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| electrofishing in Mullaroo Creek |
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Full Title
Are Slackwater Environments of the Mullaroo Creek important habitat for fish and crustaceans?
Contact Person
Lorenzo Vilizzi
Project Team
Kate Engledow, Peter Fraser
Funding Body
Mallee Catchment Management Authority
Duration
October 2005 - October 2007
Outcomes
- To recognize the importance of slackwater environments adjacent to main channels as habitat for the juvenile life stages of fish and shrimp.
- Future management strategies aimed at the appropriate enhancement of slackwater environments could provide a sounder basis for the sustainable management of the important fish community within Mullaroo Creek.
Summary
The juxtaposition of high water velocities within Mullaroo Creek and the slower velocities in adjacent Lindsay and Murray Rivers has been suggested as a major reason for its abundant and diverse native fish population. Overlooked, however, is the role that low flow (slackwater) environments within Mullaroo Creek may play in providing suitable habitat for the larval and early juvenile fish. This project aims to assess the use of existing slackwater habitats within Mullaroo Creek by fish and crustaceans, by comparing faunal abundance (fish and crustaceans) and key habitat characteristics (e.g. flow, aquatic vegetation composition) in existing slackwaters with adjacent in-stream environments.
