Lucy Stuart

What should leadership look like in the Murray-Darling Basin?

By Lucy Stuart November 13, 2023

As we move into the summer months in Australia, more of us will be enjoying our freshwater rivers. However, with the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) in the news again, I find myself revisiting the content from the Native Fish Forum held in Dubbo 2023. Not only was I inspired by the “People making fish happen”, but

Gaining some mussels – New developments in Glenelg Freshwater Mussel breeding

By Lucy Stuart October 31, 2023

Due to some heavy lifting by the Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) captive breeding of the critically endangered Glenelg Freshwater Mussels (Hyridella glenelgensis) is being trialled for the first time. All bad puns aside, this important work ultimately aims to help recover the mussels and prevent their extinction. Four Glenelg Freshwater Mussels. Source: Tim Fernando Mussel

How have Australian fish changed over the past few decades?

By Lucy Stuart October 20, 2023

Within the Murray Darling Basin (MDB), experts have estimated a decline in native fish abundance of ~90% since European settlement. Things such as changes to the hydrological regime, habitat degradation, river regulation and infrastructure, over-fishing, and impacts from alien species are all contributing to the ongoing decline (Koehn and Lintermans 2012; Lintermans 2013). Ongoing monitoring

A hook a day keeps the doctor away – New survey finds fishing contributes to wellbeing

By Lucy Stuart September 26, 2023

We know that Australians love to fish - the types of recreational fishers are vastly diverse across Australia, with fishing meaning something different for everyone. In 2000, the first national scale recreational fishing survey was conducted, estimating that 19.5% of Australians aged five and older recreationally fish (Henry and Lyle 2003). This number was substantially

Maccas in the Macquarie River

By Lucy Stuart September 18, 2023

Macquarie perch were once abundant in their namesake, the Macquarie River, yet are now extremely threatened throughout the Murray-Darling Basin.  The species is considered extinct in SA and endangered in NSW, VIC and ACT. Extinction is looming for this little fish, with only four isolated wild populations left in NSW, spanning less than a combined

The plight of Southern Pygmy Perch and the local efforts for recovery

By Lucy Stuart August 31, 2023

Once used as a common bait fish across the Murray-Darling Basin, the now threatened Southern Pygmy Perch (SPP) has now disappeared from most historically known locations. In NSW there are only three broad locations remaining located nearby the towns of Dalton, Holbrook and Albury. The upper Lachlan drainage near Dalton is the most far-north population

Monitoring and managing fishways – what happens after construction?

By Lucy Stuart August 3, 2023

Some time ago, we published an article about the fishways at the Koondrook and Cohuna weirs that were constructed in late 2021. More recently, we pondered on the development of performance standards for fishways and what a good fishway looks like. Although still in development, the researchers at Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) have been collecting

“People making fish happen” – what makes fish recovery actions successful?

By Lucy Stuart July 26, 2023

Here at Finterest, our work revolves around the recovery of our precious native fish, which are an invaluable cultural, ecological, social, and environmental resource. We do it because it’s important, and because we love it. And if you’re reading this, you probably love it too. At the Native Fish Forum in Dubbo this year, I

Trout and trout stocking: acknowledging the harm, finding the balance

By Lucy Stuart June 26, 2023

A long time ago in a galaxy (not so) far, far away ... aliens infiltrated the ranks of many native fish populations and risked their very survival. Fish may not be an alien concept to us, however, for Australia’s native flora and fauna, alien species pose a real threat. Native fish declines are a big

Rare footage of small-bodied fish in the wild!

By Lucy Stuart May 26, 2023

Recently our attention was grabbed by this stunning footage of galaxiids in the Mornington Peninsula area. We absolutely needed to know more! Read on for a short interview with the young videographer. Lucy: How old are you and where are you from? Henry: I am currently 18 years old and completing year 12. I live

Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon making a return

By Lucy Stuart April 28, 2023

If you’ve been following Finterest for a while, you may have noticed that we’ve been tracking the journey of the ‘Zombie Fish’ AKA the Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon (Mongurnda adspersa) - the fish being brought back from the brink. You may recall reading about Nature Glenelg Trust in Victor Harbour and the Middle Creek Farm

Are Golden perch sizes impacted by closeness to townships?

By Lucy Stuart April 24, 2023

Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) are one of the most desirable species within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). They are widely distributed and are a common large native fish in the MDB. The species can grow up to 23kg — however, most are typically less than 5kg. Their potential size makes them a popular fish for many