Australian Trout Foundation

Wild Trout Fishery Survey

Attention all passionate trout fishers – although some of our Wild Trout Streams are fishing well; as such we need your input to help protect and maintain our wild trout fishery.
Threats to our Wild Trout include increased water and ambient air temperatures, low flows and habitat degradation due to past and present mining and logging practices, and the failure to fence off damaging stock access to streams. In addition to the above, there are bushfires and scouring floods, past human intervention with dams and weirs that influence natural flows and the passage of fish.

Please note
While many of the factors above have negative impacts on all fish, this survey is related specifically towards our Wild Trout Fishery, that is, streams that have self-recruiting populations of Wild Trout that don’t rely on stocking by fisheries with hatchery fish to supplement trout numbers.

We need your views
Your opinions and ideas as trout anglers who fish our iconic Australian Wild Trout streams are of major importance to us at the Australian Trout Foundation so that we can work to further protect these special locations and their fish on your behalf.
Please take some time to share your views in maintaining, protecting and enhancing our Wild Trout Fishery.

Survey Assistance

Please direct any queries to:

Paul Stolz via email: secretary@atfonline.com.au or
Terry George via email: president@atfonline.com.au

Thank you for your time to complete of this survey. It is greatly appreciated and the results will be posted on the ATF website and Facebook page in early February. However, the main reasons for the survey is to submit the results to the Steering Committee of the Draft Victorian Wild Trout Fishery Strategic Plan, which is currently open for public comment until end February 2020. If you don’t already have a copy of the draft plan, it is available on the ATF website (here) and we encourage you to also send relevant comments to the addresses therein.

Prize Draw

Trevor Hawkins is an Australian angling and wildlife artist, an avid trout angler who is passionate about our “wild trout” and the habitat in which they live. Every person who completes the WILD TROUT SURVEY will automatically go into a draw to win one of 5 signed donated prints from the selection of Trevor’s wild trout art.
In addition to the above, the angling club that gets the greatest number of members to complete the survey and nominate their club will receive a set of 3 wild trout prints to do with as they please.

To see the prints click here

Survey closes 15th February 2020

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* 1. Your Contact details to go into the Hawkins Prints Draw:

First

Surname

Phone

Postcode

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* 2. Are you a member of an Angling Club?

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* 3. What is the Angling Club name?

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* 4. How many years have you been a fisher?

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* 5. What is your primary method of fishing?

Bait

Lure - soft plastic

Lure - hard body

Fly fisher

All

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* 6. What are your favourite Wild Trout Streams (the streams you fish)

	Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Have not fished this water
Acheron	Acheron Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Acheron Have not fished this water
Buckland	Buckland Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Buckland Have not fished this water
Buffalo	Buffalo Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Buffalo Have not fished this water
Delatite	Delatite Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Delatite Have not fished this water
Howqua	Howqua Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Howqua Have not fished this water
Jamieson	Jamieson Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Jamieson Have not fished this water
Kiewa	Kiewa Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Kiewa Have not fished this water
King	King Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	King Have not fished this water
Latrobe	Latrobe Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Latrobe Have not fished this water
Macalister	Macalister Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Macalister Have not fished this water
Mitta	Mitta Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Mitta Have not fished this water
Nariel	Nariel Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Nariel Have not fished this water
Ovens	Ovens Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Ovens Have not fished this water
Rose	Rose Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Rose Have not fished this water
Rubicon	Rubicon Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Rubicon Have not fished this water
Steavenson	Steavenson Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Steavenson Have not fished this water
Tanjil	Tanjil Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Tanjil Have not fished this water
Tarwin	Tarwin Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Tarwin Have not fished this water
Thomson	Thomson Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Thomson Have not fished this water
Toorongo	Toorongo Preferred Wild Trout Fishing Stream	Toorongo Have not fished this water

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Do you actively fish for Wild Trout?

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* 8. How many days do you fish for Wild Trout in a season

less than 5 days

6 - 10 days

11-20 days

21 - 30 days

more than 30 days

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* 9. How do you rate your Wild Trout fishing days over the last 12 months?

Poor

Average

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Poor

Average

Good

Very Good

Excellent

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* 10. Would you say the Wild Trout numbers are

Unsatisfactory

Satisfactory

Better than previous 12 months

Worse than previous 12 months

Other (please specify)

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* 11. What is your rationale for the above answer? Select 1 answer or place comments below.

Trout low in abundance

Trout high in abundance

Lower water temperatures

Higher water temperatures

Low river flow

Good river flow

Habitat degradation

Good habitat

Open access by farm stock

Limited livestock access to water

please specify reasons or comments

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* 12. What is the average size Wild Trout caught?

% under 25cm

% over 25cm

% over 40cm

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* 13. Do you support a minimum size limit for wild trout?

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* 14. If you answered Yes to the above question, what would you consider as a suitable size?

22cm

25cm

Other (please specify)

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* 15. Do you support different bag/size limits across certain Wild Trout streams? eg, ‘Blue Ribbon streams’ – catch & release only, lure & fly only, single hook lures.

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* 16. Rate the importance of the following Wild Trout Fishery issues:

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* 17. Would you be willing to do volunteer work towards helping to protect and maintain our valuable Wild Trout fishery? Eg. tree planting, weed control, maintenance, rubbish removal or serve on ATF project sub-committees

Australian Trout Foundation

Wild Trout Fishery Survey

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* 1. Your Contact details to go into the Hawkins Prints Draw:

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* 2. Are you a member of an Angling Club?

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* 3. What is the Angling Club name?

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* 4. How many years have you been a fisher?

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* 5. What is your primary method of fishing?

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* 6. What are your favourite Wild Trout Streams (the streams you fish)

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* 7. Do you actively fish for Wild Trout?

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* 8. How many days do you fish for Wild Trout in a season

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* 9. How do you rate your Wild Trout fishing days over the last 12 months?

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* 10. Would you say the Wild Trout numbers are

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* 11. What is your rationale for the above answer? Select 1 answer or place comments below.

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* 12. What is the average size Wild Trout caught?

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* 13. Do you support a minimum size limit for wild trout?

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* 14. If you answered Yes to the above question, what would you consider as a suitable size?

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* 15. Do you support different bag/size limits across certain Wild Trout streams? eg, ‘Blue Ribbon streams’ – catch & release only, lure & fly only, single hook lures.

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* 16. Rate the importance of the following Wild Trout Fishery issues:

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* 17. Would you be willing to do volunteer work towards helping to protect and maintain our valuable Wild Trout fishery? Eg. tree planting, weed control, maintenance, rubbish removal or serve on ATF project sub-committees

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* 18. Do you have any further comments on the Wild Trout Strategic Plan for 2020 - 2025?