Flows for fish

Category

E-water supporting native fish populations

By Marlene the Murray cod July 10, 2023

From the mighty Murray cod to the beloved Golden perch, some of our favourite native species have enjoyed the benefits of learnings gathered from the Flow Monitoring, Evaluation and Research program (Flow-MER). The program uses research to investigate how water for the environment can be used to enhance specific parts or processes of the fish

What have the recent floods meant for the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth?

By Kate McKenna April 5, 2023

Recent floods flowing down the Murray River have well and truly reached the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Mouth of the Murray. All 593 openings across 5 barrages, which for the last 80 years have controlled flows at the Mouth of the Murray, were fully open over the summer, with freshwater, saltwater, fish and other creatures

Hume Dam photographed from above on a bright sunny day, with a small flow visible.

Attraction flow supporting native fish migration

By Kate McKenna March 27, 2023

‘Flow hydrodynamics’, ‘turbulent kinetic energy’, ‘rheotactic behaviour’ - whilst these terms might not mean much to you, they are essential parts of native fish migration in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin is one of the most regulated river systems in the world, home to over 10,000 barriers preventing fish from migrating. These barriers

The Menindee Main Weir is open in December 2022.

Making the Connection: Providing Temporary Fish Passage at the Menindee Lakes

By Iain Ellis February 3, 2023

Fish Movement Weirs and regulators in rivers and lakes can impede or block the movement of native fish, impacting their ability to migrate and move to suitable feeding or breeding areas. While all fish need to move around to some degree, ‘flow-specialists’ like Golden perch and Silver perch need to move along rivers as part

Microplastics in Australian freshwater fish

By Kate McKenna December 19, 2022

Microplastics are a global problem, infiltrating all levels of food systems and ecosystems. Now a multi-level governance issue, reaching across international, national and local scales, microplastics are most known for their impact on oceanic ecosystems, however, freshwater ecosystems are equally significantly impacted by plastics. Microplastics have been noticeably less researched in freshwater ecosystems compared to

Guide: Golden perch rehabilitation after a major fish kill

By Kate McKenna November 14, 2022

Like many other important native freshwater fish species within the Murray Darling Basin, Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) were immensely impacted by the 2018-19 fish kills in the lower Darling River.  A 2021 study involving 18 researchers (by Zampatti et.al) looked into the species’ historical and current population demographics in the Darling River. The study provided guidance on how best to manage our

How agencies in the Murray-Darling Basin will support fish populations this summer?

By Kate McKenna November 12, 2022

With a wet summer already here and more rain on the horizon, how will water managers and agencies within the Murray-Darling Basin be supporting rivers and fish populations this summer? This article will explore where responsibilities lie between water management agencies in the Murray-Darling Basin, what they will be doing to help native fish and

Floods and fish – how can flooding help fish and aquatic ecosystems?

By Kate McKenna September 28, 2022

Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, like many other catchments and basins globally, naturally fluctuates between periods of drought and periods of flooding, and has followed this pattern for more than 100 million years. Over time, its many native species have learnt and adapted to this pattern, so that the natural fluctuations between ‘boom and bust’ are now

Fish populations inform water management

By Jarod Lyons September 15, 2022

In order to recover native fish populations, the Australian Government invests a significant number of resources, particularly regarding environmental water. In order to guide this investment, it is crucial to understand how and why fish populations vary. Although there is a considerable amount known about how different characteristics of populations impact population growth, less is

Can Murray cod movements inform flow management?

By Lucy Stuart August 1, 2022

Understanding why, how and when animals move is important for the conservation of different species. In highly modified landscapes, the inclusion of movement ecology can improve the likelihood that conservation and restoration practices promote the resilience of native species. In the case of freshwater fish, they must move regularly within human-modified river systems to feed and spawn,

New fishway at Toorale already supporting fish migration

By Kate McKenna May 16, 2022

Tucked away in the north-west of New South Wales lies the Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area, a culturally and ecologically significant site. At the confluence of two ecologically significant rivers for the Murray Darling Basin, the Warrego and the Darling Rivers, the Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area were jointly purchased by

Katfish Reach showing good signs of recovery

By Benita Dillon & Chris Bice August 9, 2021

South Australia’s Katfish Reach is a diverse floodplain, home to at least 20 threatened species.…