Dive into these highly informative webinar recordings and hear from experts involved in recovering our native fish and other species in the Upper Murrumbidgee River.
Also view the webinars run in November 2021 by Antia Brademann (Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach Coordinator) with Matt Beitzel and Andy McGovern.
This presentation will take you on a journey of discovery along the upper Murrumbidgee River. Antia will talk about the work being undertaken by landholders, researchers and community to get the river on the road to recovery so that native fish like the Macquarie perch can thrive.
Finterest: Finterest is your go to place for all native fish information and the Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach project.
The Forgotten River: Find out more about water flow issues in the upper Murrumbidgee River and how you can help raise awareness on this issue.
Rivers of Carbon: RoC is the UMDR’s preferred river restoration partner. Find out about the great river restoration projects in the upper Murrumbidgee which are helping to improve the health of our river.
Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch:UWW is a key partner of the UMDR. The fantastic team of waterwatch staff and volunteers in our catchment monitor water quality, macroinvertebrates (waterbugs), riparian health and platypus and this data supports river programs and projects. UWW also publishes an annual Catchment Health report (the CHIP report).
Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network:The UMCN is is a strong and diverse community-based network of individuals and representatives from agencies and groups taking a coordinated approach to creating quality natural resource management outcomes for the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment. Head to the UMCN website for recordings of webinars and forums including UMDR erosion projects helping to reduce sedimentation in the upper Murrumbidgee post bushfire.
Caring for Platypus and Rakali
Speaker: Geoff Williams (Australian Platypus Conservancy)
Geoff will talk about the biology and key conservation requirements of these two fascinating species, and how work to improve environmental conditions in the upper Murrumbidgee River and its tributaries can help create habitat for these aquatic mammals to prosper. Geoff will also provide us with some tips about how to spot these often elusive mammals in the wild, as well as explaining how you can be involved in keeping track of local rakali and platypus numbers.
Information links:
Australian platypus Conservancy: The APC is Australia’s leading organisation for platypus and Rakali. Australia wide sightings can be reported on the website.
Platy and ratty portal: Portal for recording platypus and Rakali sightings in the upper Murrumbidgee catchment.
Australian Platypus Monitoring Network: The APMN recruits volunteers to adopt a site and monitor for platypus and Rakali on a weekly basis which helps to contribute to gathering important data on the species.
Post-fire recovery of the Mountain Galaxias
Speaker: Isobel Booksmythe (ACT Government)
Mountain galaxias (Galaxias olidus) have been monitored in the Upper Naas River catchment pre and post the devastating Orroral Valley fires of 2020. Annual autumn monitoring with bait traps has found fewer fish classed as young-of year (< 50mm total length) post-wildfire, compared to pre-wildfire and non-fire impacted sites. This presentation will discuss what these results mean for the Mountain galaxias in the upper Murrumbidgee, and outline future research priorities as well as efforts to incorporate a citizen science component to the monitoring program.
Information links:
Stocky Galaxias webinar: Find out about the ‘Saving Stocky’ project which is assisting to safeguard the critically endangered Stocky Galaxias (a cousin of the more widespread Mountain Galaxias) which lives only in the upper Murrumbidgee catchment.
Native fish in the Upper Murrumbidgee – the good, the few and the missing.
Speaker: Mark Lintermans
The webinar will discuss the fish fauna of the upper Murrumbidgee Catchment (native and alien), the major and emerging threats, and the status of the threatened species that we are trying to conserve and recover. Associate Professor Mark Lintermans is a freshwater scientist with more than 30 years’ experience in fisheries research and management. He is an engaging speaker who loves nothing more than talking about our native fish.
Reaching for Recovery of the endangered Macquarie Perch in the Upper Bidgee.
Speakers: Felicity Sturgiss and Lori Gould
Felicity updated us on the status of the Macquarie Perch, why the upper Murrumbidgee is so important to this species, and what we are trying to do to ‘#BringBackTheMacca’ in South East NSW. She was joined by Lori who will talk about the ‘in the river’ and ‘along the riverbank’ restoration projects underway in the Bidgee to provide the habitat and homes Maccas need to thrive.
Learn about the Murray River crayfish and the work to help them thrive in the wild.
Speakers: Danswell Starrs
Murray River crayfish (Euastacus armatus) are the second largest freshwater crayfish in the world. Historically widespread throughout the Murray River system, this species has declined significantly in recent decades due multiple impacts including river regulation, overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. Long time crayfish enthusiast Dr Danswell Starrs will share the latest information about monitoring, researching and managing this special freshwater species.
Hear about efforts to develop resilience for the Stocky galaxias, a critically endangered species that resides in only 3km of stream habitat.
Speakers: Mark Lintermans, Jillian Keating and James Cornwell
Stocky galaxias is a tiny critically endangered fish species that resides in only 3km of stream habitat in Kosciusko National Park. When 56% of its habitat was severely burnt during the Black Summer Bushfires a group of galaxiid experts joined forces to ensure it would no longer have all of its eggs in one stream (the fish equivalent of eggs in one basket!). The team is not only rehabilitating its existing habitat, but is creating brand new homes for Stocky, so as to curb the extinction risk for this special little icon of the Snowy Mountains.
Hear about the current and planned efforts by the Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach partnership to support native fish populations to recover in the upper Murrumbidgee River.
Murray cod in the Upper Murrumbidgee
Matt Beitzel – Aquatic Ecologist, EPSDD Conservation Research, ACT Government Andy McGovern – Freelance fishing and outdoor journalist Hear about how the mighty Murray cod is faring in the upper ‘Bidgee and the best recreational fishing tips and tricks when targeting this species.
The Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach project is proudly delivered by the Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach partnership.
This webinar series was held as part of The Native Fish Recovery Strategy, which is funded through the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and supporting communities across Australia to bring back our native fish. The Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach is one of these communities, working hard to raise awareness and share knowledge about our amazing native fish.
Acknowledgement of funding
This project was funded by the Native Fish Recovery Strategy.
The Native Fish Recovery Strategy is funded under the joint programs and coordinated by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
The joint programs promote and coordinate effective planning, management and sharing of the water and other natural resources of the Murray-Darling Basin.
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