VFA chief executive officer Travis Dowling said it was one of two opportunities each year for people to tour the facility, ask questions of expert staff, feed trout and view plans for a new conservation hatchery and Macquarie perch captive breeding centre to grow and stock more threatened species.
“The event has long been a hit with families, and there will once again be plenty to see and do for fishing fanatics young and old,” Mr Dowling said.
He said it came after the recent successful open day at the Arcadia hatchery near Shepparton, and “it’ll take you behind the scenes to find out how native fish and trout are grown and stocked”.
Guided tours will enable people to explore the Snobs Creek site, ask questions of VFA staff and see how fish are bred and grown — from egg sorting to watching catchable-size trout swimming in races and feeding large trout broodstock held in ponds.
A pop-up cinema with free popcorn will screen a short movie about the hatchery, attendees can try virtual reality fishing and there’s fishy educational activities with free showbags for kids to take home.
Open day visitors will also hear from staff on the work being done to protect threatened native fish and how research, habitat improvement, flood recovery programs and translocations are making a positive difference.
Families are encouraged to make a weekend of it by combining a visit to Snobs Creek with casting a line into Lake Eildon, the nearby pondage or the Goulburn River.
The Snobs Creek hatchery first opened in 1948 and now produces more than two million fish annually including Murray cod, Macquarie perch, trout cod, and rainbow and brown trout, and is home to Australia’s only breeding population of Chinook salmon.
A new Macquarie perch captive breeding centre is being planned for the site as part of a $15 million investment from the Victorian Government into the VFA’s hatcheries at Snobs Creek and Arcadia, which will see increased production of Macquarie perch, trout cod and other threatened species.
The Snobs Creek hatchery is located at 455 Goulburn Valley Hwy, Eildon, and will be open from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Sunday, May 5.
For more information, go to: https://www.vfa.vic.gov.au/snobsopenday
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