Millions of juvenile eastern king prawns will be released along the NSW coastline this summer, in the start of a stocking program that could end years of frustrated, fishless angling.
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Freshwater streams have been stocked for 50 years to maintain a lucrative recreational industry, but despite advances in aquaculture, marine fisheries restocking remains in its infancy.
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said following research, 4 million juvenile eastern king prawns would be released at 10 locations, including the south coast's Burrill Lake and Lake Conjola.
The sought-after eastern king prawns would be stocked from Eden in the south up to Old Bar near Myall Lakes, Ms Hodgkinson said.
''Plans are also under way to initiate mulloway stocking in the future,'' Ms Hodgkinson said. ''This will require wild-caught broodstock and acclimatising the fish to hatchery conditions before being ready to spawn.
''This program of stocking of fish and prawns in estuarine environments follows on from previous research trials of stocking mulloway and prawns, which evaluated ecological aspects and effectiveness of marine stockings.''
An environmental impact statement in 2011 prepared for Primary Industries shortlisted yellowfin bream, mulloway, dusky flathead, sand whiting, eastern king prawn, giant mud crab and blue swimmer crab from a large number of potential candidates.
They are considered suitable because of their biology and ecology and are popular recreational species which could be produced in aquaculture facilities in suitable quantities.
Studies have indicated hatchery-released juveniles of a variety of fish and invertebrate species are able to survive in the wild and increase overall abundance of species.
But there is uncertainty about whether the increased stocked species would displace other species with similar food or habitat requirements.
Appropriate stocking rates for each approved species and estuary would need to be determined, and fishing catch and effort would be monitored. Stocking would be timed in relation to natural life cycles and species recruitment patterns.
Researchers warn that intensive rearing of juveniles in hatcheries can potentially create a favourable climate for amplification of pathogens.
The environmental impact statement said marine stocking aimed to enhance recreational fishing through harvest stocking of native fish, recognised as ''recruitment limited''.
Ms Hodgkinson said recreational fishing generated about $1.6 billion in expenditure to the NSW economy and created about 14,000 jobs. Money raised through the sale of recreational fishing fees was invested back in projects for recreational anglers.
