Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program Stage 6 Synthesis Report 2016–2020
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Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program Stage 6 Synthesis Report 2016–2020 Z. Tonkin, C. Jones, P. Clunie, L. Vivian, F. Amtstaetter, M. Jones, W. Koster, B. Mole, J. O’Connor, J. Brooks, L. Caffrey and J. Lyon August 2020 Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report Series No. 316 Acknowledgment We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria's land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices. We are committed to genuinely partner, and meaningfully engage, with Victoria's Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities to support the protection of Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning PO Box 137 Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 Phone (03) 9450 8600 Website: www.ari.vic.gov.au Citation: Tonkin, Z., Jones, C., Clunie, P., Vivian, L., Amtstaetter, F., Jones, M., Koster, W., Mole, B., O’Connor, J., Brooks, J., Caffrey, L., and Lyon, J. (2020). Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program. Stage 6 Synthesis Report 2016-2020. Technical Report Series No. 316, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Victoria. Front cover photo: Campaspe River (Felicity Nicholls); Murray-Darling Rainbowfish (Annique Harris); Persicaria hydropiper on the Campaspe River (Chris Jones) © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2020 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning logo and the Arthur Rylah Institute logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en ISSN 1835-3827 (print) ISSN 1835-3835 (pdf)) ISBN 978-1-76105-273-6 (Print) ISBN 978-1-76105-274-3 (pdf/online/MS word) Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. 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This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program Stage 6 Synthesis Report 2016–2020 Zeb Tonkin1, Chris Jones1, Pam Clunie1, Lyndsey Vivian1, Frank Amtstaetter1, Matthew Jones1, Wayne Koster1, Bryan Mole1, Justin O’Connor1, Jacqui Brooks2, Laura Caffrey2 and Jarod Lyon1 1Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 2Water and Catchments Division, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report Series No. 316 Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Heidelberg, Victoria Acknowledgements VEFMAP Stage was funded by the Catchments, Waterways, Cities and Towns Division of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). For contributions to the program, including design, fieldwork, data compilation, biometric support and reporting, we thank Zac Atkins, Renae Ayres, Ana Backstrom, Bill Coates, Gabriel Cornell, Dave Dawson, Peter Fairbrother, Ben Fanson, Graeme Hackett, Annique Harris, Lauren Johnson, Karl Just, Adrian Kitchingman, Freya Thomas, Rustem Upton, Scott McKendrick, Ivor Stuart, Jason Lieschke, Kim Loeun, Damien McMaster John Mahoney, Paul Moloney, Justin O’Mahony, Dylan Osler, Andrew Pickworth, Scott Raymond, Stephen Saddlier, Jo Sharley, Kasey Stamation, Charles Todd and Jian Yen. Thanks to Fern Hames for valuable insights to early planning and development of the Communication and Engagement Plan. Ashley Sparrow and John Koehn provided valuable guidance on earlier drafts of the report. Many Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Melbourne Water staff are thanked for their significant contribution to the design and implementation of the program, including developing key evaluation questions, monitoring methods and locations, planning fieldwork, and providing invaluable information regarding flow management on their respective river systems. They include Darren White and Phil Slessar (NCCMA), Greg Fletcher (WCMA), Minna Tom, Stephanie Suter and Jemima Milkins (WGCMA), Cheryl Edwards (MW), Stephen Ryan and Bryce Morden (GHCMA), Daniel Lovell, Meegan Judd and Simon Casanelia (GBCMA), Jayden Woolley and Robert Bone (CCMA) and Ian Wright and Alan Williams (GMW). Many staff from Victorian universities were involved in collaborations within VEFMAP Stage 6, including: • University of Melbourne o Joe Greet, Justin Costelloe and Angus Webb for their supervision of student research projects. o Masters degree students Vanja Kitanovic, Alanna Main and Marjorie Pereira. o Rowan Berry, Sascha Andrusiak, Rob Dobal and Brett Hough (Burnley) for assistance with the nursery experiments setup. Elliot Gould and William Morris for data analysis contributions. o Jian Yen was supported by a McKenzie Fellowship. o Jon Woodhead for provision of otolith microchemistry services. • La Trobe University — Katherine Harrison (Post-doctoral Research position) and James O'Dwyer (PhD student) on genomic projects. • Deakin University — Tim Fernando for data collection and his Honours project on diadromous fish. We also acknowledge the Independent Review Panel: Sam Capon (Griffith University), Brenton Zampatti (formerly SARDI, now CSIRO), Peter Vesk (University of Melbourne) and Nick Bond (La Trobe University). And the Project Steering Committee: Stephen Ryan (GHCMA), Minna Tom and Stephanie Suter (WGCMA), Meegan Judd and Simon Casanelia (GBCMA), Mark Toomey (VEWH), Paul Reich and Terry Chan (DELWP). Thanks to the Goulburn Long Term Intervention Monitoring Project (funded by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office), Victorian Fisheries Authority, Catchments, Waterways, Cities and Towns Division (DELWP) and Melbourne Water for the provision of monitoring data for the lower Goulburn, Ovens and Bunyip rivers. Other State and Commonwealth agencies collaborated with VEFMAP Stage 6 by sharing knowledge, data and results. These included SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute), NSW Department of Primary Industries, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, CEWO, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The following consultancies are also thanked for their input: • Jacobs — Nicolaas Unland and Greg Hoxley for their work on the soil moisture study. • Streamology — Jess Littlejohn and Steve Clarke for hydrology data processing. • Austral Ecology (Dion Iervasi) and Fishology Consulting (Kris Pitman) for fish fieldwork contributions. • Fish Ageing Services (Kyne Krusic-Golub) for advice and services in otolith preparation. Thanks to the following landowners, who provided access to their properties: Janette Mitchell, Mike Reilly, Ron and Denise Reynolds, John and Natalie White, Scott Farquharson, David Spencer, Steve Smithyman (Geelong City Council), Batesford Quarry, Tarrawarra Abbey, Keith Oberin, Justin Weaver and Les Rowe. This study was completed under Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Permit 10007273, Fisheries Victoria Research Permit RP-827 and animal ethics permits 15/05, 14/04 and 19/008 (DELWP Animal Ethics Committee). ii VEFMAP Stage 6 Synthesis Report 2016–2020 Contents Acknowledgements ii Contents iii Summary vii 1 Context 1 1.1 VEFMAP Stages 1 – 5 1 1.2 Stage 6 development and objectives 2 1.3 Approach to Stage 6 3 1.3.1 Program planning, review and evaluation 3 1.3.2 Informing management 4 1.3.3 Data and information management 4 1.3.4 Communication and engagement 7 1.3.5 Collaboration with other monitoring and research programs 7 1.4 The content of this synthesis report 8 2 Fish theme: Monitoring responses to environmental water 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 The role of river discharge in promoting the immigration of juvenile diadromous fishes into Victorian coastal rivers (KEQ 1) 14 2.2.1 Context 14 2.2.2 Aims and hypotheses 14 2.2.3 Methods 15 2.2.4 Results 17 2.2.5 Conclusions and implications for flow management 19 2.3 The use of environmental flow releases to stimulate the upstream movement of juvenile diadromous fishes (KEQ 2) 20 2.3.1 Context 20 2.3.2 Aims and hypotheses 20 2.3.3 Methods 20 2.3.4 Results 23 2.3.5 Conclusions and implications for flow management 25 2.4 Do environmental flows support immigration of native fish into, and dispersal throughout, northern Victorian river networks? (KEQ 3) 26 2.4.1 Context 26 2.4.2 Aims and hypotheses 28 2.4.3 Methods 28 2.4.4 Results 30 2.4.5 Conclusions