In late July 2021, 400 tagged wild adult brown trout were released into the River Derwent in the Dromedary area. Each of the trout have a single green coloured tag with a four digit number. This release of fish is part of a study to look at the movements, growth and population of brown trout in the River Derwent. It will also tell us how easy the trout are to catch. The study will run over two years.

Anglers who have caught a tagged trout collected a range of information for us, which included the tag number, capture location, and where possible the length and weight of the fish. They also reported how many other untagged trout they caught.

So far in the first year, 21 tagged trout have been caught by 18 anglers.  The tagged trout have been caught 2km south of the Meadowbank Dam (a distance of approximately 56km upstream from the release site) and off Riverside Drive (a distance of approximately 5km from the release site), in Bridgewater. Most of the tagged trout were caught in the New Norfolk and Boyer area of the River Derwent.

11 were caught in August, six caught in September, one caught in October, two caught in January, and one in March.  The 21 trout re-caught represents 5% of the total number of trout released, which suggests that these fish are not easy to catch.

Of the 18 anglers who caught a tagged trout, they also reported catching 48 untagged brown trout. In addition we collected information from other anglers who had fished the River Derwent. They reported a total of 173 brown trout none of which were tagged. This suggests that the River Derwent already has a very healthy population of wild brown trout. The tagged trout were caught using a variety of techniques, which included bait, trolling, and spin fishing.

We still want more information. For each green tag that is returned, your name will go into the draw for a Shimano graphite fishing rod and reel combo.

Please do not confuse these tagged fish with the Tasmanian Tagged Trout Promotion (three were released in the River Derwent), of which the tags are orange. These fish are worth $2000 each to the lucky angler. One of these has been caught and two still remain so keep an eye out!

Report tagged fish via email: infish@ifs.tas.gov.au OR phone 6165 3808

If you fish the River Derwent for trout, please contact us and we will send you a free IFS Tasmanian Inland Recreational Anglers Logbook so that you can record your catch. We are interested in both tagged and untagged brown trout, so even if you haven’t caught a tagged trout, your fishing information is important for managing this wonderful fishery!