ASPECTS OF THE CULTURE-BASED FISHERY OF THE SHORTFINNED EEL, ANGUILLA-AUSTRALIS, IN WESTERN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

The Victorian eel fishery is based primarily on the shortfinned eel, A nguilla australis, and is essentially a culture-based fishery. The fis hery is highly regulated and adopts two basic strategies: stocking of glass eel and elvers caught in estuarine waters during their inland mi gration, and stocking of undersized, juvenile fish which are in poor c ondition when caught from various inland waters. The latter group is p opularly known as 'restock' fish. In the present study commercial catc h, effort and stocking data for 17 culture lakes in western Victoria ( 37 degrees 26'-38 degrees 15'S, 142 degrees 13'-134 degrees 06'E) were consulted with the view to improving the selection and management of culture lakes and their eel fishery. The database was used to explore the development of various yield-predictive models, incorporating diff erent morphometric data of the lakes and fishery data, and combination s thereof. Models depicting curvilinear relationships between the annu al mean fish yield per hectare of several lakes and their catchment ar ea: shoreline development (D-L) ratio (where D-L = s/2 root Pi A and A = lake surface area in km(2) and s = shoreline length in km), and mea n water surface area were the most valid statistically. While fish yie ld was most strongly correlated with surface area, other factors such as lake fertility may have had an important contribution. The effectiv eness of the stocking program was investigated using time-lapse analys is which was also used to estimate when elvers and larger 'restock' fi sh appear in the commercial catches. Whereas 'restock' eels entered at 1-5 years after stocking, elvers entered after 8-13 years. The mean y ield per hectare was linearly related to the stocking rate of 'restock ' eels. The preliminary results of elver stockings caution that a re-e valuation of this program may be necessary.