Securing the Future of Native Fish in the Murray-Darling Basin

Fish within the Murray-Darling Basin are under substantial threat of extinction from a range of human factors. The system historically supported a vibrant and high-yield commercial fishery and contained a wide diversity of species, many of which are endemic to the catchment. Declines commenced when the basin was developed to meet the needs of a growing population. Commecrical fisheries were eventually closed after years of poor catch rates and recreational catches dramatically fell. Fish are now estimated at less than 10% of pre-European settlement levels and, whilst some species remain common throughout their range, many have not been seen for many decades. Many current management strategies are being implemented to aid recovery efforts, but determining effectiveness is hampered by inconsistently applied monitoring tools and a lack of strategic research into basic life history traits. A structured framework for native species recovery was developed to guide recovery efforts. But long term sustainability will be ultimately governed by how well natural resource managers and researchers can collaborative work together to fill key knowledge gaps and implement strucutured action plans.