Condition Monitoring of Threatened Fish Populations in Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert
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Condition Monitoring of Threatened Fish Populations in Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert Report to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority and the South Australian Department for Environment and Water Scotte Wedderburn and Thomas Barnes June 2018 © The University of Adelaide and the Department for Environment and Water With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority logo, photographs and presented data, all material presented in this document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/). For the avoidance of any doubt, this licence only applies to the material set out in this document. The details of the licence are available on the Creative Commons website (accessible using the links provided) as is the full legal code for the CC BY 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode). MDBA’s preference is that this publication be attributed (and any material sourced from it) using the following: Publication title: Condition Monitoring of Threatened Fish Populations in Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert Source: Licensed from the Department for Environment and Water under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence The contents of this publication do not purport to represent the position of the Commonwealth of Australia or the MDBA in any way and are presented for the purpose of informing and stimulating discussion for improved management of Basin's natural resources. To the extent permitted by law, the copyright holders (including its employees and consultants) exclude all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this report (in part or in whole) and any information or material contained in it. Contact us Inquiries regarding the licence and any use of the document are welcome at: [email protected] ii Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ 1 Summary ......................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 Materials and methods ....................................................................................... 4 Fish sampling................................................................................................. 4 Habitat measures ........................................................................................... 5 Data analyses and interpretation ...................................................................... 6 Condition indicators of threatened fish populations ............................................. 7 Relative Abundance Index ............................................................................ 7 Young-of-the-Year Index .............................................................................. 7 Whole of Icon Site Score .............................................................................. 7 Results ............................................................................................................. 8 Water quality ................................................................................................. 8 Fish assemblages ......................................................................................... 11 Condition indicators of threatened fish populations ........................................... 15 Replicate survey analysis ........................................................................... 15 Condition scores ....................................................................................... 16 Discussion ...................................................................................................... 18 Threatened fish populations ........................................................................... 18 Relative abundance index .......................................................................... 18 Young-of-the-year index ............................................................................ 19 Whole of icon site score ............................................................................. 19 Threatened fish habitats ................................................................................ 20 Recommendations ........................................................................................ 21 Replicate survey technique ......................................................................... 21 Captive breeding and reintroductions .......................................................... 21 Increase ecological understanding ............................................................... 22 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 23 References ...................................................................................................... 23 iii Acknowledgements This project was funded by The Living Murray initiative of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The Living Murray is a joint initiative funded by the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, Australian Capital Territory and Commonwealth governments, coordinated by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The project has been managed by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water through the Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth Icon Site staff, Adrienne Rumbelow, Kirsty Wedge and Rebecca Turner. We acknowledge the people of the Ngarrindjeri Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which this study was undertaken. Thanks to Khian Rigney-Smith, Tyreen Gollan and Kobe Wilson from the Ngopamuldi Aboriginal Corporation for their valued field assistance, and to Arthur Walker for organising their help through the Aboriginal Learning on Country Program. Thank you to the landholders who allowed access to sites, including Colin and Sally Grundy, Nigel and Melony Treloar, Kevin and Benita Wells, Ack and Jenny Vercoe, and Amanda Burger. Sampling was conducted in accordance with the University of Adelaide Animal Ethics policy (approval S-2016-172) and the Fisheries Management Act 2007 (permit ME9902932). 1 Summary The objective of this condition monitoring was to assess the status of three threatened fish populations in Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, namely Murray Hardyhead (Craterocephalus fluviatilis), Yarra Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura) and Southern Pygmy Perch (N. australis). The assessment was made partly by relating current distributions to the 2003 baseline when healthy threatened fish populations were present. The project aimed to make the March 2018 assessment by (1) determining the relative abundance index (RAI) for each threatened fish species at the icon site level (i.e. a measure of occupancy), (2) determining the young-of-the-year index (YOYI) for each threatened fish species at the icon site level (i.e. a measure of recruitment), and (3) combining the RAI and YOYI to determine a whole of icon site score (WOISS) for populations of each threatened fish species. Fish were sampled using seine and fyke nets on two occasions (surveys A and B) at 20 sites in March 2018. Key habitat variables were also measured. A total of 26,202 fish were captured, represented by 17 native and five alien species. Southern Pygmy Perch was recorded in both surveys, with numbers substantially higher than in March 2016 and March 2017. Southern Pygmy Perch was mostly recorded in sites on Hindmarsh Island, but also in Black Swamp at the junction of the lower Finniss River and Tookayerta Creek. Significantly, another monitoring program by Aquasave–NGT also recorded Southern Pygmy Perch at Turvey’s Drain, which is off the northern shoreline of Lake Alexandrina near Milang. Murray hardyhead was recorded in both replicate survey, but always in very low abundance. Murray hardyhead was only recorded at sites associated with Lake Alexandrina, which suggests it has yet to recolonise Lake Albert. Yarra Pygmy Perch was undetected in the surveys, and is likely to be the first freshwater fish extinction in the Murray–Darling Basin. Alien fish dominated the survey catches, largely due to extremely high abundances of Eastern Gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) and young-of-the-year Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis). Eastern Gambusia predominated fish assemblages in well-vegetated sites on Hindmarsh Island, which included Southern Pygmy Perch, but where Redfin Perch was mostly absent. Significantly, the first occurrence of the alien Oriental Weatherloach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) in the Lower Lakes was recorded. Bony Herring (Nematalosa erebi) was the most abundant native fish. The native diadromous Congolli (Pseudaphritis urvillii) and Common Galaxias (Galaxias maculatus) have been a notable component of fish assemblages since the end of drought but their abundances have declined in sampling over the last three years. The RAI values for Murray hardhead and Southern Pygmy Perch indicate that current populations occupy the Lower Lakes at a similar range to the 2003 baseline condition, so the condition monitoring target was met. The YOYI value for Murray Hardyhead indicates suitable recruitment over 2017–18, however, only 14 fish were recorded in the surveys. The YOYI value for the Southern Pygmy Perch population barely exceeded the target but