Video: Snapper release at location of fish kill

RECFISHWEST released 100,000 juvenile snapper into Cockburn Sound on the weekend under the Snapper Guardians program.

Cockburn Sound was the site of a recent mass fish kill, where an algal bloom was responsible for the death of over 700 snapper, of which many were large breeding fish.

The fishing community showed tremendous support in raising the $25,000 that was required to release 100,000 snapper back into the region to give the species a boost after the deaths.

In fact a total of $36,000 was raised and the rest will be put towards similar releases in the future.

The snapper were all released with a 40mm minimum length, which is a feature of the program and contributes to a much higher survival rate than smaller fingerlings.

The fish have also been marked with a non-toxic dye so that they can be identified upon recapture.

More information can be found on the RecFishWest website.