Bathurst, Orange: Anglers asked to clean gear to protect Macquarie perch from EHNV

Anglers have been temporarily banned from fishing in parts of the state’s west because of a deadly virus outbreak. Here’s what you need to know.

Keen anglers have been banned from fishing in sections of the state’s western region, following a deadly virus outbreak in an effort to preserve native fish.

The Department of Primary Industries had announced a three-month fishing ban in the Central Tablelands region, in parts of the Winburndale Rivulet and its upstream tributaries, including Winburndale Dam, to reduce the spread of the deadly epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) and preserve the Macquarie perch.

The Murray-Darling population of the perch were once distributed throughout the upland reaches of rivers west of the Great Dividing Range, but have now become extinct from the Macquarie catchment.

The fish have been reintroduced into an isolated sub-catchment near Bathurst in a recovery effort.

Habitat and threatened species program leader Sam Davis said the virus had caused redfin perch deaths in Lake Wallace, Oberon Dam, Lake Burrendong and Waratah Dam in Orange.

“Macquarie Perch are extremely susceptible to the EHNV, so it’s important we take all the necessary precautions in order to protect this endangered native species,” Ms Davis said.

Macquarie Perch. Photo: NSW DPI

“While Macquarie Perch are vulnerable to this virus, importantly the virus is no threat to human health.”

North West Inland’s Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council representative Matt Hanson told The Dubbo News he has shown support for the snap closure to seek further protection for the endangered species.

“Any protective measure that can be put in place should be done so, as the population heads towards breeding size, maturity and natural recruitment, Mr Hanson said.

Matt Hanson. Photo: Supplied.

“For the fishes out there, we noticed that the red fin sizes really cycle – we’ll have a big round of fish that get up to three and four pounds of red fin in Burrendong and then we’ll notice those fish fade away after about a five-to-seven-year cycle.

Mr Hanson said anglers will notice a large drop in redfin numbers over the next couple of months.

He reminded fishers to thoroughly clean their gear when fishing from different dams or sections of rivers to prevent the unnecessary translocation of the virus.