Endangered Macquarie Perch populations in the upper Murrumbidgee received a boost recently when a number of new broodstock were translocated into the river system.
Affectionately known as Maccas, the translocated fish are the descendants of those that were moved out of the system to Cataract Dam near Sydney over 100 years ago. The fish were returned to improve genetic diversity in the local population as part of South East Local Land Service's ‘Reaching for the Recovery of the Macquarie Perch' project.
“The once populous species has been endangered in its natural range for many years, with the severe impacts of recent drought and bushfires we need to act now to have any chance to secure its future,” warned South East Local Land Services' Felicity Sturgiss.
The Macquarie Perch in the Upper Murrumbidgee River are one of only four remaining natural populations in NSW.
"We’ve been working alongside local groups, land managers, Aboriginal people and government agencies to share knowledge of these iconic fish and their needs, and how to reach the long-term vision to #BringBackTheMacca!”
“The project also provides support to land managers to remediate some of the threats to Macca habitat by way of targeted weed control, revegetation and excluding livestock from sections of the river to improve water quality.”
The release of these fish into the upper Murrumbidgee is the first stage of a five-part genetic rescue program for the South East. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries are working alongside Local Land Services on the program guiding the process and undertaking research and biosecurity checks as they roll out similar measures across the state.
The Macquarie Perchin Cataract Dam are descended from fish translocated from the Murrumbidgee River in approximately 1914. Several batches of Macquarie Perch from Cataract Dam will be released into the Murrumbidgee River in the coming years.
The ‘Reaching for the Recovery of the Macquarie Perch’ project is supported by South East Local Land Services in partnership with NSW DPI Fisheries, through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.
This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue of Landcare in Focus.