Bagging ‘broodstock’ breeders to keep the barra flowing into Lake Kununurra

Every single barra released into Lake Kununurra was hatched and reared at North Regional TAFE’s (NRT) Broome Aquaculture Centre, with its aquaculture experts influential in the program’s success.

The stocking program exists because barra are unable to successfully reproduce in the freshwater lake – they require saltwater to complete the breeding process.

WATCH: See how barra broodstock are collected!

“We need to collect male barra for our maturation tanks at the Broome Aquaculture Centre so we can keep stocking fish into Lake Kununurra,” NRT’s Milton Williams explained.

“Barra are born as males, but transition into females at about 80cm. At the moment, we’re running out of males so we need to collect more while we’re here in Kununurra.”

The State Government has committed funds to the program over the next three years through the COVID-19 recreational fishing recovery package.

This will ensure the fishing enjoyed on the lake by East Kimberley locals and travelling anglers will continue to go from strength-to-strength.

Read the full story on Recfishwest’s website! (Link to the link: https://recfishwest.org.au/news/bagging-broodstock-breeders-to-keep-the-barra-flowing-into-lake-kununurra)