University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst International Conference on Engineering and International Conference on River Connectivity Ecohydrology for Fish Passage (Fish Passage 2018)
Dec 12th, 3:40 PM - 5:20 PM Restoring connectivity – how the Sea to Hume fishways will help achieve the environmental outcomes of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Stuart Little Murray Darling Basin Authority
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Little, Stuart, "Restoring connectivity – how the Sea to Hume fishways will help achieve the environmental outcomes of the Murray- Darling Basin Plan" (2018). International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage. 31. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2018/December12/31
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Restoring connectivity
How the Sea to Hume fishways will help achieve the environmental outcomes of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan
Stuart Little – Murray Darling Basin Authority
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 My Co-authors
Heleena Bamford - Murray-Darling Basin Authority Brenton Zampatti, Chris Bice – South Australian Research and Development Institute Ivor Stuart, Zeb Tonkin, Wayne Koster – Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Clayton Sharpe – CPS Enviro
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 The Murray-Darling Basin
>1,000,000 square km (14% of Australian landmass) Wide climatic variability Predominantly low-lying 77,000 km of rivers Darling/Barwon river system (2,740 km) Murray River (2,530 km) Murrumbidgee River (1,690 km) $22 Billion food & fibre; $8 Billion tourism
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 A Working River- the River Murray
• Storages • Weirs • Barrages • Flow regime alteration
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Sea to Hume Fishway Program
• Construction of fishways at 12 weirs and five barrages on the River Murray • Restored fish passage for 2,250km • ‘Whole of ecosystem’ approach • Design criteria determined by a Fish Passage Task Force comprising scientists and engineers
Barret, J. and Mallen-Cooper, M. (2009) The “Sea to Hume 2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Dam” program: Restoring Fish Passage along the Murray River. Water Reform
• Water for the Environment (1990’s/2000’s) • Water Act (2007) • Basin Plan (2012) • Basin Watering Strategy (2014)
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Basin-wide Watering Strategy
Expected Ecological Outcomes – Fish • No loss of native species • Improved population structure • Increased movement • Expanded distributions
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Pre-Basin Plan water management for Fish • Location based management • State based decision making • Minimal/No coordination • Fish just need water
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 SUMMARY OF THE LATEST NATIVE FISH RESEARCH
Otolith microchemistry
Zampatti, B.P., Wilson, P.J., Baumgartner, L., Koster, W., Livore, J.P., McCasker, N., Thiem, J., Tonkin, Z. And Ye, Q. (2015). Reproduction and recruitment of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua ambigua) in the southern Murray- Darling basin in 2013-14: an exploration of river-scale response, connectivity and population dynamics. SARDI 2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Research Report Series No. 820. 61 pp. Connectivity for population processes Golden perch Macquaria ambigua
Pouched Lamprey Geotria australis
Silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus
Short-headed Lamprey Mordacia mordax 2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 System-scale thinking for Fish
• Connectivity is important • Productivity is important • Winter flows are important • Dispersal is important
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Outcomes - Lamprey movement
Migration extent 2015 Lampreys an
13 indicator of system- 10 6 25 2 13 scale connectivity 22 19 8 1 21 Long-distance migration from sea to freshwater (n = 55)
Bice, C. Zampatti, B., Koster, W. (2018) Migration ecology of pouched lamprey in the River Murray. 2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Presentation to Australian Soc. Fish Biol. Outcomes - Movements of silver perch
Silver perch and golden perch movement into tributaries during flows
Populations in tributaries increasing following flows
Koster, W., Stuart, I., Dawson, D. (2017) Do environmental flows promote immigration of native fish into tributaries of the Murray River? Presentation to 2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Native Fish Forum 2017. Improved population structure Expanded distributions in north Increased Movement with regular recruitment and south
Double Increased distn nth Movement key legal take species Murray cod (all species, Short-lived: Improved restored & golden increased life stages) distribution to Population pre-2007 levels perch movement Increased Structure distribution 2014-19 to Fresh Water 2019-2024 Bi-directional movements Diadromous
Detect all Maintain Distribution black estuarine CPUE prey bream and flounder species dependent Improved population (sprat & families structure – mulloway hardyhead) between 2014 and 2024 Estuarine Basin-wide Watering Strategy
Expected Ecological Outcomes – Fish Sea to Hume • No loss of native species fishways and • Improved population structure fish passage • Increased movement contribute to all of these • Expanded distributions objectives
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Key Message Flow management and use of environmental water has facilitated movement, spawning and dispersal of key species but this isn’t possible in the River Murray without the Sea to Hume fishways.
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 What’s next?
Highest priority: • Menindee Main Weir Then: • The Barwon-Darling • 14 major barriers
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018 Thank you
Office locations Adelaide Albury-Wodonga Canberra Goondiwindi Toowoomba
mdba.gov.au 1800 630 114 [email protected]
2018 International Conference on River Connectivity – 12 December 2018