Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders witnessed the benefits of the new traps firsthand during a demonstration by members of the Department of Primary Industries.

"'Opera house' style yabby traps pose a risk to air breathing animals such as platypus, water rats and turtles, which can find themselves caught and unable to free themselves," Mr Saunders said.

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"By moving away from 'opera' style traps to open-top yabby nets, we will allow both our fishing resources and native animal populations to flourish, with the open top nets allowing mammals to exit through the top, unlike opera house traps which only have openings on the sides."

"The NSW Government has been transitioning to open-top nets for some time, and the new nets will now be in place following consultation with, and support from, the NSW Recreational Fishing Advisory Council."

The proposal, and giveaway are both part of a plan to have fishers phase out the old gear by April 30.

"We want to give fishers has much time as possible to make sure they're aware of the new rules and ensure they have the right equipment," Mr Saunders said.

To collect a free open-top yabby net, please phone (02) 6051 7760.

The department and Mr Saunders met at the banks at the Sandy Beach reserve on Thursday in order to release several thousand fish back into the river system.

Bags filled up with juvenile yellowbellies were emptied back into the river water as part of the Department of Primary Industries commitment to restocking native fish species.

The dispersal was the final step in a plan to release 228,000 of the fish back into local riverways that began earlier this year, at the start of March.

"More than 228,000 is simply a mammoth number of fish," Mr Saunders said.

"It's even better that these Golden Perch have all gone into waterways in the Dubbo, Mudgee and Wellington regions, and on top of that, they're Australian natives. This is fantastic news."

Mr Saunders described the restocking effort as 'crucial' to the recovery of the waterways in the wake of the drought.

"This will help to ensure our waterways remain fully stocked of healthy fish, now and into the future," Mr Saunders said.

"The juveniles released into the Macquarie River were actually bred from fish rescued from this very same waterway during the drought."

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