Over the past few years, native fish of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) have possibly faced more threats than at any other time. Fortunately, fish scientists and river managers are working together to build a comprehensive knowledge bank about fish life-history requirements that can now be used to design water for the environment strategies for amazing fish outcomes.
Against a backdrop of increasing water scarcity, a vision for water for the environment is to restore essential components of the natural flow regime to protect and recover native fish populations.
The CEWH’s Flow-MER Fish program, along with other current environmental flow studies, is working to uncover ways to deliver water to restore native fish communities. To understand the work being done, lets focus on Australia’s best-known riverine fish, the Murray cod, a large (commonly to 1.2 m long) enigmatic species with high cultural, recreational and conservation values. In recent years, a number of populations have been variably impacted by the cumulative effects of drought, water extraction, anoxic blackwater, loss of baseflows, and fire – culminating in unprecedented fish kills.
A beautiful Murray cod caught, measured and released back into Gunbower Forest. Photo: Arthur Rylah Institute
To recover these populations, we need a framework to help us design and implement flow regimes that specifically support the life-history of Murray cod. Scientists are currently testing important components of water for the environment to help river managers to design flow regimes which support Murray cod recovery, as well as enabling the transferability of learnings to other rivers.
For Murray cod recovery, four major flow elements have been identified:
Scooping up Murray cod larvae, recording and then returning to the river. Photo: Arthur Rylah Institute
This life-history based approach has enabled the CEWH and other environmental water managers to deliver flows for Murray cod in 2020, in many locations throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, including a 400 km reach of the Murray main channel (Yarrawonga to Torrumbarry), ~800 km of the lower Murray River, and a 500 km reach of the lower Darling River. These flow regimes, supported by water for the environment, were designed to enhance ecological outcomes for native fish. A number of smaller flow deliveries were also implemented in the lower Goulburn River, the mid/lower Murrumbidgee, the Gwydir and Lachlan rivers.
In some rivers, the Flow-MER fish team have found high numbers of Murray cod larvae present in spring 2020.
The survival of these larvae through to juveniles will be investigated across all target rivers during the 2021 annual Flow-MER fish sampling at seven selected areas throughout the Murray-Darling Basin.
In a few locations, where water for the environment has been used for several years, the Murray cod response, for both wild spawned and stocked fish, has strengthened recreational fisheries – such as in the lower Gunbower Creek. These results have encouraged broad community support since the Murray cod flow regime can usually be applied in rivers without any change in delivery services for other stakeholders.
Monitoring through the Flow-MER Fish theme, along with researchers in other studies have demonstrated solid native fish spawning in spring 2020. Further monitoring in 2021 will enable the survival of these young fish to also be evaluated. Researcher’s will analyse Basin-scale native fish outcomes using a suite of standard (i.e. boat electrofishing and larval nets) and more sophisticated techniques, such as otolith microchemistry and a consolidated dataset of thousands of tagged fish from around the MDB. Under the Flow-MER Program, researchers will also develop sophisticated mathematical fish population models to test various flow management scenarios around the Murray-Darling Basin, to prioritise the optimal flow regimes.
Over the past few years, native fish populations had to endure some dire environmental circumstances, however, we are learning more about how to help our fish, and through Flow-MER we are helping to guide flow management to maximise fish population recovery by implementing permanent flow regimes where possible. Murray cod spawning in response to watering, highlights the successful integration of river management and fish science to help achieve our native fish recovery vision.
For more information check out the recent scientific publications at the hyperlinks below:
Rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin historically supported unique and vibrant fish communities, but since European settlement, the distribution and abundance of our native fish has markedly declined. Water for the environment, along with complementary actions like putting logs back into rivers, are key to recovering fish like the iconic Murray cod and beautiful Purple spotted gudgeons. Work in the Fish Theme will evaluate the benefits Commonwealth environmental water provided to our native fish populations, and improve our understanding of the flow-relate ecology and population dynamics of native fish to ultimately inform environmental water management for fish outcomes in the future.
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The Flow-MER program team acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners as the First Peoples of the lands and waters of the Murray Darling Basin.
We recognise their unique ability to care for Country and their deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices.
We are committed to genuinely partner, and meaningfully engage, with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities to support the protection of Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond. In particular we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the seven Selected Areas where Flow-MER research is focussed.
Artwork credit: Wiradjuri Artist Rebecca Salcole
Artwork credit: Wiradjuri Artist Rebecca Salcole
The Goulburn River is known by several names as it travels first through Taungurung country in the hilly upper and middle reaches. Here, the river is called Waring.
As the river meanders downstream of Murchison and into the northern flatlands, the river winds through Yorta Yorta country and is called Kaiela, meaning ‘father of waters’. Eventually, the river flows to a confluence with the River Murray near Echuca. This confluence of rivers is known as Koninner.
We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners of the country this story has been written about, Taungurung and Yorta Yorta, and all the countries through which the Goulburn river flows. This story was written on Ngunnawal country. Sovereignty was never ceded, and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.