Destocking waterways: Evidence that stocked Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii) were extracted at pumped irrigation diversions within 24 hours of release

Author:

Bretzel Joachim B.ORCID,Boys Craig A.ORCID,Stocks Jerom R.ORCID,Rourke Meaghan L.,Brauer Chris,Baumgartner Lee J.ORCID

Abstract

SummaryMillions of native fish are entrained into irrigation pumps in Australian rivers every year. It is often assumed these fish are wild, but stocked fish may also be affected. During fish entrainment surveys at two pump intakes on the Macquarie River, New South Wales, a noticeable increase of entrained juvenile Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii) was observed. DNA parentage analysis confirmed that a large proportion of these fish were linked to nearby fish restocking events. At both pump intakes, genetic analysis confirmed that at least 70% and 17% of the individuals sampled were stocked fish. This equated to up to 3% of the fish that were stocked – most of which were entrained less than 24 h after their release. Given the large number of unscreened irrigation pumps in this reach of river, and more broadly throughout the Murray–Darling Basin, fish losses at pump intakes have the potential to remove large numbers of stocked fish from the river where they are released to support native fish recovery and boost recreational fishing opportunities. The use of fish‐protection screens at pump intakes may be a suitable solution to reduce the number of fish entrained and thus increase the survival of recently stocked fish in the rivers.

Funder

NSW Recreational Fishing Trust

Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University

Publisher

Wiley

Reference54 articles.

1. ABS. (2022)Water Use on Australian Farms Australian Bureau of Statistics. [Accessed 27 March 2024.];https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/agriculture/water‐use‐australian‐farms/latest‐release#key‐statistics.

2. AndersonE.(2010)Computational algorithms and user‐friendly software for parentage‐based tagging of Pacific salmonids.Final report submitted to the Pacific Salmon Commission's Chinook Technical Committee (US Section)46.

3. Reducing the perversion of diversion: Applying world-standard fish screening practices to the Murray-Darling Basin

4. Effects of irrigation pumps on riverine fish

5. Fate, Dispersal, and Persistence of Recently Stocked and Resident Rainbow Trout in a Tennessee Tailwater

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3