Condamine Alliance projects prove great results

[Member]

Condamine Alliance projects prove great results
Date: 7 May 14

The fish in our waterways are breathing a little easier these days following the ongoing success of two Condamine Alliance driven projects. Recent monitoring in the Condamine catchment as part of the Dewfish Demonstration Reach and the Northern Basin Tilapia Exclusion Strategy project shows a strong increase in native fish population, indicating vast improvements in the health of our river systems. Condamine Alliance Manager- River, Kevin Graham, said the success of these projects has provided significantly cleaner waterways with healthy fish populations, which is great news for the whole community.

“The purpose of the Dewfish Demonstration Reach, currently supported by Arrow Energy and the Murray Darling Basin Authority - the state’s first native fish strategy project – was to promote the importance of a healthy river system for native fish populations and the greater river catchment. “Meanwhile, the Tilapia Exclusion Project, also supported by the Murray Darling Basin Authority is working hard to stop the spread of the pest fish tilapia by engaging with and educating the community about the threats, identification, surveillance and reporting of tilapia,” Mr Graham said. The two projects have returned excellent results so far. “Early indicators have shown native fish populations have greatly increased and many are now in abundance. This includes the Murray-Darling rainbowfish, Hardyheads, Spangled perch, Murray cod, Catfish and Golden perch, and small fish populations in Dalby have shown robustness despite the recent fish kill event” Mr Graham said. “This is such great news for our waterways as our native fish populations were previously down by 90 per cent since European settlement,” Mr Graham said. Almost 300 native fish were tagged with Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) to enable monitoring of fish movements up and down the river and the effect of instream habitat restoration works. Golden perch and Murray cod are utilising the fish hotels with great success and are showing good migratory runs. Mr Graham also said there had been no evidence of a tilapia incursion in the Condamine catchment, which is an excellent result considering this pest fish would have highly detrimental effects on the ecosystems, economies and communities along our waterways. “The importance of maintaining a healthy fish habitat should not be underestimated. These two projects have already shown that by educating the community and being vigilant, we can significantly help to restore the health of our waterways for the enjoyment and economic benefit of the whole community.”

Condamine Alliance projects prove great results
In other good news, there has been a massive increase in Murray cod numbers. This iconic fish species has gone from being an absent or rare catch in the system to a regular catch. Meanwhile, Dwarf flat-head gudgeon has been recorded for the first time in the Condamine River above Chinchilla. Another first is the sighting of juveniles of the Catfish species (including Hyrtl’s tandan). “Conversely, there has been no evidence of carp recruitment in the Dewfish Demonstration Reach, which is a great accomplishment”, Mr Graham said. “Clean waterways with healthy fish populations are great news for all of us. Diverse and abundant native fish populations are a good indicator of healthy waterways.” Both projects are underpinned by strong and passionate community wide involvement and government support. “While Condamine Alliance leads and manages each stage of the project, it is the support and participation of the community, local businesses, industry groups and all tiers of government which guarantees the project’s success,” Mr Graham said. “Each partner has played such an important part in improving and protecting the river system to help restore the native fish populations and keep our waterways healthy.” For further information on either the Northern Basin Tilapia Exclusion Strategy or the Dewfish Demonstration Reach contact Nina Woods, Principal Project Officer Science, Condamine Alliance on 07 4620 0105 or nina.woods@condaminealliance.com.au