On This Day - May 4th 1864
The first trout eggs introduced to Australia begin to hatch.
The term "trout" covers a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Trout are much sought after for fishing and eating, but where they have been introduced, they have created a threat to native species.
Trout were first introduced to Australia in 1864. On 21 January of that year, the clipper 'Norfolk' departed England with 90,000 Salmon eggs and 2,700 Brown trout eggs, arriving in Melbourne on 15 April 1864. Eighty percent of the eggs had survived the journey, so they were then transported to Tasmania, to the site of Salmon Ponds Hatchery (established in 1862), the first salmon and trout hatchery in the Southern Hemisphere, at the Plenty River. This site was selected for the hatchery, as the Plenty River had suitably cold water and fed into the Derwent, which would allow the young fish a clear passage to the sea. The first trout hatched on 4 May 1864, and the salmon hatched the following day. These fish became the base stock for streams and lakes in Australia and New Zealand.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, trout had been introduced to virtually all water catchments capable of supporting them in Australia. Several other native species have suffered a decline as a result of introducing the trout, in particular the Barred Galaxias and Mountain Galaxias, as well as the Spotted tree frog. Today in Tasmania, trout are now the only fish species in many waters.