Fish stocking is a valuable fisheries management tool used across Australia and internationally that can help recover threatened fish species and enhance recreational fishing outcomes. The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) stocks approximately 10 million fish annually across Victoria into more than 245 waterways. The recreational fish stocking program encompasses 12 species of large-bodied fish and is comprised of four introduced salmonid species and eight native fish species. The fish stocking program has played a crucial role in re-establishing threatened Macquarie perch and trout cod populations in Victoria, with trout cod considered extinct in Victorian waters by 1980, and Macquarie perch reduced to several small, fragmented populations. Following the launch of state fisheries agency breeding programs, these species have been stocked over the last several decades into several Victorian waterways and in combination with other fisheries management activities, particularly habitat restoration and fisheries regulations, have re-established populations in the Ovens and Goulburn rivers with natural recruitment of stocked fish detected in the “Native Fish Report Card” annual surveys. This presentation will discuss the successful recovery of these threatened species in Victoria and highlight how dedicated fish stocking programs can create or enhance recreational fisheries include creating destination drawcards like the Lake Eildon Murray cod fishery.