THE AUSTRALIAN RIVER RESTORATION CENTRE BRINGING BACK NATIVE FISH EDITION 34, 2012 CONTENTS THIS EDITION OF RIPRAP IS SPONSORED BY: Smart partnerships bring back native fi sh ......................................................................... 3 Fish fi nding a new way from the sea to Hume Dam ..................................................... 5 Heavy traffi c on fi sh highway ................................................................................................... 7 River changes make better roads for fi sh ............................................................................ 8 ARRC creating a new buzz with Curate Bee ....................................................................... 9 New homes reserved for Macquarie Perch ....................................................................... 10 Gudgeon hits a purple patch .................................................................................................. 12 True Tales from a lost world ..................................................................................................... 15 Communities help native fi sh to thrive ............................................................................. 18 Collaboration is the key to better Murray Cod fi shing ............................................... 20 Fishers unite to improve river health .................................................................................. 22 Resnagging the Murray River ................................................................................................ 24 Show us how it’s done — demonstration reaches ........................................................ 26 Commissioning water for fi sh ............................................................................................... 34 A longer look at riparian restoration .................................................................................. 36 Talking Fish preserves river memories ............................................................................... 38 Early Aborigines active managers of native fi sh ........................................................... 40 Murray Cod ~ creator of the river ......................................................................................... 42 Clever cage keeps carp out ..................................................................................................... 44 Lachlan catchment cleaning out carp ............................................................................... 46 A numbers game for Murray Cod ........................................................................................ 48 Fish and fl ows ............................................................................................................................... 50 A tropical protection project ................................................................................................... 52 Climate change with a freshwater twist ........................................................................... 54 Water levels — the golden key ............................................................................................... 56 Community efforts save a small native fi sh ..................................................................... 58 Editorial PHOTO ANDREW TATNELL. TATNELL. ANDREW PHOTO It is great to be back editing RipRap and sharing knowledge throughout the river and waterway community I love to be a part of. Thank you Published by: especially to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority Native Fish Program The Australian River Restoration Centre A: PO Box 881, Dickson ACT 2602 for sponsoring this ‘bringing back native fi sh’ edition. The articles we have T: (02) 6247 7997 brought together cover work across Australia, and I have been impressed E: <[email protected]> with the scope of activity and depth of knowledge amongst river managers, W: <australianriverrestorationcentre.com.au> fi sherfolk and researchers on ‘all things fi shy’. Edition 34, August 2012 I hope you like our new look, and once you have enjoyed reading © The Australian River Restoration Centre the articles, I encourage you to take the time to fi ll in our online RipRap ISSN: 1324-6491 survey. If we are to continue producing RipRap we have to demonstrate to potential sponsors that our magazine is read and Contributions and comments are welcomed and should be addressed to the Editor: valued, and the only way I can do this is to hear Dr Siwan Lovett from you! I would also like to thank Kylie Nicholls E: <[email protected]> and Allison Mortlock who have worked with me to edit, design and produce this great magazine. Design: Angel Ink Print: LCDigital Front cover photo: Roger Charlton 2 RIPRAP, EDITION 34 Smart partnerships bring back native fi sh JOHN KOEHN HIGHLIGHTS THE BENEFITS OF Basin (MDB) has only 46 native species, compared with more than 3000 in the Amazon HEALTHY NATIVE FISH POPULATIONS AND URGES Basin. In the MDB, fi sh populations are now RIVER REHABILITATION EFFORTS TO CONTINUE. estimated to be at about 10 per cent of levels before European settlement, with 56 per cent Freshwater fi sh are a major component of of the Basin’s species listed as threatened. There Australia’s river life, with signifi cant biodiversity, is a clear need to rectify this serious situation — ecological, cultural, social and economic values. it’s time to bring back native fi sh. The benefi ts of healthy native fi sh populations extend well beyond the river banks and into Promoting river health towns and communities. Rivers are products Fish rarely feature alongside the ‘cute and of their catchments and can be infl uenced by cuddlies’ as icon species in conservation everything which occurs in and around them, literature, even though they are often under especially upstream. We have massively cleared far greater threat. Living in the water, they are and developed our river catchments and forgotten. Despite this, the community strongly fl oodplains, changing the run-off and increasing identify with fi sh. In some ways their hidden sediment inputs. In the rivers themselves, we nature adds to their mystery and intrigue. have dammed and extracted water, destroyed Iconic species such as Murray Cod capture and removed habitats, drained wetlands, public attention and are powerful messengers constructed barriers, altered water quality for river health. Many Australians also connect and introduced new species. No wonder many with rivers and fi sh through recreational fi shing, of our rivers and fi sh communities are in poor a hugely popular activity, with almost 20 per health. While much public attention has been cent of the population participating annually. given to introduced species such as carp, Fishers are an important stakeholder group THE GOULBURN RIVER © MDBA; PHOTOGRAPHER ARTHUR MOSTEAD. many other threats impact native fi shes. which support actions to help fi sh populations The decline in river health has been and river health. FISH IMAGES ON FRONT COVER accompanied by a widespread decline in As we have been shown during the past (GOLDEN PERCH) AND ABOVE native fi sh. As Australia is the driest inhabited decade, we live in a land of ‘droughts and (MURRAY COD) FROM THE TRUE TALES OF THE TROUT COD PROJECT. continent, we have a low number of fi sh species fl ooding rains’. One key to healthy fi sh REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION — only about 260, with many of these being populations is adequate river fl ows and FROM THE STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA. specialised and unique. The Murray–Darling the occurrence of fl ooding. The pressures RIPRAP, EDITION 34 3 Healthy fl ows lead to healthy rivers and healthy communities. PHOTO ROGER CHARLTON. surrounding water use have been highlighted scientifi c knowledge must be made available in during the recent drought and current water a readily accessible form. We need to carry out debates provide an important opportunity to research to provide and test new knowledge achieve a balance between use for agriculture and solve management problems. Credible, and the environment. Provision of environmental applied science is required to ensure we fl ows is an important rehabilitation measure for can maximise the benefi ts achieved for the fi sh populations — even more important when investments made. Appropriate monitoring we consider the possible implications of climate is essential to demonstrate outcomes. change. Healthy fl ows lead to healthy rivers and healthy communities. Promising future Are we making progress? Yes, we are! This issue Native fi sh strategy of RipRap provides many brilliant examples Traditionally, management actions for fi sh of the progress we are making across Australia. either concentrated on fi shery regulations or Projects such as demonstration reaches show individual threatened species recovery plans. how works can be planned and completed using More recently, there has been a move towards a range of management methods. Investment addressing multiple species or communities, in the world class Sea to Hume Dam fi shway protecting ecosystem processes and remediating program is a restoration project with clearly threats. The Native Fish Strategy (NFS) for identifi ed, tangible outcomes for native fi shes. the MDB provides a coordinated approach Along with the many smaller habitat projects, all to address threats and takes a whole-of-fi sh these works are contributing to help native fi sh. community approach. The NFS emphasises We need to ensure we make links across the the long time frames which are often needed landscape and include riparian and