep their catch.

Participants must fill out a log sheet for each fishing trip.

This includes the date, time spent fishing, how many people were there, whether you were in a boat or fishing from the shore, what bait was used and the location.

The number of fish caught – even if it was zero – must also be logged, as well as the length and weight of each fish.

Samples of the anal fin rays and scales from the body of the fish near the pectoral fin should also be collected.

Northern Rivers co-ordinator, Neil Adams, said the event was a ‘research project disguised as a fishing competition’.

“This is the third year it has been run on the Richmond River,” he said.

“Over the past few years there has been a fish stocking program here, and this is about seeing how those fish behave given that the river is open to the ocean.

“The university wants to see how many fish being caught are from the stocking program and how many are wild.

“Based on last two years, about one-in-three are from the stocking program.

“This year in the Richmond River we are seeing a lot more school mulloway than ever before.

“We’ve never seen numbers like this in the river.

“A lot of it is a direct result of the stocking program.

“It also shows that the health of the river is good, and that there are plenty of bait fish around.”

The 2010 NSW Mulloway Classic continues until November 30.

Between 30 and 50 people are expected to participate on the Northern Rivers.

Prizes are on offer for those submit catch sheets, even for ‘zero’ catches.

For more information or to register, visit www.nswmullowayclassic.com.au or call 9385 2118.

Registration and rules are also available from Brett Hyde at Ballina Bait and Tackle at the Ballina West Shopping Village and Neil Adams at 5 Star Video at Ballina Fair. Phone Neil on 6681 5462.