The member for Benambra dropped several buckets of golden perch fingerlings into the water as part of a major release overseen by the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries. It was the first time Mr Tilley had been part of a release with parliamentary duties preventing him from taking up previous invitations.

The release from boats which fanned out from Ludlows Reserve on the Victorian side of the lake followed the distribution of 60,000 fingerlings from nearby Kookaburra Point last month.

The fingerlings are aged about six weeks and will take 18 to 30 months to reach the legal catching size of 30 centimetres.