Finterest

Join leading fish experts from across the Murray-Darling Basin as they share knowledge on some of the latest fish science!

In March this year, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) hosted an online webinar to hear the latest science on native fish movement in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, to help inform water management for the 2024-25 water year. Experts from NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries (DPIF), Charles Sturt University (CSU), the Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (NSW-DCCEEW) were joined online by more than 70 managers, scientists, ecologists and agency staff, to get the latest fishy info.

We’re most grateful that the CEWH, the presenters and their agencies have kindly agreed to make these recordings available for your benefit. So whether you’re getting stuck into water planning for the year ahead, attended the session and just want a recap, or simply interested in the latest on fish movements in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, we hope you enjoy the presentations below.

Jason Thiem (NSW DPIF) and Ivor Stuart (CSU) provide an update on recent fish movement data from the northern Basin, on how golden perch move down to the Menindee Lakes ‘nursery’ and then disperse to the lower Darling/Baaka. These fish then move into the Murray where they are a key course for southern Murray-Darling Basin perch populations.

For more information, see: Monitoring native fish response to environmental water delivery in the Lower Darling / Baaka River 2021-2022 – DCCEEW

Wayne Koster (ARI) presents recent findings from a project that investigated the timing and extent of silver perch and golden perch movement through different parts of the mid-Murray River region. The project identified the importance of different environmental variables (including river flow) influencing timing and extent of fish movements.

For more information, see: Movements of silver perch and golden perch throughout the Mid-Murray River region 2017 to 2023 – DCCEEW

James Dyer (NSW DCCEEW) provides an update on early results from a project investigating the movement of juvenile golden perch upstream from Euston into the Mid Murray and its various tributaries.