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Gwydir Waterbird and Fish Habitat Study: Final Reportdownload Gwydir Waterbird and Fish Habitat Study Final report Cover photographs Front page: Boyanga Waterhole, Gingham Watercourse (Credit: J. Spencer); Golden perch, Mehi River (Credit: J. Spencer); Great egret (Credit: M. Carpenter). Citation This report can be cited as follows: Spencer, J.A., Heagney, E.C. and Porter, J.L. 2010. Final report on the Gwydir waterbird and fish habitat study. NSW Wetland Recovery Program. Rivers and Wetlands Unit, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW and University of New South Wales, Sydney. Acknowledgments Funding for this project was provided by the NSW Government and the Australian Government’s Water for the Future – Water Smart Australia program. Richard Allman, Sharon Bowen, Kirsty Brennan, Ben Daly, Simon Hunter, Jordan Iles, Jeff Kelleway, Lisa Knowles, Yoshi Kobayashi, Natalia Perera, Shannon Simpson, Rachael Thomas (DECCW), Neal Foster (NOW), Gus Porter and Ainslee Lions provided field support. Thanks to our pilots Richard Byrne (DECCW) and James Rainger (Fleet Helicopters) for their assistance with aerial waterbird surveys. Daryl Albertson (DECCW), Neal Foster, Liz Savage and James Houlahan (Border Rivers–Gwydir CMA) and Glenn Wilson (UNE) gave advice on field site locations. Jennifer and Bruce Southeron (Old Dromana), Sam Kirkby (Bunnor), Howard Blackburn (Crinolyn), Bill Johnson (DECCW), Liz Savage (Border Rivers–Gwydir CMA), Neal Foster, Tara Schalk (NOW), Richard Ping Kee (Moree fishing club), Dick Cooper, Greg Clancy and the NSW Bird Atlassers contributed historical information on waterbird and fish populations in the Gwydir. Sue Powell (ANU) supplied information on the flooding history and flow data for the Gwydir Wetlands. Mark McGrouther and Sally Reader (Australian Museum, Sydney) assisted with the identification of fish species. Jennifer and Bruce Southeron (Old Dromana) kindly provided our accommodation and field station. Glenn Wilson, Neal Foster, Bill Johnson, Renee Shepherd and Daryl Albertson commented on a draft report. Many thanks to landowners in the Gwydir for allowing access to their properties. Published by: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW 59–61 Goulburn Street; PO Box A290 Sydney South 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (environment information and publications requests) Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks information and publications requests) Fax: (02) 9995 5999 TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au DECCW is pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part, provided the meaning is unchanged, and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. ISBN 978 1 74232 812 6 DECCW 2010/508 June 2010 Printed on recycled paper Contents Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Background ....................................................................................................................... 6 Field surveys ..................................................................................................................... 6 Recommendations for management ................................................................................. 7 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Project background ............................................................................................... 8 1.2 The Gwydir Wetlands ......................................................................................... 11 2. Field surveys (2007–08) ................................................................................................ 19 2.1 Methods .............................................................................................................. 19 2.2 Results ................................................................................................................ 27 2.3 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 42 3. Water requirements for key species ........................................................................... 43 3.1 Waterbirds........................................................................................................... 43 3.2 Fish ..................................................................................................................... 44 3.3 Implications for management ............................................................................. 50 4. Recommendations for management ........................................................................... 51 4.1 Priorities for rehabilitation ................................................................................... 51 4.2 Potential on-ground works .................................................................................. 57 4.3 Recommendations for monitoring ....................................................................... 58 4.4 Further research ................................................................................................. 63 References ................................................................................................................................. 64 Appendix 1: Species names ..................................................................................................... 69 Waterbird species recorded in the Gwydir Wetlands ...................................................... 69 Fish species recorded in the Gwydir River catchment .................................................... 71 Freshwater turtles and invertebrates recorded during field surveys (2007–08) ............. 72 Appendix 2: Field site locations (2007–08) ............................................................................. 73 Waterbird ground survey sites ........................................................................................ 73 Fish survey sites ............................................................................................................. 74 Waterbird aerial survey sites ........................................................................................... 75 Waterbird ground survey sites ........................................................................................ 77 Fish sampling sites on the Carole, Gingham and Lower Gwydir River channels ........... 79 Fish sampling sites on the Mehi and Gwydir River ......................................................... 80 Appendix 3. Habitat requirements of selected waterbird species ....................................... 81 Final report on the Gwydir waterbird and fish habitat study 3 Tables Table 1. Summary of project milestones and outcomes from the Gwydir waterbird and fish habitat study ....................................................................................................................10 Table 2. Total counts of each waterbird species recorded in the Gwydir Wetlands during light aircraft aerial surveys in October 2007 (n = 40) and April 2008 (n = 48) ................30 Table 3. Mean (± s.e.) total counts of waterbirds recorded during ground surveys of the Gwydir Wetlands in October 2007 (n = 49) and April 2008 (n = 63) ..............................32 Table 4. Maximum counts of waterbird species recorded during ground counts in the Gwydir Wetlands in October 2007 (n = 49) and April 2008 (n = 63) ..............................33 Table 5. Total numbers of each fish species, turtles and invertebrates caught at each sampling site in the Gwydir Wetlands in November 2007 and March 2008 (n = 11) .....36 Table 6. Mean (± s.e.) standard length (centimetres) of fish species collected during field surveys in the Gwydir Wetlands (2007–08) (a) November 2007 and (b) March 2008 ...37 Table 7. Characteristics of fish survey sites in the Gwydir Wetlands (November 2007, March 2008) ....................................................................................................................38 Table 8. Total number of juvenile fish caught at survey sites in the Gwydir Wetlands (March 2008; n = 11) ......................................................................................................40 Table 9. Life history and habitat requirements of fish species recorded in the Gwydir Wetlands .............................................................................................................47 Table 10. Threatened waterbird and fish species that have been recorded in the Gwydir Wetlands .............................................................................................................52 Table 11. Potential options for monitoring waterbird and fish populations and their habitats in the Gwydir Wetlands. ..................................................................................................60 Figures Figure 1. Location of the Gwydir Wetlands, northern NSW ...........................................................13 Figure 2. Location of Ramsar sites and major weirs on the Gwydir River system ........................14 Figure 3. Site locations for aerial surveys of waterbirds in the Gwydir Wetlands (October 2007, April 2008)..............................................................................................21 Figure 4. Sites surveyed during ground surveys for waterbirds in the Gwydir Wetlands (October 2007, April 2008)..............................................................................................22
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