Upper Murrumbidgee Native Fish Showcase - now online
Hear the latest about recovery actions to bring back fish and restore river health in the upper Murrumbidgee, how to care for platypus and Rakali and the ACT’s post-fire Mountain galaxias survey program via a series of three webinars held in April and now posted online for your viewing pleasure! These sessions are for everyone - whether you live and work along the upper Murrumbidgee, live in another riverside community, fish for pleasure, are a lifelong learner or simply love fish (and platypus!) - you’ll learn something new!
Webinar 1- Upper Murrumbidgee River Discovery Tour
Speaker: Antia Brademann (Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach)
This presentation will take you on a journey of discovery along the upper Murrumbidgee River. Antia will talk about the work being undertaken by landholders, researchers and community to get the river on the road to recovery so that native fish like the Macquarie perch can thrive.
Webinar 2-Caring for Platypus and Rakali
Speaker: Geoff Williams (Australian Platypus Conservancy)
Geoff will talk about the biology and key conservation requirements of these two fascinating species, and how work to improve environmental conditions in the upper Murrumbidgee River and its tributaries can help create habitat for these aquatic mammals to prosper. Geoff will also provide us with some tips about how to spot these often elusive mammals in the wild, as well as explaining how you can be involved in keeping track of local rakali and platypus numbers.
Webinar 3- Post-fire recovery of the Mountain Galaxias
Speaker: Isobel Booksmythe (ACT Government)
Mountain galaxias (Galaxias olidus) have been monitored in the Upper Naas River catchment pre and post the devastating Orroral Valley fires of 2020. Annual autumn monitoring with bait traps has found fewer fish classed as young-of year ( < 50mm total length) post-wildfire, compared to pre-wildfire and non-fire impacted sites. This presentation will discuss what these results mean for the Mountain galaxias in the upper Murrumbidgee, and outline future research priorities as well as efforts to incorporate a citizen science component to the monitoring program.
Find the sessions at the Finterest website.
The Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach project brought you the showcase as part of the effort to promote and celebrate how the recovery efforts for fish populations are progressing in the Upper Murrumbidgee River.