Currently, the inability to consistently produce Macquarie perch from captive held broodstock is severely constraining its recovery. Being able to captively breed Macquarie perch will firstly save the species from extinction from a conservation standpoint and secondly, re-establish recreational fisheries for Macquarie perch across its former range in Victoria, NSW and ACT. Establishing captive breeding may also provide new and unique opportunities for aquaculture in Australia for the commercial production of Macquarie perch, suitable for the restaurant industry, akin to Murray cod.

This proposal details four key focus areas of research and development to achieve captive breeding of Macquarie perch within three years, such that Government and in the future, private aquaculture hatcheries, can adopt commercial production of the species. The project seeks $698,630 of investment from FRDC and is supported with over $3 million of co-investment (including matching $605,000 cash and $2.41 million in-kind) from 9 partners across Victoria, NSW, Qld, and ACT. The project aligns with the FRDC R&D Plan 2020-2025, as well as priorities, actions and outcomes in other key national and state plans (Table 4).