Research

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Barriers to fish screen adoption

By Lucy Stuart November 29, 2023

Fish screens can be a useful tool for irrigators and lifesavers for fish — without fish screens over irrigation pumps, debris and wildlife can be sucked up into pipes that draw water from rivers. This causes fish and other creatures to become trapped and die, which in turn partially or fully blocks the pipes, forcing

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

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

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

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

An aerial photograph of Lake Eildon Spillway on an overcast day.

Does cold water pollution affect native fish differently?

By Kate McKenna March 20, 2023

Native fish in Australia are hardy, having adapted over millennia to live in one of the driest continents on Earth. However, research shows that even the hardiest of native fish species aren’t immune to the effects of human changes to natural environments. River regulation, in particular, alters aquatic ecosystems significantly, changing the natural environment and

A pair of male hands holds a carp up to the camera in this close-up shallow depth-of-field photo. The carp has its and mouth open.

What’s the go with the carp virus?

By Lucy Stuart March 6, 2023

For many of us in river and waterway management, it’s one of the most asked questions we get from family, friends and the community — “What's the go with that carp virus?” The recent flooding and subsequent explosion in carp numbers has again seen this question raised beyond just pubs and kitchen tables, to being

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

A native Australian platypus nestles its bill in shallow water, surrounded by grasses. the sky is reflected on the surface of the water. Photo credit: Australian Platypus Conservancy.

Continued impacts of the Black Summer bushfires on native fish and platypus

By Kate McKenna February 3, 2023

Australian bushfires are renowned for their unimaginable heat and destruction. The 2020 Black Summer bushfires were a reminder that it is not only the lives and urban ecosystems of human beings that are affected. The media cycle produced countless statistics and images of stranded, burnt wildlife, especially those found in our forests like koalas, kangaroos