Reduced flows into Millewa Forest to encourage return of native fish to Murray River
Water managers, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and researchers are working together to implement and monitor the sequential shutdown over the coming weeks of regulators that allow water to flow into Millewa Forest.
The process will provide the cues native fish need to follow slower moving water from the forest back to the main river channel.
Paul Childs of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said regulators were originally installed to manage unseasonal flooding of the forest and reduce pressure on the river channel during periods of high flow.
'Monitoring over the past 5 years has shown that native fish use the forest creeks and anabranches as nursery habitat through spring and early summer.
'However, some of these structures also act as a barrier to native fish seeking to return to the river,' he said.
Researchers are currently monitoring the movement of 120 Murray cod and golden perch tagged with electronic tracking devices to see how they respond to the shutdown process.
'The tracking information will be used to develop a regulator operating strategy that will give native fish the best chance of navigating the creeks and anabranches for a successful return to the river,' said Dr Matthew Jones, from the Victorian government’s Arthur Rylah Institute.
'This work will improve our understanding of the movement patterns of Murray cod and golden perch, especially over their annual spring breeding period, and help ensure the effective use of environmental water to build regional native fish populations.'
The environmental water and research funding for this project is provided by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Living Murray program.
Millewa Forest is located within Murray Valley National Park, near Deniliquin.
