Victoria's Murray cod fisheries are in strong shape ahead of the annual season opening, according to a monitoring program funded in part by recreational fishing licence fees.
Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said the Native Fish Report Cards, developed in partnership with Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI), delivered insights into cod populations in four key waterways.
"Cod season opens Monday, 1 December and there's good news for anglers planning summer trips to the Goulburn, Ovens and Lindsay rivers and Gunbower Creek," he said.
"The report cards paint a picture of how these fisheries are travelling and feature insights such as the percentage of legal-size fish and whether recent breeding has occurred."
The annual report cards are informed by ARI survey work, using electrofishing and fyke nets to assess populations of Murray cod and other native species in 10 systems statewide.
The Ovens River again scored top marks this year, with the highest abundance of fish and percentage – one in four – within the 55-75 centimetre legal size range, known as the 'slot limit'. The Ovens has led the way since report card surveys began in 2017, and regular breeding within the system means fish stocking is not required to keep populations strong.
Signs were also positive in the Gunbower Creek, with the resident cod population in 2025 the second highest since surveys began. Most fish caught were one or two-year-old fish (between 10-20cm) and are likely to be some of the 192,000 cod released there since 2022.
The Gunbower's reputation as a trophy cod fishery was also bolstered, with the largest fish caught in this year's surveys at 113cm and a whopping 26.7 kilograms.
The Lindsay River system, where cod have been found to grow faster than elsewhere in Victoria, continued its recovery from flooding in 2022 with an uptick in numbers of juvenile cod, while the Goulburn recorded a slight increase on 2024 survey numbers with evidence of recent recruitment meaning breeding is occurring naturally within the system.
"The data helps fisheries managers assess which waters may benefit from our record-breaking fish stocking program and where natural recruitment is occurring," Mr Dowling said.
"A combination of factors including stocking millions of Murray cod into Victorian waters each year, more fish habitat, better handling by anglers and effective bag and size limits are playing a part in improving cod fishing for everyone right across the state."
Anglers can delve deeper into the report cards at https://bit.ly/ARIreportcards while catch limit information for Murray cod can be accessed via the free VicFishing app.
