Kate McKenna

New fishway at Toorale already supporting fish migration

By Kate McKenna May 16, 2022

Tucked away in the north-west of New South Wales lies the Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area, a culturally and ecologically significant site. At the confluence of two ecologically significant rivers for the Murray Darling Basin, the Warrego and the Darling Rivers, the Toorale National Park and State Conservation Area were jointly purchased by

Why do we need long-term native fish recovery plans?

By Kate McKenna April 12, 2022

The Mid-Murray Floodplains along the New South Wales and Victorian border are home to some of the highest diversities of native fish species within the Murray-Darling Basin. Threatened and recreationally important species, like the Murray cod, golden perch, trout cod and silver perch, as well as wetland-specialist species, once thrived in the region’s interconnecting rivers,

The wildlife recovery dilemma: Which species do we choose for recovery projects?

By Kate McKenna April 4, 2022

Australia is facing a biodiversity crisis. Since 1788, according to the federal Environment and Biodiversity Protection Act, 39 of all mammal species (10%), 23 bird species, four frog species, one known fish species and 37 plant species are now extinct in Australia. Native fish, in particular, are silently bearing the brunt of increasing degradation of

Improving our ability to manage fish kills – John Koehn’s lessons from the Murray Darling Basin

By Kate McKenna March 21, 2022

The dramatic events of the summer of 2018-19, where a series of three mass fish kills resulted in the deaths of millions of native fish in the lower Darling-Baaka River, captured national and global attention. Feelings of sadness and horror at the scale of the fish kills had the media and general public, who for

‘Canary in the Condamine’ – How does the cold water specialist, River blackfish, survive in Queensland?

By Kate McKenna March 9, 2022

How does a cold water specialist fish survive in Queensland? And why is it known as a ‘Canary in the coalmine’? There is a special fish - the River blackfish - that calls the Condamine headwaters in southern Queensland its home. This region is unique in Queensland as it has stretches of cold water that

Maccas in the Georges River found using eDNA

By Kate McKenna February 1, 2022

Georges River Fish Habitat Restoration Project OzFish Hawkesbury-Nepean Chapter with Campbelltown Council have been undertaking Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling in south-west Sydney on the Georges River to determine the presence of endangered species in the waterway. Local volunteers assist researchers and staff from council by collecting water samples in a coordinated approach at various locations

Murray cod populations on the rise in Queensland

By Kate McKenna June 30, 2021

The endangered native Murray cod is Australia’s largest freshwater fish, reaching lengths of up to 180cm and weighing-in over 100kg.…

Are hatchery-bred Murray cod too bold for the wild?

By Kate McKenna June 22, 2021

Fish ‘personality’, or behaviour, can influence the likelihood of survival in the wild when faced with predators or unfamiliar threats.…

New handbook supporting the conservation of nine NSW threatened freshwater fish species

By Kate McKenna June 7, 2021

The ‘Conservation translocation handbook for New South Wales threatened freshwater fishes’ (April 2021, PDF) has been released with important recommendations…

Controlling Carp numbers: biomass modelling to support native fish recovery

By Kate McKenna May 18, 2021

Scientists have been able to estimate the biomass and energy that the invasive Common Carp Cyprinus carpio (carp) species have absorbed and locked away from Australia’s ecosystems and food webs, reflecting the amount of energy and resources unavailable for native species. These findings are useful for tracking river and ecosystem recovery, setting appropriate management and

From New Caledonia to the Barwon River: tracking migratory eels using satellites

By Kate McKenna May 4, 2021

Eels are an important part of Victoria’s biodiversity and Indigenous cultural heritage, yet globally and locally the anguillid eel species…

New Thomson River Fishway – enabling gold-mining history and native fish to come together

By Kate McKenna April 28, 2021

A ‘fishway’ project by the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) was completed in 2019, and native fish habitat conservationists…