From THE DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

DUSKY FLATHEAD FISH FRAMES WANTED

Do you like catching dusky flathead?  Fisheries Victoria is seeking donations of dusky flathead fish frames from people who enjoy fishing around the Mallacoota estuary.

Senior Fisheries Officer, David Bull, said the fish frames – the remaining skeleton after fillets are removed – are needed by Fisheries Victoria scientists who are trying to better understand and manage dusky flathead stocks.

"The information collected from these frames will help us to learn about size composition of recreational catches, age structure, sex ratios and sexual maturity of these fish,” Mr Bull said.

To help with this research work:

• Simply fillet your fish leaving the head and gonads attached.
• To deposit fish, visit the Mallacoota Ampol service station.
• At the station freezer, fill in a tag including the date and location the fish was caught.
• Place fish and tag in the freezer.

For further information on this project, please contact David Bull on (03) 5161 9520 or Matt Ward from Fisheries Victoria Research Branch on (03) 5258 0227.