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Native Fish Rescues
By Ken Smith
Tackle Tactics would like to send out a massive thanks to Ken and all of the team that contributed to these fish rescue efforts, while continuing our support of OzFish - https://ozfish.org.au/product/donation/
The ensuing drought and the level of the water storages falling to near zero levels meant that our native fish were in trouble. Soon the water would be stopped from flowing past Warren in NSW.
The Macquarie River, one of the oldest named rivers flowing west of the Blue Mountains, was in dire straits, along with most of the other waterways in the drought affected land.
A decision was made by NSW DPI Fisheries to collect stocks of native fish to be used as brood stock, to protect the genetics of those fish found in certain areas of the Murray Darling Basin.
Fish Armageddon was coming!
The first rescue was to be led by NSW DPI and it was well attended by government employees and recreational anglers. The start date of the 4th of November was delayed by a day, due to of all things rain! Even 30mm to 40mm of rain soaked into the thirsty ground in no time, letting us get to it on the Tuesday.
This first rescue resulted in over 350 fish being rescued and relocated to more permanent water as well as Narrandera Hatchery.
As the river continued to dry a rec angler lead second rescue and relocation operation was undertaken in mid-December, with fish being relocated again to permanent water as well as brood stock being collected by Murray Darling Fisheries.
This rescue was again highly successful, with hundreds of fish being saved and relocated.
As the river kept drying out fish could be seen dead or dying in the remaining water holes.
A third rescue was organised for 10 days in mid-January.
We arrived at the meeting point in 46 degree heat, however cooling weather made the next few days quite bearable and again we moved hundreds of fish and many big cod along with turtles and mussels.
One week in on the third rescue and heavy flooding rains in the upper catchment sent a flood of black water down the river which resulted in the third rescue being called off at mid-point.
Fish died in many of the upper reaches and tributaries and the black water at Dubbo forced countless numbers of fish onto the banks along with what seemed tonnes of freshwater shrimp and yabbies.
The black water dissipated as it moved downstream and the fish deaths stopped, until the water reached the Warren Weir. Here it eventually filled and began to flow over onto the dry riverbed, picking up all the dry debris of leaves and grasses which again created black water. This new event spelt the end of many of the fish that were still holding in the remaining refuge holes downstream, where the three rescues had taken place.
Hundreds of fish, turtles and mussels were relocated and saved. Many big brood stock fish were also utilised, so that the future stocking of the river here will be stocked with fingerlings or fry from those fish whose genetics are specific to this area of river.
Methods of capture of fish with the DPI led rescue included electro boat, backpack electro units, haul netting and recreational fishing methods. Rescues two and three didn't have the use of the electro boats or backpack electro units, however we still had some fantastic results.
Recreational fishing methods produced some big fish and I found the Bagley Lures Monster Shad and the Deep Diving Shad 07 to work extremely well for me.
One particular instance is very memorable as the team had been fishing a section of river for around an hour, before my arrival and they told me it was a waste of time. They had thrown hundreds of casts in the preceding hour and not one of them had an enquiry.
Not daunted, I walked to the water's edge and sent the Bagley Monster Shad across to the logs and worked it back. It did not make it back on the second cast as a beautiful 96cm Murray cod had eaten the lure. Literally hundreds of fish fell to lures over the three rescues, with many well over the metre mark.
The Red Shad was the standout lure colour for me in the Bagley Lures Deep Diving Shad 07, taking fish when all others were failing.
My Okuma Helios SX low profile, left-handed baitcast reel, matched to the Cerros Baitcast Rods CER-C-601MH, has produced trouble free fishing for me since I began using it and it produced fish after fish. The rec anglers at the rescue who tried it out were so impressed with its ease of use and lack of tangles thanks to the weight settings.
Now the river has begun to flow again, and the dams slowly begin to fill. We can only hope that this drought is behind us and we can soon stock these rivers with fish that hold the genetics specific to the areas that they were rescued from.
A fourth rescue that I was involved in was for the rescue and relocation of the endangered Macquarie perch. This species is still holding on in some small areas of the Upper Lachlan River catchment, however they were under threat from drought, along with the introduced redfin.
It's good to see Fisheries and rec anglers working side by side to save what fisheries we have and to better them further into the future. Fingers crossed.
Ken Smith