Supporting native fish in the Murray Darling Basin
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water environmental water managers are working closely with WaterNSW to supplement airspace releases with water for the environment to produce river flow conditions that promote fish breeding and spawning.
Managed environmental flows in the Great Darling Anabranch were used in combination with air space releases from Lake Cawndilla to provide a 'large fresh' event designed to connect golden perch with the Murray River. The department, in conjunction with NSW Fisheries, are implementing a golden perch monitoring program to address knowledge gaps with a view to improve fish dispersal outcomes for future environmental water releases. Factors relevant to fish movement being studied include fish age, seasonality, flow volume, and water temperature.