Full Title
Impacts of managed flows on fish spawning and recruitment
Contact Person
Dr. Paul Humphries (Charles Sturt University - Thurgoona), Adam Richardson
Project Team
Adam Richardson, Dr. Glenn Wilson (University of New England - Armidale), Tanya Ellison (University of New England - Armidale), Peter Fraser
Funding Body
Murray-Darling Basin Commission
Duration
June 2005 to 30 June 2008
Outcomes
- Scoping study
- Annual reports to MDBC
- Fact sheet/brochure
- Peer-reviewed scientific publications
- Presentations
Summary
Previous research in the southern Murray-Darling Basin suggests that many native fish species still breed under changed flow conditions, but that high abundances of juveniles do not necessarily result. This suggests that recruitment failure, rather than lack of spawning, may be the controlling factor underpinning the continued low population size of a number of species. The overall aim of the project is to investigate the links between managed flows, the timing of fish spawning, and the levels of subsequent juvenile recruitment into riverine fish populations in several regions of the Murray-Darling Basin - southern (Ovens and Goulburn rivers), lower (Lindsay River and Mullaroo Creek) and northern (Mole and Dumaresq rivers). To achieve this, the 'window-of-opportunity hypothesis' will be tested in regard to the ways in which flow alteration may influence the recruitment dynamics of fishes with different spawning durations.
