Malcolm Pearce, who played an instrumental role in establishing the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS), recalls it was launched to help community groups purchase fish fingerling (juvenile fish) stocks for recreational fishing and how the scheme has grown.
“The concept of a government program to help fund community fish stocking groups has been around for a long time, well before SIPS was started.
Historically, community-based stocking groups have struggled to raise funds for purchasing fish fingerlings. They’ve often relied on fundraising activities such as chook and meat tray raffles to stay afloat. A high turnover of members added to the challenge of keeping these groups viable, creating a constant battle for members to raise funds and stock fingerlings.
Many ideas were raised both internally and externally to the government around how funding and supply of fingerlings could improve.
This is where I came into the process in 1988. I was initially part of the production process for tropical fish species. I helped to transfer the technology to the fledgling industry and working with stocking groups to supply and release fingerlings to enhance their stocks.
Later, I also took on an extension officer role with the stocking groups in Northern Queensland. It was with this knowledge and representation that I was invited to be part of the initial group to advise on set up of the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme processes and allocation formula, a role that I continued in until 2012.
After all this work, my most memorable moment was the first cheques being sent to the stocking groups involved in the SIPS from the first release of funds. The allocation of funds had been debated a lot within the SIPS committee and externally within the stocking groups. To finally see that first cheque go out was a major achievement for all.
There’s been some memorable SIPS moments for me that are also worth noting.
After a few years of the SIPS running and having entered into a normal cyclic period of drought, we found that the funds being raised could not be spent in some locations. Consideration then was made as to what else SIPS funds could be used by the stocking groups. I remember there was much debate within the SIPS Subcommittee when we discussed this matter and what was on the list and not on the list and why.
Second is the expansion of the SIPS to include other impoundments. There were a number of stocking groups that did not want the impoundment they were stocking included on the SIPS for various reasons. The success of the first impoundments on the SIPS allowed other stocking groups to see that this process could be accepted by the community and bring benefit to their group.”
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Last updated: 12 Feb 2025