Fish theme EWKR project work summary overview

The distribution and abundance of native fish species within the MDB have declined significantly in the last 50-100 years (MDBC 2004) and as such, are a key target for improvement under a number of basin-wide programs including The Basin Plan and The Living Murray. The Basin-wide environmental watering strategy lists improvements in distribution, abundances, population structure and move-ment as expected outcomes for fish (MDBA 2014).
In order to appropriately design environmental watering programs to benefit native fish, it is vital that the links between key watering parameters and potential fish responses are clearly understood. This requires an understanding of the biotic processes that maintain fish populations, the key drivers of these processes and the how these are influenced by flow. Research outcomes will assist managers by providing significantly improved predictive and explanatory capacity across a range of species.